Sustainability
Travelling Costa Rica Responsibly
Costa Rica's reputation is built on conservation. Here is how to travel in a way that supports it rather than trading on it.
Wildlife ethics
- Never touch, hold or feed wild animals, including sloths and monkeys. Paid photo opportunities with wildlife are always a red flag.
- Skip attractions that keep wild animals for entertainment; genuine rescue centres do not offer handling.
- Use red light rather than white light on night walks, and avoid flash entirely.
- Keep back from nesting turtles and never use a phone screen on a nesting beach.
Reducing your footprint
- Tap water is drinkable in most regions, so a refillable bottle removes dozens of plastic bottles per trip.
- Reef-safe sunscreen matters on the Caribbean and around Cano Island.
- Guanacaste has genuine water shortages in dry season. Short showers are not a symbolic gesture there.
Supporting local
- Choose family-run sodas, community-run Bribri and Kekoldi tours, and locally owned lodges.
- Hire licensed local naturalist guides — they see more, and the money stays in the region.
Certifications, honestly
- Costa Rica has an official national Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) programme. If a property holds it, that is verifiable.
- Pura Vida Compass sustainability scores are our own editorial assessment. They are not certifications, and we do not claim a property is certified unless it demonstrably is.