Danube Delta
The Danube Delta, the 2nd biggest delta in Europe (after the Volga) grows annually by 40 metres as 40 million tonnes of natural silt are deposited as the river flows out into the Black Sea. The Biosphere Reserve covers a surface area of 5,800 sq. m., comprising the Delta itself, the Razim -Sinoe Lagoon and Danube basin up to the Cotul Pisicii.
1. Chilia – the northern and the most active arm is 120 km long, mainly in Ukrainian territory and forms another micro-delta where it flows into the Black Sea.
2. Sulina – the shortest, flows 63.7 km due east and forms a a navigation channel of sufficient depth and breadth for big ships;
3. Sfantu Gheorghe – the oldest arm of the Danube, 69.7 km long.
The main relief of the Delta are the banks of alluvial silt deposited by the river’s water or by the Black Sea, and the areas of plain and marsh which remain permanently above the floodwater level. The most important of these are Letea, Caraoman, Stipoc and Crasnicol, the first two also including woodland.
Excluding the main cities in the region, the population of the Delta is rather sparse, amounting to about 15,000 people. It consists mainly of Lipovani who are descendants of the Old Believers who left Russia in around 1772 to avoid religious persecution. They are skilled fishermen, speaking a Russian dialect as well as Romanian, who still possess a traditional culture and are very hospitable.
Boat cruises on the three main branches can be made by hydrofoils, river ferry boats or motor boats, and on the smaller channels by rowing boats and tugs. These trips originate at the city of Tulcea and vary in length, some traveling up to 45 miles (72 km.) to the end of the Sulina channel, taking one or more days. A two day trip, staying overnight in Crisan or Sulina, is recommended for the best viewing of the Delta flora and fauna. You might also try hiring a local fisherman or a rowboat to take you on a private tour through the narrower waterways.
On your ride you will pass through some of the 16 protected reserves where pelicans and cormorants fish. Purple herons, spoonbills, ospreys, cranes, falcons, eagles, egrets, swans and red-breasted geese all gather in the Delta, as do some rare species such as the griffon vulture, teal and the sheld duck. Vegetation includes thousands of white and yellow water lilies floating on the lake surfaces. The Delta is the largest unbroken reed area in the world. Water fauna includes 75 species of fresh water fish and 70 species of clams, shells, and snails, plus microscopic and deep-water species. Fishing is allowed year-round except during the spawning period in April and May, when sturgeon and sterlets enter the Danube channels from the Black Sea. The most plentiful fish are carp, pike, zander, perch and sheat fish. Fishing areas are established by the Hunters & Anglers' Association (AVPS) and the Administration Biosphere Reservation "Delta Dunarii" (ARBDD).
Tulcea
At the gate of the Delta, Tulcea is a quiet city of 90,000 inhabitants built upon seven hills. It is an important port and the tourist and administrative center of the county. The spot was originally settled by Dacians and Romans during the 7th-1st centuries B.C.
Sights include St. Nicholas' Church (1865) and the Azzizie Mosque (1924); the Art Museum, the Natural History Museum which tells all about the Delta's ecosystem and contains an aquarium of regional fish, and the Ethnographic Museum with exhibits on the different peoples inhabiting the Delta region over history. Tulcea also hosts the International Folk Festival of Danubian Countries in August, and a winter carnival in December.
