DESCRIPTION
The second longest river in Europe (after the Volga), the Danube has created an extensive delta around the three branches it splits in upon flowing in the Black Sea. According to UNESCO, this is the “largest and best preserved of Europe’s deltas”, 86% of which lies in Romania and 14% in Ukraine. Its waterways host over 300 species of birds and 45 freshwater fish species. A less known fact that makes the delta more diverse and interesting is the presence of the sand dunes North of Letea and the groups of wild horses (in fact feral, as they were once domesticated, but many of them were abandoned during the Communist regime which boosted the use of tractors). This tour is focused on a balanced insight into the deltaic world, while exploring some of the 479 lakes here, as well as the lush vegetation, the apparently endless expanses of land in its Eastern part and the old believer communities that have lived here ever since their founders left Patriarch Nikon’s reforms in mid 17th century Russia. A heterogeneous world to discover by car, boat, foot and bicycle. A world that speaks, beyond anything else, of the ultimate freedom, all that in an active manner allowing us discover the delta like a child, as Danube Delta-born, canoe racing coach and sprint canoeist Ivan Patzaichin put it:
“One morning, when I was about four years old, I woke up in his (n. grandfather’s) boat. The sound of the water being beaten by the oars and the lazy sunrise caressing my face were forever imprinted in my mind. I had slept at his place, as usual, and my grandfather, at the right time, did not wake me up. He instead took me in his arms, just like that, asleep as I was, placed me in the boat and rowed out, he went fishing with me aboard. That appeared to me to be the most beautiful of mornings.”
DAY 1
(Bucharest) Tulcea – Sulina
Today we shall take a regular commuting boat along the 71 km. long Sulina Branch running from Tulcea to Sulina and being the most intensely used of the Danube branches and canals in the delta. A walk in Sulina will reveal the charming small houses one or two blocks away from the street plying the Southern bank, and one is free to imagine how this place looked when it was mentioned for the first time by Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in 950 AD. Other than that, three points might tell us more about the region today. We shall commence with the old lighthouse which was built towards the end of the 19th century, it was run by the Ottoman Empire at first and then by the European Commission of the Danube. Then, we shall carry on with the international graveyard talking about the complex community that once lived here: Greeks, Jews, Romanians, Russians, Genoese, Turks, Englishmen, among others, share the graveyard that is splat in 6 sections according to just as many confessions of those interred there. And then, we shall enjoy a walk on the beach or a bath in the Black Sea, in this place which is far away from the buzz of the resorts around Constanța.
- Pick-up in Tulcea (with the option of having an early morning shuttle from Bucharest, as the drive takes around 5 hours).
- Regular boat ride from Tulcea to Sulina.
- Walk across Sulina, taking in the three churches dedicated to St. Nicholas: the Romanian Orthodox one, the Greek Orthodox one and the Catholic one, as well as the old lighthouse.
- Visit to the international graveyard off Sulina.
- Walk to the beach and walk along it or bath in the Black Sea.
- Accommodation in Sulina, local bed and breakfast or mid range hotel.
DAY 2
Sulina – Periprava – Letea – Sulina
Today we shall head up North to Periprava by bicycle or car, as we choose. The 31 km. long unpaved, dirt road crosses a variety of backgrounds and is mostly flat, while the 4 km. (return) detour to see the old believer church in Sfiștofca is recommended. Then, Periprava, known by the Genoese of old as Licostomo, will welcome us with its quiet streets and patriarchal atmosphere, even though its more recent history is a bleak one, as there used to be a forced labour camp for political prisoners during the Communist regimes, a place where many found their deaths. Back South, then West by either bicycle or truck, we shall reach Letea Reserve, a totally unexpected place in a delta, with its extensive sand dunes and woods dotted with clearings where around 2,000 horses freely roam. After a walk across the village of Letea where some of the old houses can still be seen, with their reed roofs and adobe walls, we shall have a boat ride back into Tulcea, at the end of the great and diverse day.
- Breakfast.
- Boat ride across the Sulina Branch.
- Bicycle ride from the other side of the branch to C. A. Rosetti and on to Periprava (31 km., mostly flat; dirt road, sandy for some short legs), with the option to also do a 4 km. detour Eastwards, to Sfiștofca.
- Walk in Periprava.
- Bicycle ride back to C. A. Rosetti (mostly flat, dirt road, 13 km.) and on to Letea Reserve (mostly flat, dirt road, 4 km., the whole leg Periprava – C. A. Rosetti – Letea Reserve can also be replaced with a truck drive).
- Walk in Letea Forest.
- Bicycle ride / truck drive / horse pulled cart ride to Letea Village (mostly flat, dirt road, 3 km.) and short walk there.
- Boat ride back to Sulina.
- Accommodation in Sulina, local bed and breakfast or mid range hotel.
DAY 3
Sulina – Roșuleț, Roșu and Puiu lakes – Sulina
Leaving roads aside, we shall use the local ‘roads’ today, so that we shall embark on a boat ride in the lush vegetation South-West of Sulina, with the willow and reed thickets plying the canals and the vast lake shores. The exact route will be settled according to the best conditions for vegetation, bird and generally wildlife watching at that particular moment, but we usually take in the three lakes of Roșuleț, Roșu and Puiu. The three are a preferred habitat for colonies of pelicans, but they also see quite a lot of egrets, swans, spoonbills and other protected bird species, while the reason behind the pelicans’ presence lies under the water, with great populations of fish, such as carp, perch, catfish, pike and bream. This is no place to hurry and one needs patience to observe the wildlife, therefore let us take our time and slow down to enjoy this extraordinarily beautiful part of the world.
- Breakfast.
- Half a day (up to 4 hours) boat ride taking in some of the lakes South and South-West of Sulina, with a return to Sulina at the end.
- Optional: boat ride in the afternoon to the new lighthouse located 9 km. into the sea from Sulina, and to Birds’ Island North of that point.
- Accommodation in Sulina, local bed and breakfast or mid range hotel.
DAY 4
Sulina – Sfântu Gheorghe – Murighiol – Tulcea (Bucharest)
A 33 km. bike ride along a dirt road from Sulina Southwards to Sfântu Gheorghe will reveal a particularly captivating way, as the dirt road plies the barren, sandy beach-lined sea shore that has not been altered by tourism infrastructure given the difficult access across the Danube Delta (the lack of roads to be more precise). After crossing a draining canal (the Sonda) that may be dry or filled with water (to the point where we may have to cross it by boat) according to the water level in Roșu Lake, we shall carry on and the only human presence before reaching Sfântu Gheorghe will be an eerie building located on the beach, the Câșla Vădanei, an old border guard post nowadays abandoned and mostly used by cattle when grazing around freely. We shall then reach Sfântu Gheorghe the history of which goes back to the 14th century and the same Genoese merchants like in Sulina. After the Genoese in the 18th century there followed the Ukrainian and Russian settlers, with Romanians arriving at a later point, in the early 19th century. Apart from some of the old houses, at the end of the ride today we might appreciate the nearby beach, by the Buival Cape, where the Sfântu Gheorghe Branch meets the Black Sea. Then, aboard a regular
boat, we shall head back to Murighiol from where less than an hour’s drive will deliver us to Tulcea with quite a heterogeneous image of the Danube Delta and its riches.
- Breakfast.
- Bicycle ride from Sulina to Sfântu Gheorghe (mostly flat, dirt road with sandy stretches, 33 km.).
- Walk in Sfântu Gheorghe and to the beach off the Buival Cape.
- Regular boat ride from Sfântu Gheorghe to Murighiol (or directly to Tulcea, if there is a straight service that late in the day).
- Drive from Murighiol to Tulcea.
- Optional services:
- Shuttle service to Bucharest (around 5 hours).
- Accommodation in Tulcea.
- End of services.
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