Ladakh
Ladakh

Vacation with a view 

Move aside go-pro cameras, here comes recreational drones. Holidays of city travellers are incomplete without these unmanned aerial vehicles which capture stunning views of exotic locations

Businessman Giridhar Vasu’s travel checklist is never complete without his drone. As the 35-year-old says, “I might forget some travel essentials, but there’s no way I head out on a vacation without my drone.” On his recent trips to Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta and Kodihalli, off Kanakapura, Vasu captured a bird’s eye view of the hilly areas. Reel cameras, digital single-lens reflex cameras, go-pro cameras and now drones. Technology has evolved and so have Bengaluru-based travel enthusiasts, who want to capture the best photographs from their vacation spots. ‘Recreational drones’ are helping tourists capture early morning sunrises and the different shades of seas.  

With the central government having passed The Drone Rules, 2021, last month, drones are now becoming handy and more accessible to people. Priced at `1 lakh and above, one can use it for 20 minutes in airspace depending upon climatic conditions. Low visibility and high winds can impede the movement of the drone and might drain out the battery soon, claim experts.

Dholavira, Gujarat
Dholavira, Gujarat

Tapash Kumar Sahu, a city-based IT professional,  believes that drones are a ‘new visual medium’ that require responsible usage without invading someone’s privacy. “Different places have different rules for using drones. In Kashmir you cannot use drones because of security reasons. However, I was able to use drones to capture the beautiful landscape of Ladakh when I visited the place earlier this month. I believe owning a drone in India is still a luxury because one must have the technical knowledge to manoeuvre the flight and must be wary of the rules and regulations of flying zones so that it does not harm one’s personal space,” says Sahu, who has captured detailed shots from his vacations in Thailand, Norway, Kodagu, Chikmagalur, among others.

An extensive traveller, Nivedith Gajapathy (31) bought a drone only to showcase different views of tourist spots to his followers on social media. “It’s been two years since I started using drones. In August this year, I visited Ahmedabad and the Rann of Kutch (border of Pakistan) and flew the drone with permissions from local authorities,” he says, adding that before the new drone law was passed, there was no demarcated area for flying drones. “After the law has come into place, there are clear-cut rules,” says Gajapathy, who loves capturing the coastal lines and the varying blue shades of the ocean and seas using the drone.

Now that the new bill requires drone operators to fly their drones in restricted areas, travellers believe they can experiment with the landscape photography in suburban and rural regions. “Flying a drone in Bengaluru is difficult considering the crowd and the defence land occupation. However, taking drones beyond city limits and flying them near hilly areas is a visual treat,” says Vasu.  

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