UNIQUE EXPERIENCES IN THE DANUBE DELTA
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See what is available for your group
- Day trip or a longer tour. Choose a day trip from Tulcea, or a tour of several days.
- How many of you. Select the adults and the children in your group. You see only the dates with enough available places for all of you.
- Your dates. For a day trip, pick the day in the calendar. For a longer tour, pick the first day you can start, then the last day you must be back. Gold dots mark group tour departures; adding ±2 or ±3 days usually shows you more of them.
Group tour departure
How flexible are you?
This season
Season Offers
Destinations: Dobrogea
Your own birding guide and car among the wintering flocks of Red-breasted and White-fronted Geese, swans and eagles, on the lagoons and fields south of the Danube Delta.
PrivateBirding & PhotoPRIVATE Winter Birding & Bird Photography Day Trip in the Danube Delta, from Tulcea
Destinations: Danube Delta
Wintering birds, frozen reeds and empty channels, with your own boat and a birder photographer guide, when almost nobody else is on the water. Come dressed for real cold.
Destinations: Lake Kerkini
Four nights at Lake Kerkini and six boat sessions at sunrise and in the evening light, with Dalmatian Pelicans flying at eye level. Single room included.
Our tours
Popular tours for 2027
Destinations: Danube Delta
Three nights in Mila 23, in the heart of the Danube Delta, with a day on the lakes and channels, a day trip to Letea Forest and a sunrise tour on the water.
From €470 per person
See the tour: Danube Delta Nature Tour 4d/3n, 2 day trips included, SHARED 2027
Destinations: Danube Delta
Skip the crowds: boat trips at sunrise and in the late afternoon, when the speed boats are gone and the Danube Delta is quiet again.
From €470 per person
See the tour: Danube Delta Summer Nature Escape, Skip the Crowds, 4d/3n, 2027
Destinations: Danube Delta
Four nights in Mila 23 and three days of birding from sunrise, on the lakes, at Letea and at Caraorman, with a specialised guide and at most 8 birders.
From €800 per person
See the tour: Danube Delta Birdwatching Tour 2027: Small SHARED Group, 5d/4n
Destinations: Danube Delta
8 to 10 hours of birding from sunrise, in an open boat built for the Danube Delta, to Mila 23, with a guide who is both a birder and a wildlife photographer.
Destinations: Danube Delta
A day by boat from Tulcea to Letea, with a coffee stop in Mila 23, a safari car to Letea Forest and an optional lunch in a local household.
Destinations: Danube Delta
Four nights in the heart of the Danube Delta, with a last night at Letea from April to June, sessions at sunrise and in the evening light and at most 4 photographers in the boat.
From €1,000 per person
See the tour: Wildlife Photo Tour to the Danube Delta, 5d/4n, 2027 SHAREDChoose your trip
Find your way into the Danube Delta
One day from Tulcea
Day Trips
Shared or private, by boat to Letea, Mila 23, Caraorman or Sulina, and by minivan into Dobrogea, with a guide who knows the way and the stories.
See the day trips
Stay in the heart of it
Multi Day Nature Tours
Two to six nights in Mila 23, a fishing village reached only by water, with boat trips at the best hours of the day and dinners cooked by your hosts.
See the nature tours
From sunrise, with a birder
Birdwatching Tours
Small groups and private tours in the Danube Delta and Dobrogea, with a specialised birding guide, for beginners and seasoned birders alike.
See the birding tours
In the first and last light
Photo Tours
A low open boat and a wildlife photographer guide, hides in Dobrogea, and photo tours to Lake Kerkini, the Balkan Mountains and Transylvania.
See the photo tours
Film crews, projects, agencies
For Professionals
Boats, permits, guides and local access for your production, your photography project or your groups. Everything on request.
See how we work
Before you come
Danube Delta Guide
When to come, how to get here, where to stay, what lives in the Danube Delta, and the birds month by month. Written by the people who guide you.
Read the guide
How we travel
The Danube Delta, without the speed boats
Most visitors see the Danube Delta from a covered speed boat, under a low roof, behind walls of cloudy plastic sheeting. You see almost nothing of the landscape, and the experience is close to zero. Add loud music, a boatman who speaks no English and a race from one stop to the next, and the birds fly away long before the boat arrives. We do it differently, and we are proud of it.
Open boats, at low speed
Our own boats, built for the Danube Delta, with low power engines. Nothing between you and the landscape: you see, hear and smell the Danube Delta all around you.
At the right hours
In summer, from about 9:30, hundreds of speed boats race through the main channels. Our summer trips leave at sunrise or in the late afternoon, when the Danube Delta is quiet again.
The right guide for your trip
Naturalists, specialised birders and wildlife photographers, each on the trip made for them. A nature tour, a birding tour and a photo tour are not the same trip.
Open boat means open. No roof, no shade, no heating. That is what makes it a complete experience. We offer you a fabulous day on the water; your part is to come prepared for sun, wind and rain.
Our guests
What our guests say
Professionals at their best! Thank you Discover Danube Delta for helping me make the dreams of some special people of mine to come through! No one in the whole Danube Delta would have given the trip of one’s life to a highly reduced mobility person. Discover Danube Delta did it in glory!
We were very happy with our day trip to the Danube Delta and felt very safe and well looked after. We gratefully followed the recommendation to wear a sun hat with a band (which can be purchased cheaply in the shop before departure), as well as long-sleeved tops and trousers – plus SPF 50 sunscreen! – and strongly advise everyone to do the same. The boat had no roof, which gave us a sensational view of the birds and wildlife. The owner didn't miss a single animal on the trip; he showed us the beauty of the Danube Delta. I would book a tour with him again anytime. Top-notch!
Extraordinary Journey
We spent twelve days in Romania. This trip was the highlight of our vacation. Victor is an amazing guide. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about the area: the vegetation, the birds, the insects, and all aspects of the ecosystem in the delta. Prepare for a long, but an extraordinarily meaningful day.
Marius is the best guide! Truly awesome experience with great hosts and food in Mila23. Cheers from Poland to all your staff!
Would not want to have missed this experience!
Lovely 11 hour trip with a very skilled guide. He spotted every bird and told is all stories about the history of the place. In Letea we saw the beautiful wild horses and trees. We got a lesson in biology and plantology. The lunch was impeccable and the dessert was to die for. The trip back took us on a different route. Despite of the cold we enjoyed the route. Overall a trip we wouldn't want to have missed and we recommend everybody to plan this in their vacation to Tulcea.
I recently availed the photo tour and was extremely happy with the arrangement. The stay at a comfortable cottage with delicious home made food , the planned boat trips and the sightings which helped us to shoot photos seamlessly. Last but not the least our guide ILI was best. His knowledge about the area, quiet channels and about availability of bird species , their sound and his sharp eyes to spot the birds was excellent. Thank you Ili , Calina and all others for the great arrangement and service.
A great one-day-long experience. The 3 of us had our private little boat, because no one else applied for this day. Our guide was really helpful and has a great knowledge. He even gave us his binoculars if there were interesting birds. We had one stop halfway before we entered Letea. It can be a bit uncomfortable to sit this long in a boat, but it's still acceptable. The food was delicious even though I didn't eat fish, I had chicken instead. Each meal is traditional. There was a little problem with the safari car as it got stuck in the sand, but after like 10 minutes, we got out. The car goes on a bumpy road so you need to be careful not to hit your head or drop your belongings. Anyway it was an awesome experience to spend a whole day in the nature.
Once in a lifetime experience
I spent amazing days bird watching in the Danube Delta - they started already with a group of pelicans flying over us in Tulcea and ended with a few spotted eagles on the way back to Tulcea. In between we saw and heard so many birds! From the picturesc fishermen village Mila 23 we had excursions to Letea and Caraorman. Our tour hosts Iliuta and Marius were increadibly caring and knowledgeable. The employees of our hotel showed a kind of hospitality like visiting long not seen relatives, while offering impeccable services.
I will never forget the days of peaceful gliding along the canals and lakes.
A wonderful day well spent in the Delta
Florin was very personable and accommodating. He is a biologist by training and knew the plant species we encountered, not to mention an expert ornithologist. Plus, he’s just a great guy!
A Magical World
I traveled to Danube Delta in July 2025 with great expectations and my expectations were rewarded to 100%.As soon as we left Tulcea pier and entered the small channels of Delta, a magical world was revealed in front of us. Our guide Iliuță, a skilled photographer, boat driver, ornithologists and you name it with more than 20 years experience in Delta, helped us find beautiful birds, landscapes, making everything look so easy! If you are a photographer and not only, if you like nature or birds, you must experience the Danube Delta at least once in your life!
Exceptional experience
Highly recommend it. The guide is extremely knowledgeable on birds, plants and fish. He's very easy to talk to, and goes out of his way to ensure you have the best experience possible. He's also a photographer and therefore understands how to position the boat for the best lighting and composition (if these are possible to manipulate under the circumstances).
Lunch and cocktails were also all devine.
No complaints whatsoever
Excellent tour!
The guided tour through the delta and the forest was a unique experience. Our guide was very informative and showed us all the different places. The nature is overwhelming.
We stayed at the Alexandru and Alexandra villa, we had a 4 day and 3 night stay, unexpectedly beautiful, welcoming hosts, good food, clean rooms, clean pool. Mr. Ionut is an extraordinary, experienced guide, we felt safe in the boat, very skilled, boat trips twice a day, sunset, sunrise..plus many other walks and excursions. A wonderful vacation! Thank you! I highly recommend!
Highly Recommended
I am a professional wildlife photograper and author based in Singapore. The purpose of my visit was do research for a chapter in a future wildlife publication. I had booked a 8 day programme with Iliuta; three days bear watching in Transulvania and spending the rest of the time in the Danube Dela.
Iluita and his staff handled the trip promptly and competently from the beginning to the end. Iliuta's professional photo experience and extensive knowledge of fauna and flora proved invaluable during my visit, and he managed to make sure that we were at the right place and time to maximise the many photo opportunities. It should be added that I got excellent images of all key species on my list.
Amazing tour with lots of animals to see.
We had the private tour through the Danube Delta to Sulina. The tour was wonderful. We saw a lot of birds and water animals. The boats are very comfortable and good for exploring the small canals. Our guide Ili is very ambitious and knowledgeable. He knows a lot about the Danube Delta and its animals. We had a grwat day and will certainly book another tour at this agency.
Read more reviews on TripAdvisor and Facebook.
Who we are
A local team, based in Tulcea since 2004
We are guides, birders and wildlife photographers who live and work in the Danube Delta and Dobrogea, in every season. We show you the Danube Delta as we see it: wild, quiet and full of life, away from the crowds. Read more about us or meet the team.
Licensed tour operator
Alternative Travel, operated by SC Dobrogea Misterioasă SRL, with a licence and an insolvency insurance policy renewed every year.
Our own boats and guides
Boats built for the Danube Delta and guides who know where the wildlife is this week, not last year.
Nature comes first
Members of the Ecotourism Association of Romania and of the Rewilding Tourism Network. We never enter nesting areas and never chase wildlife for a sighting or a picture.
Danube Delta guide
Read before you come
Our boats
Why we travel in open boats
What an open boat means for your day on the water, and why it changes what you see and hear.
Places
The trip to Letea Forest
Old oaks between the dunes, the horses of Letea and the long way there, from the river delta to the marine delta.
Birds
Birds of the Danube Delta and Dobrogea
Our list of the species, month by month, to plan your visit or build your target list.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
Where do the tours start?
Almost all our boat trips and tours start at Port Tulcea Aval, Intrarea Marmurei 3, Tulcea. It is not the public harbour and not the town promenade. The page of each tour tells you the meeting hour.
How do I get to Tulcea?
By car, bus or train, or with our transfer from Bucharest or Bucharest airport, on request. If you come by car, there is a guarded car park at the port, paid separately.
When is the best time to visit the Danube Delta?
April to June is the busiest season for birds, with the colonies, the pelicans and the spring migration. In July and August go out at sunrise or in the late afternoon, away from the speed boats and the heat. September and October bring the autumn migration and quiet water. From December to February we run winter birding and photo trips, for those who come dressed for real cold.
What is the difference between a shared and a private tour?
On a shared tour you join other guests on a fixed program and pay per person. On a private tour the boat and the guide are only for your group, and you pay one price for the group.
I am not a birder or a photographer. Which tour is for me?
Choose a day trip or a multi day nature tour. They are made for nature lovers, at a relaxed pace, with a guide who explains the places, the wildlife and the life of the villages. Birding and photo tours have other hours, other routes and other guides.
Are the boats covered?
No. Our boats are open, with no roof, no shade and no heating. Bring a hat, sunscreen and a rain jacket or a rain poncho, and a warm layer for the early mornings.
How do I book?
Open the tour, choose your date and send us a booking request. We send you the confirmation and the payment link. Your booking is confirmed only when the payment shown on the tour page is made. A request is not a booking.
Contact
- Emailcontact@discoverdanubedelta.com
- Phone, SMS, WhatsApp+40 763 869 400
+40 757 894 456 - Meeting pointPort Tulcea Aval, Intrarea Marmurei 3, Tulcea
- For bookings and requests we always prefer email. Thank you!