Danube Delta - An unimaginable beauty

 

The Danube River is the most international river on the planet - its course runs across — or forms a part of the borders of  several countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and four capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.

The mighty Danube River flows 1,788 miles from its springs in Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea. Just before reaching the sea it forms the second largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas: 2,200 square miles of rivers, canals, marshes, tree-fringed lakes and reed islands. The Danube Delta is a wildlife enthusiast’s (especially a bird watcher’s) paradise. The area was first attested by Herodot of Halicarnas (484 – 425 B.C.). Formed over a period of more than 10,000 years, the Danube Delta continues to grow due to the 67 million tons of alluvia deposited every year by the Danube River.

 

The maze of canals bordered by thatch, willows and oaks entangled in lianas,

offers the perfect breeding ground for countless species of birds, some of

them from as far away as China and Africa. Millions of Egyptian white pelicans

arrive here every spring to raise their young, while equal numbers of Arctic

geese come here to escape the harsh winters of Northern Europe.

Some 300 species of birds make Danube’s Delta their home, including

cormorants, white tailed eagles and glossy ibises.  The bird watching season

lasts from early spring to late summer. Birds are not the only inhabitants of the

Delta. There is also a rich community of fish and animals; from wildcats, foxes

and wolves, to even an occasional boar or deer. Altogether, 3,450 animal species

can be seen here, as well as 1,700 plant species.

The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve has the third largest biodiversity in the

world (over 5,500 flora and fauna species), exceeded only by the Great Barrier

Reef in Australia and the Galapagos Archipelago in Ecuador.

The Danube Delta is home to over 60% of the world’s population of pygmy

cormorants (phalacrocorax pygmeus), 50% of red-breasted geese

(branta ruficollis) and the largest number of white pelicans

(pelecanus onocrotalus)and Dalmatian pelicans (pelecanus crispus) in Europe.

 

 

The Danube Delta is comprised of an intricate network of waterways and lakes

divided between the three main estuary channels of the Danube, named after

their respective ports: Chilia (in the north), Sulina (in the middle), and Sfantu

Gheorghe (in the south). This area of floating reed islands, forests, pastures and

sand dunes covers 3,000 square miles and is home to a fascinating mix of cultures

and people as well as a vast array of wildlife. Located at the tip of the three

channels, Tulcea makes a great starting point for exploring the Danube Delta.

 

Pelicans are the symbol of the Danube Delta. Take a small boat and let you take

into the labyrinth of small canals and lakes and you will see something you never

have seen before.

It's the only place where you can forget about civilization and blend in the

beautiful wilderness. Great boat trips along the canals, bird watcher's paradise,

tasty fish food, Letea forest with its wild horses.

Sulina would offer a great position for staying cause you can access most of the

delta on the canals, or you could lay on the beach at the Black Sea.