This was my second overseas trip where I brought along a UAV to capture aerial photos and videos of various places. The experience of this in Cebu on the whole was very positive: with a few exceptions – see below – I was able to freely fly the DJI Mini 4 Pro and got some great videos of the beautiful open landscapes and islands of Cebu. Some discipline was required nonetheless. At every juncture, I always checked in first with our guide and/or resort staff if it was OK for me to fly a small drone and get some videos for personal use. I kept the drone at takeoff and landing away from crowds where possible, and kept flying altitudes and ranges modest.
The two notes of exception were at Sumillon Island, where I had to pay a 2500p to apply for and get a flying permit [summary: not worth it – the island really isn’t very interesting], and flying past 8AM at the viewing deck of Chocolate Hills is not permitted.
In all, I did – I think – around 25 flights at 16 different locations/timings, and didn’t suffer from any major flight mishaps. Whew!
More notes:
Of the spots: the most memorable flights were at Osmeña Peak, Cadapdapan Rice Terraces, and through Bilar Man-Made Forest. The first two spots are pretty easy to do as you get good line of sight, few obstructions, and there are gorgeous landscapes to capture. The Bilar Man-Made Forest is a little tricky as you’re essentially flying through a tunnel. So, if you’re an amateur like me, make sure you’re able to exercise fine control of your UAV, fly slow/set to Cinematic mode, and pay attention to your obstacle avoidance warnings if your drone supports them. Also, the tall trees and winding path through the forest weaken RC signals, and you don’t want your drone to automatically trigger Return to Home: as it might immediately fly to the preset altitude first and hit the trees overhead. In short, exercise some caution here.
Loboc River is also a good spot for aerial videos, but I don’t advise you to try flying it during the river cruise: there simply isn’t enough time. Get your driver to look around for other launch spots.
I kept flight times of around 20 minutes totaling each time before bring the UAV back down for a change of battery.
The sunrise and sunset videos in Malapascua and Alona Beach were also fun and fairly easy to do.
I was a lot more careful about selecting the correct ND filter to use, coming out of my experience in Hang Mua during our Hanoi trip in June 2023. Nonetheless, I still misjudged lighting conditions once this trip: during our second visit to Loboc River on Day 08. Thankfully, the ND filter I mounted was an ND64, not quite the extreme of the ND1000 I used at Hang Mua. So, the footage I got over Loboc River was a little mushy but still usable.
In all, I really learned a lot more about flying UAVs this trip, and I’m really glad that Cebu and many areas there were tolerant and receptive of enthusiasts like myself to fly and take videos of the lovely landscapes. Hopefully, there would be other places in this region where I can do the same again, and soon!