Drone Rules for Lago de Furnas
You can legally fly your drone at Lago de Furnas, as the airspace is completely open for responsible use. To ensure a safe and successful flight, you must register your drone with ANAC/ANATEL, log your flight plan on the SARPAS system, maintain a significant buffer distance from boat traffic and swimming areas, and mon
The airspace over the vast and iconic Lake Furnas is open to responsible drone flight operations under strict safety and environmental guidelines. Known for its towering limestone canyons, waterfalls, and extensive waterways, this region provides a spectacular setting for legal aerial content creation. To ensure safety, pilots must operate with maximum caution, especially given the density of tourist boats, water-based activities, and the high cliffs that can affect GPS signal and wind currents.
Regulatory Framework & Permissions: Drone operations are allowed for recreational and landscape capturing. All operators must ensure their aircraft is properly registered with ANAC and ANATEL, and flights must strictly follow DECEA regulations (ICA 100-40) for unmanned aircraft.
Flight Authorization & Coordination: Standard recreational flights do not require specialized individual permits, but you must log your flight path and request clearance via the SARPAS portal. For professional, commercial, or documentary media productions involving complex operations over the water or near tourist landmarks, obtaining prior authorization is highly recommended to ensure you do not interfere with recreational boat traffic.
Geofencing & Flight Conditions: The area's coordinates are not blocked by permanent firmware-level Red Zones, meaning your aircraft will unlock and take off normally. However, pilots must be extremely careful with wind gusts that channel through the canyons, as well as the potential for GPS multipath interference caused by the reflection of signals off the limestone walls and the water surface.
Environmental & Access Restrictions: To keep your flights legal, drones must never disturb local wildlife or hover directly over private boats or swimming areas without consent. Maintain a safe distance from other visitors to protect public privacy and safety.
Legal Penalties: Flying a drone recklessly over boaters or residential shorelines, or operating without proper SARPAS logging, will lead to immediate flight termination by local authorities. Violations are subject to equipment confiscation, heavy administrative fines, and criminal prosecution under Article 261 of the Brazilian Penal Code if airspace safety is compromised.