Drone Rules at Riung 17 Islands Marine Park

Riung Flores › Safety & Trust › Drone Rules at Riung 17 Islands

Drone footage of Riung’s 17 Islands from above is genuinely striking, and it’s a common question from travellers packing a drone for a Flores trip: what are the actual rules, and is there a fee? This site checked directly rather than repeating a number seen on a blog, and here is the honest answer.

Is There an Official Drone Fee for Riung’s Marine Park?

This site has not found one. The 17 Islands Marine Park is managed as a Taman Wisata Alam Laut (marine tourism park) by BBKSDA NTT, and this site did not locate a published tariff schedule or regulation specifically setting a drone permit fee for this site. Some tourism and blog sources online quote specific drone fees for Riung or Komodo-area parks, but none of those figures traced back to an official BBKSDA or government tariff page in this site’s research — treat any such number you see elsewhere with real scepticism until BBKSDA NTT publishes one directly.

What This Means Practically

The absence of a published fee is not the same as drones being freely permitted. Indonesian conservation areas (kawasan konservasi), including marine tourism parks like Riung’s, are managed by BBKSDA under national conservation regulations, and activities that could disturb wildlife or protected habitat — which can include drone operation, particularly near bat roosts or nesting sites — typically require permission from the managing authority rather than being automatically allowed. The responsible approach is to contact BBKSDA NTT’s office managing the Riung 17 Islands (Taman Wisata Alam Laut Tujuh Belas Pulau) directly before your trip to ask about current drone rules, rather than assuming either that a fee applies or that flying is unrestricted.

Separate From Park Rules: National Aviation Regulations

Beyond any specific park rule, drone flights in Indonesia more broadly fall under national aviation and telecommunications regulations administered by the Ministry of Transportation (Kementerian Perhubungan) and, for certain frequencies and equipment, telecommunications rules — these are general national requirements unrelated to any specific park fee, and apply regardless of where in Indonesia you fly. If you’re travelling with a drone, check current national requirements (registration, no-fly zones near any airports you’ll pass through, and equipment rules) separately from any park-specific permission.

Practical Etiquette Even Without a Published Rule

• Keep distance from the flying-fox (kalong) roosts in the marine park’s mangroves, particularly at dusk when the colony is most active — drone noise and proximity risk disturbing a wildlife behaviour that’s one of the area’s most distinctive sights.
• Ask your boat operator or guesthouse whether they’re aware of any local requirement or informal rule before you fly, since local knowledge sometimes runs ahead of a published regulation.
• Avoid flying directly over other travellers’ boats or the pier area without asking, both for courtesy and because a dropped drone over water is a real risk in a remote location without repair options.
• Don’t fly during any local ceremony or gathering you might encounter near the village, out of basic respect regardless of formal rules.

Where to Get a Current, Official Answer

For a genuinely current answer rather than a guessed number, contact BBKSDA NTT directly, or ask at the park office if there is a local presence near Riung’s harbour. This site will update this page if an official published fee or rule is identified — until then, the honest position is that no verified figure exists, and the sensible default is to ask before you fly rather than assume either a fee or free use.

How This Compares to Komodo National Park’s Drone Stance

Komodo National Park, under its own park authority, has at various points restricted or required specific permission for drone use within the park given wildlife sensitivity and visitor safety around dragon-trekking areas — travellers planning to fly a drone inside the national park specifically should check current park rules directly with park management or their tour operator before departure, since national park drone policy can be stricter and more actively enforced than in a smaller marine tourism park like Riung’s. Riung’s own marine park is a smaller, less heavily monitored site, which is part of why no clearly published, actively enforced drone policy was found in this site’s research — that absence of a rule is not the same as an official green light.

What Photographers Do in Practice

In the absence of a clear published rule, photographers visiting Riung commonly take a conservative approach: flying at a reasonable altitude away from the flying-fox roost and any other boats, keeping flights brief, and stopping immediately if a park staff member, boat operator or local resident raises any concern. This isn’t a legal substitute for an official ruling, but it reflects the practical, respectful approach most responsible visitors take when a formal rule hasn’t been published.

If You Fly Anyway: Minimising Risk

If you decide to fly a drone at Riung in the absence of a clear rule, minimising risk means more than just being considerate of wildlife: check wind conditions carefully given the marine environment, keep a clear line of sight rather than flying beyond visual range, and have a plan for water landing risk since a drone lost over open water at Riung has essentially no realistic recovery option. None of this addresses the regulatory question, but it reduces the practical risk of an already-uncertain activity.

Checking for Updates Before Your Trip

Because conservation-area drone policy can change, particularly as marine tourism parks like Riung’s see growing visitor numbers, check for updated guidance shortly before your trip rather than relying solely on this page or any single source written months or years earlier. A quick message to BBKSDA NTT or a locally based tour operator closer to your travel date is the most reliable way to get current information.

Alternatives to Drone Footage

If drone use turns out to be restricted or you decide against it given the uncertainty, a wide-angle lens from the boat itself, or asking your operator whether a brief stop at an elevated viewpoint on one of the islands is possible, can capture much of the same scenery without the regulatory ambiguity a drone introduces.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a drone permit cost at Riung’s 17 Islands?
This site found no official published fee. Any specific number you see quoted elsewhere online should be treated cautiously unless it links back to an official BBKSDA source.

Can I fly a drone at Riung without asking anyone?
Not recommended. Conservation areas typically require permission from the managing authority for activities like drone flights, even where a specific fee isn’t published.

Who manages drone rules for Riung’s marine park?
BBKSDA NTT (Balai Besar Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Nusa Tenggara Timur), the government body managing the Taman Wisata Alam Laut 17 Pulau Riung.

Are there national Indonesian drone rules separate from park rules?
Yes — aviation and telecommunications regulations from Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation apply nationally, regardless of any specific park permission.

Last updated: 24 August 2026. This site searched directly for an official Riung/BBKSDA-specific drone fee and found none; this page will be updated if one is published. This is not legal advice — confirm current rules with BBKSDA NTT before flying.