so im heading to costa rica for three weeks in january and obviously bringing the mini 3 pro. ive been trying to figure out the rules there and its honestly a mess to navigate. from what i can tell you need some kind of permit from DGAC but every source i find is either outdated or contradicts something else. anyone actually flown there recently and know whats required? i really dont want to show up and have it confiscated at the airport or whatever.

also planning to hit arenal, manuel antonio, and maybe the osa peninsula if we can swing it. curious if theres any spots that are just off limits entirely or if the national parks are a total no-go like they are in most countries now.

flew there about 8 months ago, manuel antonio is definitely a no fly zone, its a national park and they take it pretty seriously from what the locals told me. arenal was fine out near the lake area, got some insane shots at sunrise with the volcano just sitting there in the clouds. i didnt bother with any official permit and honestly nobody said anything to me but i was also being pretty discreet and not flying near people or tourist areas. probably not the advice you want but thats just how it went for me.

the DGAC thing is real but i heard its mostly for commercial operators? not 100% sure tho. i looked into it when i was planning a trip that ended up not happening lol. osa peninsula is supposed to be incredible btw, totally worth the effort to get there if you can.