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
Highly recommended
The tour was very well run, with a lot of specialist knowledge about the birds to be seen. The organization worked really well and the team was really great.
We were very satisfied
Amazing adventure in the Danube Delta.
We (a family of 4) took the 3 night, 4 day birdwatching and Letea tour. Victor was an amazing guide, extremely knowledgeable about birds, local flora and fauna and the history of the region. We saw so many birds- two types of pelican, kingfishers, white tipped sea eagles, a hobby,not to mention snakes, a jackal and the wild horses. Nothing was too much trouble for him. The guesthouse - Alexandra and Alexandru- was spotlessly clean with very hard working staff. The swimming pool was a very welcome extra after hot days out in the delta. Vegetarian food was provided on request and was both plentiful and delicious. An added bonus was the singing and dancing provided one evening by local performers.
Overall we were very impressed- the tour was exactly as described. Very well organised with a high standard of facilites and clear explanations throughout. We absolutely loved our time in the delta! Thank you.
Fabulous
This was a fabulous tour. We saw so many different birds, animals and habitats in the Delta. Our guide was very knowledgeable about birds and the Delta in general. He had a really nice way of telling us things.
Don't miss it!
Excellent photo tour in Delta
We spent three full days in Delta Danube. Photo tour trip was organized via Discover Danube Delta. Our guide was Ilia.
I can say that it was just excellent. Ilia is highly customer oriented person. He is very familiar with Danube Delta and he knows each channel and places with different type of birds there. It was unique experience thanks to Ilia and his team.
An unforgettable three-day expedition!
An unforgettable three-day expedition! Our guide introduced us to small unrun canals in the delta and introduced us to many birds, from the smallest to the largest. He gave us a lot of details about their manners, their habitat, the amount of individuals in the delta...
The accommodation was also up to standard with an excellent host cook who introduced us to local cuisine. In short, nothing wrong!
Definitely worth it!
Beautiful views and experiences of the Danube Delta with such great flora and fauna that are well explained.
Including very good local food and beautiful photos of course!
Donaudelta Bootstour
The boat tour through the Danube Delta was great! Since the tour guide was a biologist, he could explain a lot about the plants and animals. We all enjoyed it very much.
We really had an AMAZING time in the delta with our guide. He was wonderful in every way - from caring for our personal needs to his unbelievable skill in navigating the area and his encyclopaedic knowledge of the species and the ecology. He was able to showcase so many amazing species for us but above all he was so sensitive to, and understanding of, the ecological dynamics of the area and the processes at play in the delta today. Any visit to habitats is bound to have some impact on the habitat and species but I felt confident he did everything possible to minimise that impact. On top of that he was wonderful company. Everything just wonderful - thank you
An excellent and truly exceptional experience ☺️ We took the 8 am tour, which included stops at Mila23 and Caraorman. The driver/guide, Victor, was incredibly attentive. He provided helpful advice, anecdotes, and stories. He pointed out the birds and animals along the riverbanks and gave us ample time to observe and photograph them. A truly wonderful experience. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
I can recommend it 100%. The tour was worth every penny. Mesmerising views, unique nature, fun boat trip. Our guide, Marius, was also very well informed and shared many interesting stories about the area and its habitats. I wanted to see the Delta for many years and am really happy to have chosen this tour.
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.
A lifetime experience
We had a 4 days/3 nights package. Everything was great, the tours, the guide, the accommodation, the food. If you want to enjoy the scenery I think is best to plan a trip of minimum 2 days. There’s so much to see, it must not be done in a rush.
A really good experience from the beginning to the end Victor was a perfect guide. We spend a full day in the Danube Delta and it was wonderful! Thank a lot!
Deep insight into the Danube Delta
The ranger who led the tour was outstanding. Not only were the birds seen explained, but also the problems in protecting the delta were reported.
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!