In one of his latest Vimeo-uploads, Iliya combines much of his drone footage into a 4-minute Earth praising film. The footage was captured in more than a dozen countries, from Iceland to Egypt, taking viewers on a beautiful journey across many of our world’s wonders: from ice caps and sandy beaches, over colorful forests and African villages, to coral reefs and wavy seas.

Iliya named his film “Pachamama,” which refers to an ever-present and independent deity in ancient Inca mythology. His ultimate goal is to make enough people aware of how fragile the ecosystems on our planet really are.

© Karim Iliya‘s Pachamama

© Karim Iliya‘s Pachamama

© Karim Iliya‘s Pachamama

© Karim Iliya‘s Pachamama

© Karim Iliya‘s Pachamama

© Karim Iliya‘s Pachamama

© Karim Iliya‘s Pachamama

“Pachamama” was filmed entirely by Karim Iliya, using his DJI Phantom 3, Phantom 4 and Inspire 1, and edited by Amanda Beenen. Iliya is also on Facebook and Instagram. Music for this video: “Memories that you call” by ODESZA.

The post Hawaiian Nomadic Filmmaker Lets Us Discover the World by Drone appeared first on Resource Travel.

This trip was different, however. This would be the first time I visited Kamchatka during the spring months. The winter was snowless and the road to the ocean was open to any car, not just mammoth off-road vehicles.

Being a surf photographer for SurfHolidays.ru, I am always seeking the most dramatic photos possible to help show people how unique and exhilarating surfing in Russia can be. So not having a snow base from the winter had me a little sad, but luck was on our team’s side as the region had a decent snowfall the day before our arrival.

Volcanos are abundant in Kamchatka, with 29 of the 160 still active. The imposing volcanos are an incredible site to see, and can be a prominent backdrop for many photo angles, so having snow on the volcanos was important to me.

We decided to photograph the active crater of Mutnovskiy. With a layer of fresh snow on a road and good weather forecast for the day, we started our trip on a specially modified car with low-pressure wheels. The trek around the crater was a mind-blowing experience. The martian looking landscape made for incredible photos, but standing on the rim, being engulfed by the smoke reminded us of how remote and beautiful Kamchatka is.

Petropavlovsk Kamchatskiy is the largest town on the peninsula. The dramatic and run down buildings are from Soviet times but the volcano in the background saves the picture. For us, we see the inhabitants as lucky people to live on this strip of natural paradise. But only locals who travel can understand the beauty that surrounds them. “Normal” people who simply work and go home haven’t experienced life outside of Kamchatka, so it is hard for them to see the surrounding area as special.

People on the Kamchatka peninsula say that they are live on an island between Russia and North America. While this is not true geographically (it is a peninsula), it can feel like an island since you can only travel to Kamchatka by plane or the boat.

Even though prices for goods are often twice as expensive as the mainland, the tourism industry is growing, in large part to the beautiful natural surroundings and picture perfect surfing locations. At the center of the influx of visitors is a passionate, fearless and adventure-seeking surf community.

Our hope as a community is to show the world that there is so much more to Russia outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg (which are also great places to visit), and Kamchatka is truly one of the most beautiful and inspirational locations in the world. And the passionate surf community of Russia is proud to call it home.

All photos by the author. Follow Tania Elisarieva on her Facebook and Instagram.

To plan your surfing or adventure expedition to Kamchatka, email the team at SurfHolidays.ru or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

The post Surfing Among Ice-Covered Volcanoes in Kamchatka, Russia appeared first on Resource Travel.

“Traveling brings not only positive moments, it also requires taking on difficulties” says Russian filmmaker Kokorev Konstantin in the fifth episode of his “Surf in Siberia” short film series. The film features himself and a few other adventurous travelers, as they set off the cold and harsh conditions of the Arctic Ocean in search of massive swells to surf. “All journeys are like dreams. Some flashbacks, some special memories are bits of the places I visited” he adds.  Describing his “Surf in Siberia” series, Kokorev writes on his Vimeo page  “The movie tells us about the Russian surfers riding in the severe conditions of The Far North. Only a few have tried surfing at this latitude, even fewer have tried it in Russia. The movie was shot over one year at different locations in the Murmansk region. The camera crew has filmed different seasons, conditions and moods of those sites. Having overcome all of the difficulties and having been inspired by the northern spirits, our heroes share their impressions about the places they’ve visited, the past of our country and their childhood.”

Apart from the breathtaking scenes of surfing in the Arctic Ocean, episode 5 also highlights Kokorev’s fascination with old school film cameras in documenting most of his travels. Watching and listening to him explain his passion for travel and photography instantly  desire to take up his hobbies and follow the trail he and his friends are blazing. It might not come in the similar punitive weather condition of Siberia – but definitely a new adventure awaits those who would heed Kokorev’s call to adventure.

Capturing the vast abandoned atmosphere of Siberia as they crawl their way through the Arctic Ocean – one can see the contrast of both the quiet beauty of the place and its unknown ruggedness characterized by extreme weather conditions. Only a few individuals armed with the zest for adventure would dare visit this place to surf its icy waters.

“Right now, Its a wasteland. No wonder. After all, we are talking about the far north, and here, it is far and severe. Indeed, living here is tough” Kokorev narrates on the video. By using deft camera work to produce fast-shifting scenes, kick-ass surfing sequences plus incorporating a pulsating soundtrack, Kokorev accurately captures the lonely yet charming vibe of the Arctic Ocean and the nearby towns in Siberia – compiling all of these moving images to create a short film that is sure to ignite our inner wanderlust. Despite the extreme and solitary environment, Kokorev and his crew shows us that by pushing the envelope to explore and do new things, amazing things are achieved.

Check out some stills from the video or better yet watch the whole short film.

The post Filmmaker Documents Surfing in the Harsh and Unforgiving Siberian Landscapes appeared first on Resource Travel.

Klyuchevskoy, located on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia, is the most active volcano in Eurasia, and at 15,500 feet, it is also the tallest. The imposing volcano is thought to have first erupted in 1697, but has been active ever since. National Geographic recently released a film on their Facebook page that takes viewers right over the volcano as it releases a powerfully dense plume of smoke. Even more impressive then the film itself is the fact that it is a 360° video, which allows viewers to drag their mouse around the screen in order to “look around” as they fly frightening close to the mammoth volcano. We haven’t seen a 360° video this interesting since we went inside the cockpit with the Blue Angels.

The post 360° Video Takes Viewers Inside One of the Most Active Volcanos In The World appeared first on Resource Travel.