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Romania
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Our extended spring and autumn tours to Romania now include a fourth night aboard a superior hotel-boat exploring the Danube Delta - and a choice of two exciting and differing itineraries within Europe's greatest wetland wilderness!For its serene beauty and richness of birds, the immense Danube Delta is perhaps Europe's greatest natural treasure. The largest reedbeds in the world are here and, from May through September, the Delta provides one of the world's major bird spectacles. It is worth coming to see the pelicans alone, as they plane across the skies like undulating ribbons of smoke. Even today, this whole region remains difficult of access, for few roads threaten this peaceful haven. Indeed, much of our birding is possible only by water and the centrepiece of this wonderful holiday will be an exploration of the vast swamps aboard one of the Danube's unique 'hotel-boats'. Unlike many bird tours, we spend four nights afloat, using a superior vessel with all cabins en suite. Given the immense stands of reed, some towering fifteen feet or more above the water, the flat upper deck of our boat is often the only way to achieve elevated views of the Delta and its magnificent birdlife. Whether your preference is for May or September, both are excellent months to visit Romania. The sheer number and variety of birds present then is impressive: colourful Rollers and Bee-eaters are frequent beside the roads, and the flights of White Pelicans in choreographed flocks above the Delta is a sight not to be missed. Our spring cruise focuses on the sheltered lakes of the northern delta where most of the breeding takes place, while in autumn we head south to Sacaline, a sandy peninsula on the Black Sea coast and a superb place for migrants! With our experienced local guide 'Zoli' Baczó, and the benefit of more than a dozen previous tours to eastern Romania behind us, why not join us for some of the best birding Europe has to offer! Accommodation: We spend our first night at a 5-star hotel beside the Danube in Silistra (which lies just across the border into Bulgaria); this breaks the long drive to the coast and offers some great birding nearby, making it an ideal stopover. At the coast, we use a good quality medium-grade tourist hotel, with all rooms en suite. In the Delta, we use a superior quality hotel boat (known locally as a 'ponton'), with all cabins en suite (see below). Meals: All included in the price. Food is good. Walking: Easy. Short walks at the coast. Most birding in the Delta must be done by boat, with only limited opportunity for occasional short walks where/when landing on terra firma is possible. Weather: Sunny and warm (11-25oC) in spring and autumn, chance of thundery summer downpours. Flights: We normally use the scheduled services of British Airways from London direct to Bucharest. |
Red-footed Falcon, photo by tour participant Richard Swinbank
Price: £ 1,795
The price per person includes return scheduled flights London-Bucharest, all meals and accommodation including four nights aboard 'hotel boat' within the Danube Delta, midi-coach or minibus transport, permit fees, admissions, tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist & services of the leaders.
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Ground Transport: By small coach or minibus with local driver. 'Hotel Boat': In the Delta, we spend four nights sleeping on board a three-storey 'hotel boat'. Known locally as a 'ponton', a typical boat is equipped with 9-10 small, twin bedded or double guest rooms (situated on the lower deck of the ponton), each with private facilities. A limited number of single occupancy rooms is usually available onboard so please let us know as soon as possible if you wish to be assigned a single; (the availability of single rooms will naturally depend on group size as the number of rooms on board is set). The middle deck houses an air-conditioned dining room and bar, with an open sundeck with chairs provided on the upper deck. Although not spacious or luxurious, the ponton we use offers clean and comfortable accommodation of a standard that's equal to many 4-star Romanian hotels. Meals on board are good, and freshly prepared by our cook. Power on board is provided by the ponton's own generator, but pontons do not have their own engine and so are towed behind a smaller launch. We will endeavour to explore as wide a variety of habitats as possible in the delta, using a combination of the ponton, small motor boat and occasionally (particularly if water levels are very low) rowing boats manned by the crew. Photos: Some incidental photographic opportunities - can be good for wetland birds in the Delta. Leaders: May - Robin Chittenden & Zoltán Baczó September - Peter Kennerley & Zoltán Baczó Numbers: Max. 14 clients Outline Itineraries Please note: the itineraries for our spring and autumn cruises in the Danube delta are different. On our May tour, we start our cruise at the port Tulcea and travel along the Sulina Channel to access the sheltered bays and lakes of the northern part of delta, where most of the breeding takes place. In September, we embark at Murighiol and travel the St Gheorge Channel in the southern part of the delta, out to the Sacaline peninsula, a 20km sand bar jutting into the Black Sea. This area is generally better for wetland birds in autumn - and is a hot spot for migrants!
Click here for a full, printable itinerary |
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