Balos Beach, Crete, Greece
Balos Beach is one of those places that almost doesn’t look real. I filmed this aerial sequence in August 2022, when the lagoon was glowing turquoise, the sand looked nearly white, and the cliffs around it gave the whole bay that wild, rugged feel. It was also one of those “everything lines up” days: hot, almost no wind, and the water looked like it had been edited already.
Filming setup
The footage in this video is shot in 4K with the DJI Mini 3 Pro, and honestly, I’m still a bit obsessed with that little drone. For travel it’s hard to beat: it’s light, quick to set up, and in conditions like Balos that day, it just feels effortless.
I didn’t use an ND filter for this shoot, and I didn’t shoot RAW either. This was more of a “keep it light, enjoy the moment” session rather than a technical mission. Because of that, the edit is intentionally minimal: just a clean cut, a bit of balancing, and letting the natural colors carry the video.
Editing
Everything was edited in DaVinci Resolve 20, but this one is very much a light edit. The conditions were so calm and bright that I didn’t feel like I had to push anything. If anything, the challenge was more about not overdoing it and keeping the footage feeling natural.
Getting there
Getting to Balos is part of the experience in itself, and it’s worth knowing what you’re signing up for. The classic way is by car + the dirt road from the Kissamos area. The last stretch is unpaved and can be rough (dusty, bumpy, and slow), and you’ll usually end up parking up high and then walking down to the lagoon. The walk isn’t difficult, but on a hot day it can feel longer than expected, and the real “gotcha” is that you have to do the climb back up afterward. If you go this way, my biggest advice is simple: start early, bring more water than you think you need, and plan for the return hike when the sun is at its strongest.
By boat
The other common option is the boat trip (usually from Kissamos). It’s an easier ride physically, and it can be a nice way to arrive, but it also means you’ll be sharing the beach with everyone else who’s on the same schedule. Either way, Balos can get busy, so timing makes a big difference if you want a calmer atmosphere (and cleaner aerial frames).
Why Balos looks so good from above
I also think Balos is the kind of location where a simpler approach works. From above, the lagoon becomes more about shapes and texture than “a pretty beach shot.” You see the shallow water fading into deeper tones, the curves of the sandbar, the way the cliffs frame the bay. It’s one of those rare places where the drone view doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It actually helps you understand what makes the landscape special.
If you watch the video, I hope it gives you a real sense of Balos as it was that day: heat in the air, the lagoon almost too blue, and that quiet feeling you get when you’re hovering over a landscape that looks like it belongs on another planet.
Music is by Nikita Kondrashev (Pixabay).
My Youtube channel:
Member discussion