Author of the article
I am Mélanie and I am in a manual wheelchair (incomplete tetraplegia) following a car accident at the age of 16 months ... I have always been a great traveller, and it was after a 3-month trip in the middle of the covid period that I decided to launch my own business and share my experiences in order to be as useful as possible, whether for people or for the planet ...
My aim? To make life easier for people in manual wheelchairs and to save them a lot of frustration.
How do I do this? By sharing my itineraries, information, tips and advice.
As an architect, I also offer my help in (re)designing places to make them (really) accessible (and pretty!)
My credo is to inspire, explore, share and live without regret!
Find me on Instagram @travel.on.the.wheels or on my blog On The Wheels
His experience
On a long trip in America, and after having passed through Mexico and the United States during which we had some problems, we decided to go to Costa Rica and for the first time we went through an agency that was specialized in travel for disabled people. They offered us a tailor-made programme including unexpected activities like this one. Thus, in the heart of the rainforest in front of the Arenal Volcano, we had a unique experience: tyrolean traverse.
How to go zip-lining in a wheelchair?
It's quite simple really! You are transferred to a wheelchair that belongs to them, so as not to take any risk with yours, and then you are strapped in securely (and believe me I checked several times!). Then you head for a gondola that takes you to the summit for the start of the first zip line. The programme includes 6 out of 7 zip lines that are fully accessible. For this purpose, wide footbridges have been built at the start of each zip line so that you can position yourself correctly. Then a guide hangs on to you and it is he who will control the zip line. In fact, the person in the wheelchair just has to hold the handles on the pulley. The highlight of the show? The last zip line requires the use of a spiral staircase to access it, and you reach the ground by... an abseiling that suspends you 20m above the void! This experience is crazy (if someone had told me one day that I could do zip-lining, I wouldn't have believed it!) and the view on the volcano and the tropical forest makes the activity even more magical!
- Contact : On est passé par l’agence de voyage « Il Viaggio Travel » qui s’est occupée de tout notre séjour au Costa Rica dont cette activité. Notre contact au sein de l’agence était Natalia Vindas. Ils ont une section handicap (sous-groupe de l’agence « Il Viaggio Travel »). Notre guide-chauffeur sur place et qui nous a accompagné durant tout le séjour : Manfred. Il connait le pays par coeur et a l’habitude de s’occuper des personnes handicapées. Il peut vous accompagner aussi bien pour toute la durée du séjour, comme sur des endroits bien spécifique. Il n’a pas de site ou d’instagram mais je pourrais communiquer son numéro aux personnes intéressées.
- Location: Arenal Volcano National Park - Costa Rica
- Durée : 2 à 3h environ
- Price: $84 for an adult $58 for a child $70 for students
- Period: All year round
- Timetable: 8 time slots, the first one is at 8:00 am and the last one is at 3:00 pm
- Public : Tous publics. En cas de mobilité réduite, juste vérifier que vous arriverez bien à tenir les poignées autour de la poulie
- Accessibilité : Le fauteuil est un fauteuil standard, il n’y a pas de coque ou de coussins particuliers donc si vous avez des besoins spécifiques et indispensables à ce niveau-là, cela sera peut-être plus compliqué. Il faut aussi vérifier que vous arriverez bien à tenir les poignées de la poulie, cela ne nécessite pas beaucoup de force en vrai mais à vérifier quand même.
- For more information, please visit https://skyadventures.travel/arenal/skytrek/