DESCRIPTION
“Dobrogea is our Asian corner”
So argued Historian Nicolae Iorga referring to the region’s past and to its ethnic profile including, among others, the homogenous Tartar and Turkish communities with their well-preserved traditions.
From the time the Black Sea coast and the stretch inland from the coast to the Danube Bend were dotted with Greek colonies in as early as the 8th century BC and all the way to our days, Dobrogea has been a heterogeneous land where different ethnicities and cultures could be met like on the colourful pattern of the Horezu pottery. Therefore, we may look into the quite strict lifestyle of the starovery (old believers) communities fleeing Patriarch Nikon’s mid 17th century reforms and settling in the heart of the Danube Delta, at the Tartar communities scattered West of Constanța ever since the 13th century Golden Horde, at the Bulgarian and Gagauz presence following the migration of these peoples South-Westwards, at the many Sephardic Jews arrived after the 1492 Alhambra Decree, at the Turkish presence that testifies the over 4 century-long Ottoman rule, at the Armenians coming in from the East especially after the dismantling of Great Armenia and a decaying Ani. And, more recently, we may look at the Greek or Italian sailors and traders active in Sulina or Constanța, at the Aromanians coming from the Epirus (North Greece and South-Eastern Albania), and even at the significant German immigrants of the 19th century. Then, as if trying to reflect the latter and balance it out, the natural background is just as interesting and heterogeneous as the ethnic mix, with the lush Biosphere Reserve of the Danube Delta complete with its waterways and lakes, reed islands and sand dunes, with the unexpected Dobrogea Gorges and Iacobdeal Lake, with vast, windswept and arid hills and plains, with the low and dramatic, rocky Măcin Mountains… As someone said, and we agree, this is rather ‘Planet Dobrogea’, a world of its own, and one highly recommendable experience. And we have not mentioned the good wines the dry hills here produce…
DAY 1
Bucharest – Iacobdeal Lake – Măcin Mountains – Niculițel – Tulcea – Crișan / Sulina
Leaving Bucharest and heading down the straight West – East highway across what appear to be some endless plains might say little about what the day has in store for us. Because, after leaving the said highway and heading Northwards first by the Danube and then away from it, we shall first head into something that might very well be defined as ‘nowhere’: a dry
and desolate hill. However, it will suddenly reveal the sapphire colour waters of Iacobdeal Lake created as rainwater started to gather in an abandoned open pit granite mine; the contrast between the water colour and the dry, austere environment make the place both photogenic and captivating. Then, we shall carry on towards the country’s smallest mountains, the Măcin, with their Țuțuiatul Peak reaching 467 m.a.s.l. It is not the elevation that matters in this case, as the mountain could hardly be more scenic, with the dry and rugged Pricopanul being followed by the smoother and forested crest Southwards. And right here, in this some say lunar background, the extensive vineyards at Măcin invite for a break and tasting of their fresh taste, yet rich bouquet reds and whites. After such a treat, it will be on to Tulcea, the old Aegyssus and in our case the gateway to the Danube Delta complete with its de rigueur, busy harbour.
- Pick-up in Bucharest and departure (not later than 09:00 AM).
- Break at Iacobdeal Lake.
- Drive by the Măcin Mountains.
- Optional: 2 hour, easy hike up the Pricopanul.
- Visit and wine tasting at Vinuri de Măcin Estate.
- Boat transfer from Tulcea to Crișan / Sulina.
- Accommodation in Crișan / Sulina, 3* guesthouse.
DAY 2
Crișan / Sulina – half a day boat ride in the Danube Delta – Crișan / Sulina
The result of constant river deposits and still growing with 40 sq.m. a year, the Danube Delta spans across 5050 sq. km., most of which lie in Romania. Its 29 types of habitats host a variety of flora, of which reed, cattail and willow thickets cover most of the area, while ash, alder and poplar woods, as well as floating islands and the odd sand dunes complete with their typical shrub add in to the diversity. It is however the fauna here, and specifically the over 360 species of birds, that attract most people to the Danube Delta, while for some the 45 species of fish add to their reasons to visit. A local curiosity is the presence of the ‘wild’ horses that can often be seen in groups, especially around the villages of Letea and Periprava. Tarpan (as the Tartars called the local species of wild horses) horses used to live in the area ever since the Pleistocene, yet they were hunted to extinction and the last ones were gone more than a century ago. Meanwhile, the actual ‘wild’ horses are the descendants of the domestic horses used by locals that were no longer needed with the locals’ settling down or adopting mechanical means of transport. The two busiest periods of the year in terms of bird presence (as many are migratory and stop here on their yearly migratory routes) are spring and autumn, with winter being typically quiet and eerie (i.e. there usually is no or very little snow, but it is cold and windy, while the vegetation is all dry and there are hardly any people around) and summer being rather hot, with the omnipresent water reflecting the intense sunlight. Apart from its natural riches, the Danube Delta is home to the starovery (old believer) communities that fled Patriarch Nikon’s persecutions in Russia (following his 1652-1657 reforms), which maintain the pre-Nikon liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church. The fauna and flora, the great expanse of waterways and tales on the local culture will all be part of the boat ride today!
- Breakfast.
- Half a day boat ride taking in lakes and waterways in the Danube Delta, including a walk through Letea Woods and to the sand dunes there.
- Accommodation in Crișan / Sulina, 3* guesthouse.
DAY 3
Sulina / Crișan – Tulcea – Enisala – Dobrogea Gorges – Constanța – Bucharest
Not possible on Mondays and Tuesdays (unless the Enisala house is opted out)
Back to Tulcea, we shall carry on to Enisala, where we can carry on with the lunar scenery journey, as the Genoese-built fortress complete with its dry hilltop location could hardly look more fairy tale-like. Then, in the village nearby we can see a typical old house from the area complete with its colourful pattern, thatched roof, whitewashed adobe walls and fine woodwork. After a drive across ever flatter terrain, we shall then reach the unexpected variation provided by the meandering, green Dobrogea Gorges that could easily fit an outlaw movie; short hikes up to viewpoints will reveal even more of the attraction this place is about. And then, for a total change of scenery and atmosphere, we shall move on to Constanța. One of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in Europe, Constanța was founded in 600 BC as a Greek colony and still shows its multiethnic past that saw the Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman rules before the 1878 Russian-Turkish War which resulted in its joining Romania, together with Dobrogea at large. Today, its location on the coast and the immediate vicinity of popular seaside resorts make its historic, peninsular quarter area buzzing, while impressive sights such as the 1910 Art Nouveau Casino located on the seashore, the monumental 1913 Grand Mosque and the Genoese Lighthouse. With the contrasts provided by the old and new Constanța and at the end of our tour we may enjoy the experiences we were given while taking in Ovid’s words (a resident of Constanța, as he was banished there by Emperor Octavianus Augustus in 8 AD): “prisca iuvent alios: ego me nunc denique natum”.
- Breakfast.
- Drive to a walk around Enisala Fortress.
- Visit to an old house in Enisala Village.
- Break at the Dobrogea Gorges.
- Walk across the peninsular quarter in Constanța and to the Casino.
- Return to Bucharest in the evening.
- End of services.
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