Transylvania & Danube Delta Tour

Day 1:

Arrival from Bucharest. Transfer to Malancrav by car. Dinner and accommodation will take place in the authentically Saxon Village of Malancrav.

Day 2:

After the breakfast we will leave up to Malancrav Valley and Cris Valley for a special birdwatching day. In Cris village we will visit the Benthlen castle and its dendrological park where we could find a pyramidal oak (Quercus robur 'Fastigiata') but also other rare tree species. We can see during this first part of the day beside a lot of wildbirds many kinds of orchids and eurifolum latiforum (bumbacarita). On the south part of the Cris valley we will find steppic vegetation and we will visit Stejar Pufos Reserve from Cris. The lunch will take place in a famous local sheepfold where we can taste different kind of local cheese and see the tradition of milking sheep. In the afternoon we will familiarize with the traditional style of life of the Saxons and with their handcrafts. In the evening a traditional dinner will end the day.

Day 3:

After the breakfast we will go crossing the hill, through the apple orchard to Noul Sasesc village. Here we could see the old saxon village and after this we will continue our way over the forested hills toward Copsa Mare and Biertani villages. These two villages are famous for their fortified churches, UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. A car will pickup us and return us to Malancrav. Dinner and accommodation will take place in Malancrav.

Day 4:

Today we leave Transylvania and head for lower land, our final destination Danube Delta. On our way we will visit a very interesting and unique location from geographic and geologic point of view, the muddy volcanoes. Here is also a botanical reserve. In the evening we’ll have a welcome dinner in Tulcea.

Day 5 - 6:

For the next two days we shall be aboard the floating hotel exploring the delta. The Delta is incredibly rich in breeding birds, and the outline given below is merely a sampler; no doubt we will encounter additional surprises. 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. The Danube Delta comprises a vast complex of reed beds, willow forest, and wetland, crossed by an intricate network of channels. We shall explore as wide a variety as possible of these habitats, both on foot and using a combination of the floating hotel and a small motorboat.

Day 7:

Transfer to Bucharest airport by car. A 3.30 hours drive but we’ll stop on the way in some nice places for coffee beak or to stretch our legs.