Sundakov Vitaliy Vladimirovich was born in the southern capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the city of Alma-Ata, on October 7, 1957. He is the author of many books and travel articles, an expert on integrated security and survival. In his competence are lullabies of civilization and extreme climatic zones. He has a number of practical skills in extreme activities. More than seventy regions of Russia implemented its children's program "Renaissance", as well as it was adopted in the children's camps "Orlyonok" and "Artek". It is not surprising that many are interested in how Vitaliy Vladimirovich Sundakov lives.
Biography
One of the most famous Russian travelers began his “activity” as early as twelve years old, however, then these trips without parental supervision usually ended in the police. First, he served in the army, and then in the navy, where he was the commander of the operational group in the crew of the Northern Fleet.
After the end of his service, he entered the Nikolaev Pedagogical University, where he graduated from the Faculty of Philology, and then to the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University. Almost seven years he worked in the field of a journalist. At first he was a correspondent for an ordinary multi-circulation publication, and by the end of his activities in this field, he already held the post of deputy chief editor in the journal of the Ministry of the Navy. Then he left his career as a journalist when he set about trying to create the country's first "School of Survival and Security."
First expedition
Sundakov Vitaliy Vladimirovich organized the first expedition almost immediately after the army. Then he lived in Ukraine, in the city of Nikolaev, on the seashore. Having cooperated with the local sports and technical diving club "Sadko", which was engaged in the search for ships that died during the Patriotic War, he began his activities. The expeditions were serious, as young people had to restore the picture of the battle and the death of ships and aircraft, as well as to search for the missing. Letters from the whole country came to the Sadko club in bags, where eyewitnesses and participants in the battles described the events. Together with the Sadko participants, Sundakov participated in five expeditions.
For a long time after this, Vitaly Vladimirovich Sundakov did not have any serious attacks, he simply traveled around the Soviet Union for his pleasure and until 1989 did not think that travel should give any results.
Professional travel
Vitaliy Vladimirovich Sundakov believes that an expedition can only be called a trip from which some product that is useful for society is “born”. It can be a scientific study, report, artwork or film. He was always interested in primitive civilizations, so when the borders were opened and the opportunity appeared to explore the life of the most primitive tribes still preserved in some parts of the planet, Vitaly decided to organize a new expedition. However, this already required thorough preparation, both in equipment and in material support, because otherwise you may simply not return home safely.
Before the expedition, Sundakov "probes the soil", that is, makes several trips to the country, whose tribes will subsequently study. During these trips, he picks up equipment, talks with local experts and scientists, studies the culture, makes arrangements with the guides. His first expedition to the Amazon Selva took about two years to prepare.
The choice of route depends not only on the research program, but also on political and economic factors, since the results of the expedition should be in demand. Of course, Vitaly in advance suggests who needs his expedition, and how much it will cost. As a rule, the expedition pays for itself only if the Europeans did not go along this route earlier, therefore most often it chooses such territories. Any “sorties” to wild places require serious expenses, for example, an expedition to New Guinea cost Sundakov almost forty thousand dollars, and this is only the lower threshold, Vitaliy Vladimirovich Sundakov admits.
Financing
The fact is that in such places there are absolutely no roads, so the expedition has to use "disposable equipment." This term should be understood not just as some bags, straps, but, as a rule, motor boats, cars and other vehicles. They reach a certain place from where the expedition members are already on foot. “Most often cars or boats have to be left forever, ” says Vitaliy Sundakov. In addition, cars stuck in a swamp cannot be pulled out under such conditions.
Abroad
It is not surprising that the financial issue for such travelers is always acute, but in Russia for a long time they pretended that there was no Russian traveler under the name Sundakov Vitaliy Vladimirovich. His books were published, projects developed, but there was no support from the state.
Various officials, including high-ranking officials, visited the Sundakov family more than once, but nothing went further than words, but other states repeatedly suggested Vitaly to create conditions for his expeditionary activities. The last sentence was so interesting that the traveler even thought to agree. It came from the US-Mexican corporation DCX, which offered Vitaly 150 hectares of land in the Acapulco area, as well as serious funding for the establishment of the International Travel Academy. However, the project was canceled due to an unexpected election result.
