Experience a unique wildlife opportunity that combines bearwatching and birding in a single trip. Step into the wilderness of the Carpathian mountains, the last stronghold of the large carnivores populations from Europe, and observe the majestic brown bear in its natural habitat. Venture into the labyrinth of narrow channels of the Danube Delta to witness an impressive bird paradise.
Birding and bearwatching: Danube Delta & the Carpathians 8 days tour
There is little human impact on the forests at the foothills of the Carpathians and a low degree of habitat fragmentation. Therefore the existence in Carpathians of around 6300 brown bears, almost 3000 wolves and around 1800 lynx was made possible. These numbers represent over half of the population of large carnivores in Europe, except Russia.
The bear hide, located in the depths of Transylvania’s extensive forests, gives us the opportunity to track, observe and photograph the Brown Bear, without disturbing it with our presence. We might even have the chance of observing other mammals like wild boar, fox, roe deer and if we are really lucky also the shy wolf.
Our birding and bearwatching tour will combine species observations that can only be made in the mountain area with species from the steppe and wetlands. Therefore, this is the most complex birding and bearwatching tour you can book in Romania.
As mentioned above, the Carpathians are a splendid birding region. But in concerns of bird observations, you will be astonished by their abundance in the Danube Delta and Dobrogea. As our tour will continue towards the south-eastern part of Romania, we will first cross the highlights of Transylvania. Meadows filled with multicoloured flowers and butterflies, lost-in-time villages and sun-drenched plains dotted with medieval fortified churches are just a few of our sights.
We will then cross the steppes of Dobrogea, in search of rare plants while resting our eyes that will undoubtedly continuously scan the sky for birds of prey and other rare feathered visitors. The peak of excitement will be reached while exploring the largest wetlands in Europe: the Danube Delta. An utterly beautiful wild region with endless waterways surrounded by an abundance of nature it will impress even the most experienced birdwatching or naturalist traveller.
Visits
- bear hide in the wilderness and/or LiBearty Bear Sanctuary Zarnesti
- Kingstone Mountain National Park: Zarnesti Gorges
- Bran Castle known as Dracula Castle or Rasnov Castle/ medieval fortified church of Hărman or Prejmer (both UNESCO World Heritage sites)
- Mud Volcanoes
- Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve
- Letea – virgin forest on the sand dunes
Other possible visits in the area:
The tour can be extended with a few birding days in Dobrogea, great for spotting birds of prey. And not to mention, lots of rare steppe plants. But Dobrogea also hides some cultural gems, like:
- Enisala fortress
- the ruins of the Greek settlement Histria 7 bC
Program
Day 1: Transfer from the airport to the area of Kingstone Mountain National Park, well known for its richness in large carnivores like bears, wolves and lynx.
Dinner and accommodation in Zarnesti/Vulcan or Măgura.
Transylvania
Day 2: A short hike in Zarnesti Gorges will potentially reward us with bird observations like Wall creepers, Alpine Swifts, Nutcrackers, Three-toed Woodpecker and Honey Buzzards. Afterwards we’ll enter the forest to search for bear and wolf tracks. After enjoying a packed lunch we will make a car transfer to an even deeper and wilder forest to reach the bear hide. Here we might have the chance to observe other species of mammals and birds, besides the much-awaited brown bears.
Dinner and accommodation in Zarnesti/Vulcan or Măgura.
Day 3: After breakfast, we will visit the Bear Sanctuary, a place that rescued over 80 bears from captivity and offers them close to natural conditions. Then, we will visit one of the medieval castles from Transylvania: Bran Castle known as Dracula Castle or Rasnov Castle built by the Teutonic Knights. In the afternoon we will continue our bear tracking and birdwatching hike in Kingstone Mountain National Park.
Dinner and accommodation in Zarnesti/Vulcan or Măgura.
Day 4: . Today we say goodbye to Transylvania and the Carpathians. Our birding and bearwatching tour will take us towards the Danube Delta. On our way we will visit the fortified church of Prejmer, a heritage from the Transylvanian Saxons. A little further, a very interesting and unique location from a geographic and geologic point of view, the mud volcanoes. Here is also a botanical reserve.
In the evening we’ll have a welcome dinner in Tulcea, on a floating hotel 4*.
Danube Delta
Day 5 – 7: For the next three days we will be exploring the delta with the floating hotel and the small excursion boat. The Danube delta is definitely the best place for birding in Romania and maybe even Europe.
The Danube Delta comprises a vast complex of floating reed beds, poplar and willow forests, and wetland, crossed by an intricate network of channels, a perfect home for a vast number of bird species.
”Romania hosts the world’s largest population of the “Globally Threatened” Pygmy Cormorant with over 7000 pairs, and most are here in the Delta. There’s also Europe’s largest population of Eurasian White Pelican (3500 pairs), crucial numbers of Dalmatian Pelican and the core European population of Ferruginous Duck. Many Locustella and Acrocephalus warblers (Savi’s, Sedge, Paddyfield, Moustached, Marsh, Reed, Great Reed) have their largest European breeding populations in Romania.”
On one day we’ll reach the virgin forest of Letea, a habitat unmodified by human presence that allowed the growth of huge oaks, some older than 800 years.
Dinner and accommodation on the floating hotel in several locations of the delta.
Day 8:
Transfer to Bucharest airport (4-5 hrs.)
Extended tour
Extensions are possible.
Check out our other tours in the 2 areas.
Difficulty level
Short walks and easy hikes with many wildlife observation stops.
Most of the birding in the delta will be made from the boat.
The transfer day from Transylvania to the Danube Delta is going to be a long drive. Basically it will be a full day but with some stops for visits and lunch along the way.
Reservations
This tour is recommended to be booked at least 2 weeks in advance.
Prices
The final price is influenced by many factors that not all depend on us.
Please contact us to get your detailed customized program and offer.
The price includes all tour expenses starting with your arrival in the country.
Meaning:
- accommodation in 3 or 4* guesthouses/houseboats,
- meals – full board (except beverages), breakfast and dinner, the days we will be hiking we’ll have packed lunch, received from the guesthouses and in the delta we will have picnics on the boat or on the shore.
- transfers and transportation (car/ bus, boat),
- permits for accessing nature reserves, bear hides and entries at the visits included in the program,
- wildlife specialized multi-lingual tour guide.
The offer you will receive can be adjusted if you choose to modify some of the details.
Extra Info
Note: We usually go with the floating hotel with groups over 12 persons, but if you are a smaller group or even single traveler you can still book this tour and we’ll then use a small boat for the transportation and a guesthouse 3* in a village in the middle of the Danube Delta.
This tour can also start in Tulcea and end in Zărnești, with a transfer back at the airport the last day. Other transfers are also possible if you intend to stay longer after our tour together.
