Using a drone but where is OK

[wickychicky]

Hi Maria,

As far as i remember for South Africa and Uganda, you're supposed to have a little licence official, though i was never too sure with SA as to whether it was meant for pilots for commercial use only. I think the rest of the countries are ok.

I googled each country before we went and checked whatever came up, though the info is often outdated already. In the end, we tried to use ours in very quiet/remote places so as to minimise disruption to anyone and chances of being caught (just in case!).

BUT in all the countries you mention, you're not allowed to use a drone in the national parks (in some you are even supposed to declare them, hand them in and pick them back up when you leave...)

But for me, the regulations were less of an issue; it was more regarding the animals themselves and my own conscience.
It was after seeing a couple of drone videos on YouTube that I really started getting excited about our forthcoming trip and seeing how stunning the shots can be: especially the oh-so-graceful giraffes!

Then I watched the videos a bit more closely and I realised that the reason the animals are always moving is because they are trying to get away from the drone! The gadgets seem to emit some sound waves that we don't pick up as humans, but it is obviously really unpleasant for the animals.

Seeing as one of the main highlights of our Southern Africa tour is witnessing the animals and I certainly didn't want to interfere with their habitat and lives more than I am doing by being there in the first place.

From that moment on I swore we wouldn't use our drones for animal footage.

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not trying to be holier than thou, it just made such a huge impact on me!

But there are plenty of other opportunities for fabulous takes in the jaw-dropping countryside, apart from the animals.... as our trip is drawing to a close, I'm happy to sell you our DJI phantom 4 :-)

Helen