A cruise on the extraordinarily biodiverse watery wilderness offers a father and son close encounters with eagles, pelicans and glossy ibis
he synthetic-sounding call of a lone bird rises notably above a riot of birdsong. On the horizon, a purplish sunset is reflected in the vast waters of Europe’s largest wetland. “It’s like another world,” says Charlie Ottley, a British documentary maker who has presented two Netflix documentary series on Romania. “It’s one of the most biodiverse places in the world, not just in Europe.”
I have lived in Romania for nearly 10 years yet never explored the Danube delta. What I discover feels like a country within a country, a wilderness so unspoilt and expansive as to match or surpass the better-known Carpathian mountains for its rich wildlife and culture.We’re part of a dozen-strong group on a tour of the wetland wilderness led by guide Daniel Petrescu, who has a deep knowledge of this Unesco-stamped nature reservation and a knack for imitating bird calls.
“If you’re into wildlife and birding, the Danube delta is an absolute must,” Ottley says. “People also come here when they want a spiritual break. It really feels like you’re leaving civilisation behind.”We emerge into a lake where hundreds of white pelicans are feeding. I borrow Petrescu’s binoculars and zoom in on the scene. They appear comically cartoonish up close, guzzling their catch with their enormous, spoon-like bills.
On our first full day, we sit on the slow-moving viewing boat marvelling at our tranquil surroundings as we meander through narrow channels and open lakes. Afterwards, we return to our floating hotel for a dinner of local cuisine: catfish soup, thenFrom the top deck, we watch a majestic white-tailed eagle, several black-throated loons and some of the thousands of pairs of white pelicans that return from Africa each spring to breed here.
As the sun sets, we alight at a secluded beach near the Black Sea port town of Sulina. The sea is a teeth-chattering 14C, but Tommy, having spotted half a dozen bright green tree frogs, persuades me to join him for an invigorating dip. On our last full day in the delta, we head for several hours through lakes and channels to Letea, a subtropical forest known for its wild horses, rare plants and insects, and gently undulating sand dunes. The galloping horses look spectacular, but they do threaten the area’s delicate ecosystem.We take a bumpy horse and cart ride across pastures to where the forest is fenced off to protect it.
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