2023 Drone Videos of the Week: Episode 18

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist emrahkarakoc brings us this stunning aeial video from Lake Van, Turkey's largest lake.  A saltwater lake, it lies in the country's Eastern Anatolian region, not far from the Turkish border with Iran.  The lake covers almost 1.5k square mi. (3.8k square km), with a maximum depth of just under 1.5k ft. (450 m).  It is one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world.  It's also one of the largest endorheic lakes, in which there is no visible outlet for the water.  

Explore the Portuguese island of Madeira in this fantastic video by former Drone Video of the Week Finalist mitevisuals.  Fast-moving, the video will take you all over the island, which is located about 320 mi. (around 500 km) west of the African mainland in the North Atlantic Ocean.  You'll see the magnificent rock formations of the  Ponta de Sao Lourenco on the island's eastern tip, its mountainous interior (much of which is rainforest), its famous hillside coastal towns, the capital city of Funchal, and more.  

Explore the lush Indian Ocean island of Mauritius in this excellent piece by former DVOW Winner davetke2002.  The first stop is the Chamarel Waterfall, which is located on the southwestern side of the island.  The next stops are Pieter Both and Le Pouce Mountains, which are located in the north-central part of Mauritius and are the island's second- and third-tallest peaks, respectively.  Other featured locations include the Château de Labourdonnais museum near Mapou (at the 2:10 mark), the Le Morne Brabant Peninsula (3:20), and more.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Enrico Pescantini brings us this stunning drone video from the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan.  The video opens with shots of a resort area on Issyk-Kul, the giant saline lake in the Tian Shan Mountains in the eastern part of the country.  From there, you'll head into a stunning valley in these mountains, and then into Shazka Canyon (aka the "Fairy Tale Canyon", just south of the lake.  The video ends with a shot looking across  Issyk-Kul, the world's second-largest mountain lake.    

AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Nico Lehr used a DJI Mini 3 Pro to create this stunning aerial video of  the Portuguese island of Madeira.  Starting at the :17 mark, you'll see some of Madeira's giant offshore rock formations, and at :57 there's a stunning pull-out view of a waterfall.  From there, you'll head into the mountains which cover much of the island's interior.  The video concludes with a series of shots of the Ponta de São Lourenço, the long peninsula which forms the eastern tip of the island.  

Every week, our team reviews every video uploaded to the site to pick the Top 5 videos. Then, we name our favorite as our Drone Video of the Week and send that drone pilot $ 250. (The winning video is also then a contender for Drone Video of the Month.) AirVuz proudly features these Top 5 videos are both here on AirVuz and across our social platforms ... we love to celebrate this amazing content from our community of drone pilots! Wondering how to become eligible? Simply upload your drone videos to AirVuz; it's that easy!