Personal Experience: One Year Photographing the Portuguese Coast with Drones

In this article

TL;DR:

I spent 12 months photographing the Portuguese coast by drone — from Caminha to the Algarve, including Berlengas and Arrábida
I flew with a DJI Mini 4 Pro (main) and Mavic 3 Pro (when I needed more quality)
The project resulted in over 4,000 photographs and 200 hours of flight across 52 sessions
I learned that patience, preparation and waking up early are worth more than expensive equipment
This article is the honest account of a year of adventures, frustrations and discoveries

It all started with a silly idea. I was sitting on the cliff at Zambujeira do Mar, on a late March 2025 afternoon, watching the sun set over the Atlantic, when I thought: “what if I photographed the entire Portuguese coast by drone?”

Not the entire coast, literally — that would be 1,794 km of continental coastline, plus the islands, and I had neither the time nor the batteries for that. But the most interesting stretches, the most photogenic ones, the ones I’d always wanted to explore but never had an excuse for. Thus was born the project I (creatively, I know) called “Costa de Cima” (Coast from Above).

One year later, with 52 flying sessions, over 4,000 photographs, a few repaired drones and a toll bill I’d rather not mention, I can say it was the best experience I’ve had as a pilot. And also the most frustrating, at times. I’ll tell you everything — the good, the bad and the wind.

The Equipment: What I Took (And What I Should Have Taken)

I started the project with two drones:

DJI Mini 4 Pro — My workhorse. Light, compact, 1/1.3″ sensor that produces excellent images for its size. Used it in ~70% of sessions. The ~34-minute endurance (in practice, 28-30 with wind) was enough for most spots. The fact it weighs under 250g also simplified many legal issues.
DJI Mavic 3 Pro — For spots where I needed more quality or the versatility of three cameras (equivalent 24mm, 70mm and 166mm). The 4/3″ Hasselblad sensor makes a noticeable difference in dynamic range, especially at sunrise and sunset. Used it in ~30% of sessions, particularly those I knew would result in large format prints.

If you want to compare options, my article on choosing the best camera drone can help.

Essential Accessories

ND filters (ND8, ND16, ND32, ND64) — absolutely essential on the coast, where light is intense
8 Mini 4 Pro batteries + 4 Mavic 3 Pro batteries — for full-day long sessions
Charging hub + 100W power bank — for charging in the car between spots
Lowepro DroneGuard backpack — fits everything, including both drones
iPad Mini 6 — as monitoring screen (much better than the controller screen)
UAV Forecast + Windy apps — wind and condition checks before each flight

What I Should Have Taken From the Start

Landing pad — Seems unnecessary until you land on a beach and sand gets everywhere. I bought one after the third session.
Microfibre towel — For cleaning sea spray from lenses. Salt mist is enemy number one of coastal drone photography.
Notebook — To record conditions, angles and ideas for each spot. I started using my phone, but a notebook is faster and doesn’t drain battery.

Spring (March-May 2025): The Start

Costa Vicentina — Where It All Began

The first sessions were on the Vicentine Coast, my “home base” for this project. Zambujeira do Mar, where I had the idea, was the natural starting point. In March, the Alentejo coast is almost deserted — perfect for flying without crowd concerns.

Praia da Amália was the first revelation. Seen from above, the way the cliffs embrace that tiny beach is breathtaking. I flew at sunrise (arrived at 6:30am, shivering with cold) and the raking light created long shadows on the rocks that gave a dramatic dimension to the image.

Then I worked my way south: Praia do Malhão, Praia dos Alteirinhos, down to Odeceixe. Each beach is different, each angle tells a story. The Costa Vicentina is a treasure for drones.

Lesson learned: In March, the wind on the Alentejo coast is unpredictable. During a session at Cabo Sardão, I had 45 km/h gusts that appeared from nowhere. The Mini 4 Pro held on (Return to Home activated automatically), but it was a scare. Since that day, I never fly without checking the wind for the next 30 minutes, not just the current moment.

Berlengas — The Expedition

In May, I made the Berlengas “expedition.” Quotes because I didn’t fly in the reserve (it’s prohibited without ICNF authorization), but rather on the coast of Peniche and Cabo Carvoeiro, from where the islands are visible on the horizon.

Cabo Carvoeiro at sunset, with the Berlengas as backdrop, is one of the best images I captured in the entire project. The limestone rock glows with golden tones that change every minute. I stayed there two hours, flying and landing, flying and landing, chasing the light.

This is where I realized that drone photography isn’t about “arrive, fly, leave.” It’s about waiting. Waiting for the right light, the right moment, the right composition. It’s more similar to nature photography than most people’s idea of drones.

Summer (June-August 2025): The Challenges

Arrábida — The Perfect Spot (With Limitations)

Serra da Arrábida is, for me, the most beautiful spot near Lisbon. The problem is that in summer it’s packed with people, and flying a drone over crowded beaches isn’t a good idea (nor legal, in many cases). The solution was flying at dawn — I’d arrive at 6am, before the beachgoers.

Portinho da Arrábida seen from above, with no one on the beach, with that crystal-clear water… it’s one of my most shared images. It looks like the Caribbean, not Portugal.

Algarve — Beautiful But Complicated

Summer in the Algarve is peak tourism season, and that complicates everything. Crowded beaches, tourist boats, kayaks — there are too many people to fly safely at most popular spots.

My strategy was focusing on lesser-known areas: the coast between Sagres and Vila do Bispo (Ponta da Atalaia is spectacular and almost nobody goes there), the Carrapateira area, and Ria de Alvor at sunrise.

Benagil? I went once in July. There were so many boats inside the cave that I gave up. I came back in November (spoiler: it was completely worth it).

The Sea Spray Disaster

In July, at Praia da Marinha, I made the rookie mistake of flying too close to the breaking waves. Sea spray covered the gimbal lens and the last 30 photos of the session were all fogged up. Worse: the salt mist started corroding the lens coating. I had to send the Mini 4 Pro for repair — €85 and two weeks without a drone.

Since that day, I always maintain distance from the surf (minimum 50 metres horizontal) and clean the lens before and after every flight near the sea. Salt mist is invisible and treacherous — it deposits on the lens even when there appears to be no spray.

Autumn (September-November 2025): The Golden Season

If you ask me the best time to photograph the Portuguese coast by drone, the answer is easy: autumn. Fewer tourists, incredible light (softer, warmer), and the weather is still good enough for comfortable sessions.

Northern Coast — The Surprise

In October, I went to the North for the first time in this project. And what a surprise. The coast between Viana do Castelo and Caminha is everything the Algarve isn’t: green, wild, with rougher seas and completely different light.

Ínsua fortress (Caminha), seen from a drone at sunrise, with morning mist over the Minho river, is my favourite photograph from the entire project. It’s not the most spectacular, not the most shared, but it has an ethereal quality that moves me every time I see it.

In Viana do Castelo, the aerial view of the Santa Luzia Sanctuary is impressive. And Praia do Cabedelo, with kitesurfers seen from above, produced dynamic and colourful images that contrast with the sobriety of the rest of the northern coast.

Nazaré — Perfect Timing

I was lucky to be in Nazaré on a big swell day (not the enormous ones, but 8-10 metre waves). Flying near the Nazaré Canyon with waves that size is an experience that moves you. The scale is hard to grasp from the ground, but from a drone you see the real dimension of it.

Note: on big wave days, ANAC frequently issues NOTAMs restricting airspace. Always check before flying. I checked, and on that specific day there was no restriction, but there were days I had to give up.

Benagil — The Revenge

I returned to Benagil in November, as promised. I arrived at 7am, with fog that cleared around 8:30. There was nobody. Zero boats. Zero tourists. I flew over the cave calmly, experimented with different altitudes and angles, and captured the image I’d wanted since the beginning.

The moral of the story? Patience. The best images aren’t taken in peak season — they’re taken when everyone else has gone home.

Winter (December 2025 — February 2026): The Finale

Cabo Espichel and Sesimbra

Winter brought fewer sessions (the weather doesn’t always cooperate), but those I did were among the most memorable. Cabo Espichel on a December day, with dramatic clouds and rough seas, produced images with an atmosphere that summer simply cannot match.

I also flew over Sesimbra and the coast between Sesimbra and Cabo Espichel. There’s a sequence of small beaches inaccessible by land that can only be seen from boats or drones. Finding these “secrets” is one of the great joys of this type of project.

Sagres — The End of the World

The project’s final session was in Sagres, in February 2026. It seemed poetic to end at a place that, for centuries, was considered the end of the world. Cape St. Vincent at sunset, with the lighthouse blinking and the infinite Atlantic, was the perfect closing image.

I arrived in Sagres with a strange feeling — a mix of satisfaction at having completed something I started and melancholy at it ending. It’s funny how a personal project with a drone can have that effect.

The Numbers: One Year in Data

Flying sessions: 52 (average of 1 per week)
Flight hours: ~200 hours
Photos captured: ~4,200 (of which ~350 I consider “good” and ~40 are “excellent”)
Batteries used: Estimated 400+ charge cycles
Kilometres driven: ~8,500 km
Tolls: I’d rather not know (but there were many)
Repairs: 2 (sea spray + seagull collision near Peniche — yes, a seagull)
Estimated total project cost: ~€1,200 (fuel, tolls, repairs, new batteries, filters)
Spots visited: 38 distinct locations along the coast

The 10 Biggest Lessons I Learned

Waking up early is worth more than any filter — Dawn light is incomparable. 80% of my best photos were taken before 8am.
Wind is your biggest enemy — On the Portuguese coast, wind changes quickly. Always check before takeoff and monitor during flight.
Less is more — At the beginning, I tried to cover many spots per session. I learned it’s better to spend 2 hours at one spot than 30 minutes at four.
Composition matters more than resolution — A well-composed photo with the Mini 4 Pro is worth more than a poorly composed one with the Mavic 3 Pro.
The drone is a tool, not the final product — Post-production editing (Lightroom, Capture One) transforms good photos into great ones.
Respect nature — I stopped flying more than once because there were birds in the area. Seagulls adapt, but other species (herons, eagles) are easily disturbed.
Always bring more batteries — My rule: the number of batteries I think I need, plus two. Never failed.
Talk to locals — Fishermen, surfers, hikers — they know things about the coast that no map tells you. The best spots were discovered through conversation.
Document everything — Not just photos, but notes about conditions, times, angles. A year later, those notes are gold.
Get insurance — Seems obvious, but insurance is mandatory and, after the seagull incident, I’m very glad I had it.

Tips for Anyone Wanting to Do Something Similar

Start small — Don’t try to photograph the entire coast at once. Choose a region, explore it well, and expand later.
Plan ahead — Use Google Earth to identify spots, PhotoPills to calculate sun position, and UAV Forecast to check conditions.
Have a project, not just a hobby — Having a defined goal (“photograph the coast”) gives you motivation to leave the house on days you’d rather stay on the sofa.
Invest in batteries, not drones — A good drone with few batteries is limiting. A reasonable drone with many batteries lets you explore without pressure.
Share your work — Publishing photos in communities (see articles on investing in drone filming) gives you feedback, motivation and valuable contacts.

Conclusion

One year. 52 sessions. 850 km of coast (no, I didn’t do all 1,794 km — maybe one day). And the absolute certainty that Portugal has one of the most photogenic coastlines in Europe, if not the world.

This project changed how I see my country. There’s beauty in places I never imagined, at hours I’d never experienced, seen from angles only a drone allows. And best of all: it’s all here, just a few hours’ drive from anywhere in the country.

If you’re thinking about doing something similar, my advice is simple: don’t overthink it, charge the batteries and go. The worst that can happen is discovering that your country is even more beautiful than you thought.

And that, trust me, isn’t bad at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which drone did you use most and why?

The DJI Mini 4 Pro was my main drone (~70% of sessions). The lightness (249g), portability and image quality make it the ideal companion for coastal expeditions. The reduced weight also simplifies regulatory matters. I used the Mavic 3 Pro when I knew I’d want large format prints or needed the telephoto for specific compositions.

How much did you spend in total on this project?

Approximately €1,200 over the year, excluding the cost of the drones (which I already had). This includes fuel (~€600), tolls (~€250), repairs (€85 + €120), new batteries (€90), ND filters (€55) and a landing pad (€20). It’s not cheap, but it’s comparable to any serious photography hobby.

What was the biggest challenge?

The wind, without a doubt. The Portuguese coast is windy, especially in the North and on the Costa Vicentina. There were sessions where I drove 2 hours to the spot, checked conditions and had to go home without flying. It’s frustrating, but flying in strong wind near cliffs is stupid and dangerous — no photo is worth it.

Do I need special authorizations to photograph the coast?

For most locations, you just need your ANAC operator registration, A1/A3 training and mandatory insurance. However, natural park areas (Costa Vicentina, Arrábida, Ria Formosa) and reserves (Berlengas) may have additional restrictions. Always check the ANAC map and, if in doubt, contact ICNF.

Miguel Santos

Compare before buying

Aerial PhotographyCompare options, bundles and limitations

See all buying guides

DroneFlyBlog

Keep exploring the world of drones

Get new buying, aerial photography and drone use guides to prepare for your next purchase or flight.