Costa Rica Tourist Laws: Wildlife, Vaping & Park Rules

Feeding a monkey, taking a shell from a protected beach or flying near an airstrip can cross different legal boundaries. Start with the rules for your activity, then check the park or venue: permission elsewhere in the country may not apply inside a protected area. Local etiquette also helps with town visits, churches and photographing people.

Costa Rica Tourist Rules at a Glance

Rules checked on 27 September 2026. Laws, local restrictions and penalties can change; verify the linked official guidance before travel.

Wildlife Photos: Keep Your Distance and Leave Animals Free

Costa Rica protects wildlife even when animals approach people. Feeding monkeys or coatis, capturing an animal or moving it into position for a photograph can breach those protections. Keep food secured and let animals decide where to go.

Photograph wildlife from a respectful distance, without chasing, restraining, touching or baiting an animal to create the shot.

Manuel Antonio also prohibits flash photography, recorded sounds used to attract animals and selfies with wildlife.

Book observation experiences built around watching animals in their habitat. Our guide to wildlife experiences in Costa Rica helps you choose outings involving forests, waterways and coastal habitats without making animal handling the attraction.

National Parks: Souvenirs, Plastic and What Goes in Your Bag

Leave shells, coral, rocks, sand and plants where you find them inside protected areas. Protected beaches form part of the park too.

Single-use plastics require some preparation before a park day. SINAC’s directive covers national parks, biological reserves and the national monument, including disposable plastic bottles, straws, cutlery, cups and non-reusable bags. Pack a refillable bottle and reusable bag.

Manuel Antonio restricts bringing in food and drinks, with exceptions set by its administration. Read the park’s current packing instructions before planning a picnic; permissions differ between protected areas.

Manuel Antonio prohibits camping and fires, and visitors cannot bring beach chairs, umbrellas or hammocks. Tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, lighters and similar items are also prohibited at entry, even if left unused in your bag. Other parks and public beaches have their own visitor rules.

Follow marked visitor routes and current closures. Save your ticket and essential instructions before departure. Mobile data from a Costa Rica eSIM can help you open visitor notices or coordinate with your guide where coverage is available; keep your booking accessible offline as well.

Where Can You Smoke or Vape in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica’s smoking and vaping restrictions cover outdoor settings as well as enclosed rooms. Nicotine-free vapes and heated-tobacco devices are also covered by the vaping rules. “Prohibido fumar/vapear” means smoking and vaping are prohibited.

Can You Smoke on the Street?

Ordinary streets and sidewalks are not subject to a blanket nationwide smoking ban. Smoking is generally allowed outside the places covered by the ban, but parks, bus and taxi stops, airports and outdoor event areas remain restricted. Vaping is also prohibited in these listed places.

The location matters more than whether you are outdoors. Moving from a restaurant onto an ordinary sidewalk is different from moving into a bus stop or a park, where the restrictions still apply.

Restaurants, Bars and Hotel Balconies

Restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs are smoke- and vape-free. Their outdoor service terraces are not exempt simply because they lack walls or a roof. The rules also cover workplaces, public transport and the other listed public facilities.

Hotels are explicitly included in the vaping restrictions. Booking a balcony room does not create an exemption, and staff permission cannot override the law. The property’s own smoking policy can impose additional restrictions, so establish its rules when booking.

Restrictions on where you can vape are separate from rules on possession, sale and import. A ban on using a device in these locations does not amount to a nationwide ban on possessing every vaping device.

What Changed With the New Vape Regulation?

The Health Ministry announced that the technical regulation RTCR 519-2025, covering vape products, liquids, labelling and related controls, would be postponed until 6 August 2027.

That postponement concerns the technical product regulation. Existing restrictions on where people may smoke or vape remain a separate matter.

Bringing a device or liquid across the border raises another set of questions. Use Costa Rica’s airport customs rules for import and baggage preparation.

Flying a Drone: Recreational Use Still Has Limits

Recreational drones do not require DGAC registration, but flights remain subject to Costa Rica’s airspace and operating restrictions. Paid filming or other commercial work needs its own assessment; the recreational guidance should not be used as authorization for a business activity.

The published operating limits include:

• Height: Flights above 120 metres, or 400 feet, require the relevant DGAC permission and conditions.

• Aerodromes: Operations within an 8-kilometre radius require DGAC permission and compliance with its conditions.

• Time and visibility: Ordinary flights take place during daylight and in suitable visual weather conditions; night operations require approval.

• Location: Keep away from people, built-up areas and restricted or controlled airspace unless the necessary authorization applies.

Check for small airstrips as well as major airports. The relevant restriction is the airspace around an aerodrome, regardless of whether it appears in your flight itinerary.

Manuel Antonio prohibits bringing drones into the park, even for recreational use. Other protected areas have their own visitor conditions, so establish where you can fly before packing a drone for the day.

What Is the Drinking Age in Costa Rica?

The legal drinking age in Costa Rica is 18. You must also be at least 18 to buy alcohol or be served it. The threshold applies to visitors as well as residents; you do not need to be 21 simply because that is the drinking age in your home country.

Under Costa Rica’s alcohol law, sellers must request official identification when they are unsure of a customer’s age. Bring an official identity document and establish the venue’s accepted ID before going out; do not rely on a phone photo being accepted.

Can Under-18s Enter Bars or Clubs With Their Parents?

Bars, cantinas, discos and nightclubs operating under the relevant adult nightlife licences cannot admit minors. Being accompanied by a parent does not override that admission restriction. The law covers entering and remaining inside, so ordering only a soft drink does not resolve it.

Restaurants serving alcohol are a different category. Alcohol on the menu does not make every restaurant adults-only, although under-18s still cannot drink. For a family dinner or a hotel event, establish which area and event your booking covers.

Turning 18 meets the national age threshold, but admission also depends on the particular venue or event’s entry conditions. Check those before buying a ticket.

Can You Drink on the Street or Beach?

Costa Rica’s alcohol law prohibits drinking in public streets and public places, with exceptions for authorized events and qualifying commercial areas approved by the municipality.

The boundary matters. Permission for a restaurant’s outdoor seating or a designated festival area does not extend to every nearby pavement or stretch of beach. Keep drinks within the area covered by the venue or event’s authorization.

Manuel Antonio prohibits bringing in, possessing, selling or consuming alcohol within its land and marine boundaries. That includes its beaches.

Cannabis: Personal Consumption Is Not the Same as Legal Retail Access

Costa Rica distinguishes personal drug consumption from illicit trafficking. Consumption itself is not a criminal offence, while illicit substances held for personal use can still be confiscated.

Selling or trafficking illicit drugs raises different legal issues. Medical cannabis and hemp also have separate regulated frameworks; those frameworks do not establish unrestricted recreational access.

The practical point is narrow: personal-use treatment does not guarantee that you can keep an illicit substance, and it should not be treated as permission to bring drugs across a border.

Driving Documents, Scooters and ATVs

Visitors with a valid foreign driving licence can drive the vehicle types it authorizes for the period allowed by their lawful stay, subject to Costa Rican rules.

Carry your licence and documentation showing your permitted stay. Costa Rican law recognizes an official digital licence when that is how the issuing country provides it. An ordinary photograph of a physical card is not the same document.

Scooter and ATV permissions need more care than a blanket “car licence” or “motorcycle licence” answer. The law provides a limited exception for licences equivalent to Costa Rica’s B-1 category or higher: on non-primary roads, it covers motorcycles up to 125 cc, or electric/hybrid models up to 11 kW. Under the same conditions, it also covers motorcycle-type tricycles and quadricycles up to 500 cc.

Establish the licence equivalence, vehicle classification and intended roads before renting. Being offered a vehicle at a rental desk does not resolve those questions.

Route choice is a separate part of the trip. Our guide to navigating Costa Rica’s roads covers the practical choice between Waze and GPS.

Local Etiquette: Clothing, Greetings and Photos

Everyday courtesy helps when moving between Costa Rica’s beach towns, cities and community visits. The advice below is etiquette; any posted entry or photography policy belongs to the individual venue.

Cover Up Away From the Beach

Keep a shirt or cover-up handy when leaving the beach or pool for shops, restaurants and town streets. Casual clothes usually work well for sightseeing in San José; swimwear is better saved for the water.

On church visits, clothing that covers shoulders and knees is a considerate choice. Carry a light layer if your day starts at the beach, and avoid taking sightseeing photos during a service.

Greet People Before Making a Request

Start with buenos días (good morning) or buenas tardes (good afternoon) when entering a small shop or asking for help. Take a moment for the greeting before moving on to a price or question.

Pura vida is also used as a greeting and an expression of appreciation. You do not need elaborate Spanish; por favor and gracias are useful everyday courtesies.

Ask Before Taking Someone’s Photo

Ask before photographing people, including artisans and hosts on community visits. Let your host guide you on appropriate photography during cultural activities, and accept a refusal without pressing for a picture. Buying a tour or a handmade item should not be treated as permission to photograph the person.

Before You Head Out

• Read the visitor rules for the exact park or beach you plan to enter, including food, bottles, equipment and access conditions.

• Arrange wildlife outings around observation, with food secured and animals free to move.

• Match any drone flight to both the airspace restrictions and the land manager’s rules.

• Keep driving documents, tickets and essential instructions available offline.

• If you need mobile data for current notices and trip coordination, compare eSIM options for Costa Rica before selecting a plan.