Drone Rules for Chapada Diamantina
You can legally fly your drone at Chapada Diamantina National Park, as the airspace is completely open for responsible use. To ensure a safe and legal flight, you must register your drone with ANAC/ANATEL, log your flight path on the SARPAS system, keep a safe distance from other visitors on trail lookouts, and strictl
The airspace over the legendary Chapada Diamantina National Park is open to responsible drone flight operations under tailored ecological safety guidelines. Protecting a massive territory where the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes meet, this conservation unit offers an unparalleled landscape of deep valleys and quartz rock formations. To ensure this pristine environment remains protected, pilots must align their flights with biodiversity conservation.
Regulatory Framework & Permissions: Drone operations are allowed for recreational, educational, and landscape capturing. All pilots must ensure their equipment is registered with ANAC and ANATEL, and flights must strictly comply with DECEA regulations (ICA 100-40) for unmanned aircraft.
Flight Authorization & Coordination: Standard recreational flights within open tourism paths do not require a specialized individual environmental permit, but you must log your flight plan and request standard clearance via the SARPAS portal. For professional, commercial, or documentary media productions, obtaining prior written authorization from the park's ICMBio administration is mandatory.
Geofencing & Flight Conditions: The park's coordinates are not blocked by permanent firmware-level Red Zones by drone manufacturers, meaning your aircraft will unlock and take off normally. However, pilots must be highly cautious with extreme local wind currents inside deep canyons and sudden high-altitude updrafts, which can cause severe battery strain or loss of aircraft stability.
Environmental Restrictions: To ensure flights remain legal, drones must never disturb or closely approach the park's fragile fauna, especially nesting birds of prey along the valley cliffs. Additionally, operators must maintain a safe distance from crowded lookout points (such as Pai Inácio hill) and busy natural pools to respect visitor privacy and prevent accidents.
Legal Penalties: Flying a drone recklessly, harassing animals, or operating without proper SARPAS logging will lead to immediate flight termination by park rangers. Violations are subject to equipment confiscation, heavy administrative fines under Brazilian environmental laws, and criminal prosecution under Article 261 of the Brazilian Penal Code for endangering airspace safety.