Hunting in Costa Rica: What the 2012 Ban Means for Visitors

Sport hunting in Costa Rica has been illegal since 2012, and visitors can’t get a hunting permit. The ban covers trophy and recreational hunting everywhere in the country, including private land. Narrow exceptions exist for subsistence hunting, scientific research and government-authorized population control. Sport fishing is still legal with a license, and wildlife watching is the main way visitors experience Costa Rica’s animals.

This guide is for travelers, hunters and anglers who want to know what the hunting ban means for their trip. It covers what the law prohibits, the exceptions, the penalties and the wildlife rules that catch visitors out.

The law

Is Hunting Legal in Costa Rica?

No, not for sport. In December 2012, Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly unanimously approved a reform to the Wildlife Conservation Law (Law 7317) that banned hunting for sport, trophies or recreation. The reform (Law 9106) began as a citizens’ initiative backed by roughly 177,000 signatures, and Costa Rica became the first Latin American country to ban sport hunting.

For visitors, the practical answer is simple:

• There are no sport-hunting permits to apply for. Outfitters can’t legally sell a hunting trip in Costa Rica.
• Private land isn’t an exception. A landowner’s permission doesn’t make recreational hunting legal.
• Protected areas have extra rules. Entering a park or reserve carrying hunting or fishing gear without authorization is an offense in itself.

Exceptions

Exceptions to the Hunting Ban

The law still allows hunting in a few tightly defined cases, none of which apply to tourists:

• Subsistence hunting by rural and Indigenous communities that depend on it for food. Costa Rica has eight Indigenous peoples, including the Bribri, Cabécar and Maleku.
• Scientific research under permits issued to researchers and institutions.
• Population control authorized by the government when a species causes documented damage.

Selling wild meat, hides or other products from these exceptions is a separate matter, and wildlife trafficking is a crime.

Penalties

Penalties for Illegal Hunting in Costa Rica

Costa Rica sets most wildlife fines in salarios base, a reference amount tied to an official monthly salary that is adjusted every year, so fines in dollars change over time. The general structure:

• Hunting endangered species or species with reduced populations: one to three years in prison, plus confiscation of weapons, equipment and animals.
• Hunting in national parks or other protected areas: large fines or prison terms of six months to a year.
• Hunting without a license, using banned methods or poisons: fines, and prison for the most harmful methods.
• Trafficking or exporting wildlife or wildlife products without a permit: fines or prison, highest for endangered and CITES-listed species.

Judges can also cancel permits and bar people from getting new ones. Repeat offenders face tougher treatment.

Still legal

What’s Still Legal: Sport Fishing

The hunting ban doesn’t cover fishing. Costa Rica is a major sport-fishing destination, with marlin, sailfish and roosterfish on the Pacific and tarpon and snook on the Caribbean side. You need a sport-fishing license, and size limits, catch limits and closed seasons apply; many charters handle the license or tell you how to buy it. Most charters practice catch-and-release for billfish. See our Costa Rica fishing guide and our guide to roosterfishing.

For visitors

Wildlife Rules That Catch Visitors Out

Few travelers come to Costa Rica to hunt, but the same law covers everyday situations that do trip people up:

• Feeding wildlife is an offense. Don’t feed monkeys, coatis, raccoons or birds, even at hotels and beaches. It makes animals aggressive and dependent on people.
• Don’t keep or buy wild animals. Keeping wildlife as a pet without authorization is illegal, and so is buying a baby parrot or monkey from a roadside seller.
• Skip wildlife souvenirs. Turtle-shell jewelry, feathers, skins and other wildlife products can be illegal to buy and to export.
• Don’t pick up animals. Sloths, frogs and baby animals that look abandoned are usually fine. Report injured wildlife to park rangers or your hotel.
• Leave firearms at home. Bringing a gun into Costa Rica requires advance permits, and there’s no legal sport hunting to use it for.

Instead

Where to See Costa Rica’s Wildlife Instead

Costa Rica protects roughly a quarter of its land in parks and reserves, and animals that were once hunted, such as peccaries, tapirs and big cats, live in its larger protected areas. A few places to start:

• Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula, one of the best places in Central America for tapirs, peccaries and scarlet macaws. See our Corcovado guide.
• Cloud forests for quetzals and hummingbirds. See our quetzal guide and bird-watching guide.
• Turtle nesting beaches on both coasts. See our sea turtle nesting guide.

For more, see our Costa Rica wildlife guide, the month-by-month wildlife calendar, our guide to jaguars in Costa Rica and how to buy national park tickets.

FAQ

Hunting in Costa Rica: FAQ