so im heading to costa rica for three weeks and obviously bringing the mini 4 pro. ive read some stuff about their drone laws but its all kind of contradictory depending on where you look. some sites say you need to register, some say its fine under 250g, but then i also read something about national parks being completely off limits which honestly is like 80% of the reason i want to go lol

anyone actually flown there recently? like within the past year or so? would love to know what it was actually like on the ground vs what the rules say on paper because those two things are rarely the same

went last february. the national parks thing is real, rangers take it seriously especially around manuel antonio. i tried to fly at the beach near the park entrance and a guy came over pretty fast. outside the parks though honestly nobody cared. flew over some rice fields and a couple small towns and not a single person said anything to me. just use common sense and dont be obvious about it near tourist spots with lots of staff around

the registration thing i never sorted out and it was fine but i also wasnt trying to do anything commercial so maybe that matters

not costa rica specifically but i flew in panama last year which is similar situation. the rules on paper are way stricter than reality. that said i wouldnt push it near any protected areas, not worth the hassle of getting gear confiscated. also check if your hotel is near an airport because a lot of the smaller towns have tiny airstrips and you might be in controlled airspace without knowing it