120 metres of elevated timber boardwalk.
Between April and July 2026, for the ACDI/VOCA LA Foundation and under the technical supervision of Colombia’s National Natural Parks, MARA extended the El Manglar trail in Vía Parque Isla de Salamanca: 40 boardwalk modules of 3 × 2 metres —120 metres of elevated trail and 240 m² of decking— with handrails on both sides, a starting platform joining the existing trail, an end platform with stairs that works as a lookout, and a jetty.
A mangrove between the sea and the lagoon.
The trail is at kilometre 11 of the Barranquilla–Ciénaga road, in Magdalena, inside Vía Parque Isla de Salamanca, a protected area of mangroves, lagoons and open water between the Magdalena River and the Caribbean Sea.
Building over the wetland without harming it.
The boardwalk stands over water and soft ground, among mangrove roots and aquatic vegetation. Foundations and framing had to go in without filling or polluting the wetland: no concrete, timber cut over plastic sheeting so sawdust would not fall into the water, and materials carried by hand along the trail.
All in pressure-treated timber, no concrete.
14 cm piles driven about one metre into the wetland soil, beams, decking and round-timber handrails, all pressure-treated with CCA salts and finished with a protective stain. Joints use structural screws only, with no welding or steel plates. The contract started with 33 modules and was extended to 40 at the request of National Parks; the jetty was added later.
A new walk through the mangrove.
A trail completed in July 2026 that takes visitors deeper into the mangrove on a light, durable structure, with a lookout at the end of the walk.
