Danube Delta

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The province North Dobrogea is a Kingdom in itself - it is a province of Romania but do not expect churches, mountains, monasteries and coniferous forests where the country is known for in this region. In the northwest lies the "Danube Delta" which is the second largest delta in Europe and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The area is the place where millions of birds from all over the world come to lay their eggs and consists of countless lakes, rivers and marshes. Also in terms of inhabitants this is a very special part of the country - it has influences from the Turks (most Muslims of Romania live here), Tartars, Bulgarians, Ukrainians but also the Old believers who came here in the 17th century as they were persecuted in Russia.

The village Crisac is about 3 hours away from the city Tulcea which is the springboard of the enormous Delta area and can be reached by taking the ferry from Tulcea to the city of Sulina on the Black Sea. 

The province North Dobrogea was already inhabited in the 6th century BC by Greek settlers. Later the area became Roman and much later the province came under Byzantine administration. In 1418, "North Dobrogea" (and the Danube Delta) was conquered by the Turks and became part of the immense Ottoman Empire.

In the treaty of Paris of 1856 (established after the Crimean War) it was decided to improve the navigability of the area and start the canalisation of the Sulina. In the years that followed, numerous canals were dug to promote fishing and improve transport options.

In 1878, after the Russian-Turkish war in which a combined Russian-Romanian army defeated the Turks in Bulgaria, most of the area became Romanian territory (the rest came to Bulgaria). Between the two world wars, the entire Danube area became Romanian. According to the famous "Ribbentrop - Molotov" treaty between Russia and Nazi Germany, the north of the Delta was entrusted to Russia (above the Chilia arm), while a few months later the rest of the province "Dobrogea" was awarded to Bulgaria. 

In Communist times, large quantities of reed were cut down in the delta and dams were built. All this disturbed the habitat of the area and the bird and fish stocks deteriorated. There was also a lot of hunting for exotic birds that migrated here. Ex dictator "Ceasescu" wanted to convert large parts (or even everything) into agricultural areas. At the beginning of the 20th century there were about 10 to 15 million birds in the area - a few years ago about half a million were counted.

However, improvements are visible - the pollution has decreased, the reed cutting has been restricted and finally there are more and more forms of ecotourism in the area. But there are also threats; in 2004, neighboring Ukraine completed a channel that would, in the EU's view, cause damage to the marshes in the delta.

There are different ways to get around by yourself in the Danube delta - the cheapest way is to take the Classic ferry Navrom. This ferry will depart at least at 13:30 but I do not know if it’s going every day. The trip to the village Crisan cost me 25 Lei and takes about 2.5 to 3 hours. The ferry bears the name Moldova and is a large ferry with seats (inside and outside). There are also hovercrafts and motorboats that are naturally faster but also much more expensive.

At 07:00 in the morning the boat that goes to the Black Sea village of Sulina goes back to Tulcea. From here you can travel to many other cities in Romania. For example to Galati - the bus goes at 12:00 (just after the boat has arrived) and costs 19 Lei. The journey takes 2 hours.

When you have to wait for your ferry to a village/city in the Danube Delta take place on the large terrace just before the entree of ferry platform 2 - there is a stand outside (two ovens) where typical Romanian sausages ("mici") are sold for 3 Lei each (with a piece of bread). The whole does not look the best, but the sausages are delicious (no food is available on the boat).

• Name: Hostel Brizadeltei (Crisan)

Price: 100 Lei (double) including toilet and shower

Content:

When you get off the boat in Crisan this place is immediately to the right, a long boring gravel path takes you past numerous houses to a three-story wooden building; a name is missing but this is called Brizadeltei. Daan and his wife run this hotel and it might be a bit chaotic and not quite perfect – but it's fine to stay here for a few nights. There are possibilities to rent a boat, you can eat and drink here and there is a shop next to it. The room is quite large with windows, a fairly large toilet and shower and two good beds.

There is a TV (no idea if it works), a table and there is a wardrobe. The water from the shower was not running, the front door did not close properly but it is a great room and you have a good view from the balcony over the Sulina canal which is right outside the door and the surroundings. The food is fine (lots of fish) but a bit on the pricey side (25 or 35 Lei), breakfast is 15 Lei and beer costs 4 Lei. There is WIFI available.

The boat renting them costs 50 Lei per hour - we were two persons and we sailed for three hours which was fine for us.

If you visit the delta, a private tour certainly belongs to the highlights. Do not think that you get to know delta (not even a bit) by sailing the ferry through the big boring canal. There are, to my knowledge, boats for rent everywhere that can take you to the "most beautiful" places in the Delta.

You have to go with a small boat because there is not much water (low tide) in some places. Prices vary but we could rent a boat for an hour for 50 Lei. You sail over lakes and through narrow rivers where countless birds (including a rather large pelican colony) can be seen. Three hours of sailing is more than enough to get an idea of the area.