At the end of the great river Danube's 2,861 km (1788 miles) journey from the Black Forest mountains in Germany to Romania's Black Sea coast a natural paradise spreads out. Over countless centuries the silt brought down by the river has enlarged the Delta into a network of channels, lakes, reed isles, tropical woods, pastures and sand dunes that now cover nearly 5,640 sq km. (2,200 sq miles). This amazing wetland shelters over 300 species of birds, countless species of fish from royal sturgeon to carp and perch, while its 1,150 kinds of plants range from sinuous lianas in oak forests to water lilies.

Eighteen protected reservations and "buffer" areas are scattered throughout the Delta. One can access them via narrow waterways past reed isles and forests, where pelicans and cormorants gather to fish. If you want to see the wildlife in solitude and without disturbing it, take a rowing boat into the smaller channels. A permit issued by the reservation of the Biosphere is necessary for this purpose. The wilderness uncovers plenty of wonders.

A trip in the Danube Delta is a memorable experience in every way.

>>Danube Delta map<<