Danube Delta

The Danube Delta is the second largest river in Europe after Volga Delta and is the best prezerved on the continent.

The modern Danube delta began forming after 4.000 BC in a gulf of. The Black Sea when the sea rose to its present level.A sandy barrier blocked Danube gulf where the river initially built its delta. Upon filling the gulf with sediments , the delta advanced outside the barrier-blocked estuary after 3.500 BC building several  successive lobes (the St. George I  3.500-1.600 BC , the Sulina (1.600-0 BC) , the St. George II (0 BC - Present) and the Chilia or Kilia 1600 AD -Present)


The Danube, the only river on Earth that passes through 10 countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine) and four capitals (Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade) flows into the Black Sea via a delta which covers, together with Razelm – Sinoe lagoon complex, about 5050 square kilometers, of which 732 square kilometers are in Ukraine. More precisely, it has the following coordinates: 28° 10’ 50” East (Cotul Pisicii) and 29° 42’ 45” East (Sulina); 45° 27’ North (Chilia Branch, km. 43) and 44° 20’ North (Midia Cape).
In 1991, it became part of the UNESCO patrimony, being the only delta in the world that is declared a Biosphere Reserve.

Atractions in Delta 

The institutions that coordinate the economic and touristic activities from this area are in Tulcea, although the town is not situated in the Delta.

You can also find here some interesting museums, like the History and Archaeology Museum, the Ethnography and Folk Art Museum, the Art Museum or Natural Sciences Museum.

When a tourist arrives in Tulcea, he /she has a lot of options for a trip into the heart of the Delta. The best way to arrive there is by motorboat (30 euro per person). The fast trains await their clients on the cliff from Tulcea. A very important spot is the channel called “Cu barca prin padure”, which is in fact a whirlpool that dug its way through a willow forest. The tourist has the impression that he travels though a sinking forest. The ones who want to visit the ”Purcelu” bird colony, they have to pay extra 10 euro. They can see egrets, herons etc.

The tourists that want a several – days perjury, they can travel by the passenger ship from Tulcea on the arms of the Danube. Every town that you get in the way is full of pensions that offer, besides accommodation, trips on the channels, traditional fish dishes and fishing contests, according to the tourists’ skills (the prices demanded by the pensions are no higher than 50 lei for the night).

Sulina, Sf. Gheorghe and Jurilocva-Gura Portitei are options for the tourists that are in love with the sea and want to discover the beauties of the Delta. Paying 100-400 lei for each night, the tourist can get accommodation in hotels, pensions or villas. They have the pure beaches of the Romanian sea-side at their disposal, but also they can go to the Delta for specific activities.

Sunset in the Danube Delta.

Here we can see the Black Sea in the left part of the picture and the Danube in the right part of  the photo taken from an airplane

Faun and flora

Thanks to the 5149 species of faun and flora, specialists consider it a veritable gene bank for the universal patrimony. Besides all these, we should say that this is the home for most of the common pelican (about 8 000 specimens) and curly pelican (about 200 specimens) European population; for 60% of the world population of small (pygmy) cormorant (about 6 000 specimens); for 50% of the world population of red breasted goose (about 40 000 specimens during winter). Besides all that, there are also 1 200 species of trees and plants. Everywhere you look, you can see floating aits covered with bulrush and reed, lianas like in the tropical woods, lakes with muddy depths and surfaces covered with water lilies. The fishers’ boats disturb the pelicans, the flocks of cormorants and the moor hens from their nests.

Over 300 species of bird have been recorded , the most important being: White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus (2.500 pairs) , Little egret  E. garzetta (1.400 pairs) , Mute swan Cygnus olor  (500 pairs) , Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus (150 pairs) etc.

This is a sturgeon. 

The Delta is very important for fish with 45 fresh water species.

The forest areas contain several rare reptiles , including Vipera ursini , Elaphe longissiuma and Eramias arguta deserti.

 Old Romanian fishing boat

Costums and Traditions

A series of customs, different from one village to another, are prepared for the older ones who have a baby. In Murghiol, for instance, the parents must jump over a fire set in their yard, meaning that they left the misfortunes behind. In Baltenii de Sus or Mahmudia the parents are toppled over the boat, because the water must wash their bad thoughts. The rich ones can redeem this “watering” with a treat at the village tavern for all who pass by.

In C.A. Rosetti and Caraorman, people put horse skulls at their gates to protect themselves from curs and witchcrafts, believing that the possible misfortunes will fall down over these skulls. The Lippovans do not allow anyone to whistle in their boat, because that brings them bad luck. Local fishermen usually use fire water or vodka as trade coins here.

Villagers fishing

Danube Delta's Curiosities 

Even if the fisherman’s stories raise a smile of distrust, some curiosities deserve mentioning anyway: the smallest fish reported is a frog fish (Knipowitschia cameliae), with a length smaller than 3.2 cm, and it was recently reported at Portita; the biggest pike (Esox lucius) captured in the Danube Delta had 18 kilos and it was over one meter long; the biggest crap (Cyprinus carpio), captured at Sfantul Gheorghe (Saint George), had 48.5 kilos weight, and the biggest sheat fish (Silurus glanis) captured in the Danube Delta had a weight of 400 kilos; the most longeval animals in the Danube Delta are the land turtle (Testudo graeca ibera) and the water turtle (Emy obicularis), that can live about 120 years.

The Danube’s branches

One can say that the Danube Delta takes shape at Patlageanca, where it is divided in two river branches, Chilia at North and Tulcea at South. The last one is divided in Sulina Branch and Sfantul Gheorghe (Saint George) Branch when reaching the Ceatal Sfantu Gheorghe.

Chilia Branch , with a length of 104 km, marks the border with Ukraine, and carries about 60% of the Danube’s flow and alluvium. That is why the width of the Danube Delta increases by around 40 meters per year. On its banks there are the villages of Palazu, Pardina, Chilia Veche and Periprava.

Sulina Branch , with a length of 71 km, passes through the middle of the Danube Delta and has a linear course, proper to the navigation of maritime ships. This one is permanently dragged and carries only 18% of the Danube’s flow. On its banks there are the villages of Ilganii de Sus, Maliuc, Gorgova, Crisan, Vulturu and Partizani, and the town of Sulina.

Sfantul Gheorghe (Saint George) Branch is 112 km long, is south-east oriented, carries 22% of the Danube’s flow and when flowing into the Black Sea, it forms the Sacalin Islands, considered to be the beginning of a secondary delta. On its banks there are the villages of Nufaru, Mahmudia, Uzlina and Sf. Gheorghe.
Other sources state that Chilia Branch is 120 km length, Sulina Branch – 64 km and Sfantul Gheorghe (Saint George) Branch – 108 km.

There you can find many navigable channels and some of them are opened for tourists to admire the birds and other animals

How to get there?

The best way to arrive into the Danube Delta is by personal car, other possibilities would be less practical. There are also maxi-taxis in Bucharest, Galati and Constanta that travel to Danube Delta every hour; there are trains that travel from Bucharest and Constanta to Tulcea, but they are way too slow. TAROM agency facilitates a weekly flight to Tulcea.