so im heading to costa rica for three weeks and obviously bringing the mini 3 pro. ive done some research on the rules there but honestly its all over the place depending on what site you read. from what i can tell you need to register with DGAC and theres some zones around national parks that are basically no-fly but the maps i found seem outdated.

anyone actually flown there recently? specifically around the osa peninsula or arenal area. also curious if customs ever gave you grief bringing the drone in, i have two batteries and the charger and im just gonna carry it all on but want to know what to expect

flew around manuel antonio and monteverde last year, customs was totally fine, didnt even ask about the drone. just had everything in my backpack carryon. the DGAC registration thing is real though, i did it online before i left, took like 20 minutes and was like 10 bucks or something. the national park no fly stuff is serious, a guy in our hostel said he saw a ranger confiscate someones controller near corcovado so i wouldnt risk it near any of the protected areas.

arenal should be fine in the open areas away from the park boundary, just use common sense. the views are insane btw

not costa rica specifically but i traveled through central america with my mavic and the thing that always stressed me out more than customs was just random locals or resort staff telling me i couldnt fly even in spots that were technically fine. bring a copy of whatever registration you get, having something official looking on your phone helped me talk my way out of a few weird situations