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
It was really great being able to have an amazing day discovering the Danube Delta thanks to you guys! The reservation and all information provided by the staff were so helpful and made the ride so much more easier. The tour was amazing with our guide Florin, whom we thank very much for giving us such an amazing experience. The food was very good and we are very happy for choosing them among others for our Danube trip. Florin has an amazing English vocabulary and his knowledge about the birds, plants and fauna are tremendous so it was amazing being able to enjoy the whole ride while learning so much. Thanks to all the team and thank you for giving some great memories ! Keep up the good work 🙂
A 3n/4d package with accommodation at Vila Alexandru și Alexandra was an excellent way to relax on vacation. Guide Iulian led us on wonderful excursions on the Danube canals. We discovered the fauna and flora of the Delta and we had professional explanations. Thank you! I hope to come back!
Danube Delta
This tour was just what I wanted. A boat ride through the delta area, a chance to see birds, and the wild horses. Lunch was local fish, fixed in a variety of ways with accompaniments. I recommend this tour.
We bought a 5-day stay, everything is extremely well organized, our guide named Iulian is a true professional, he amazed us with information, explanations and examples throughout the stay, making daily excursions to the most important areas of the Delta. We chose accommodation at the Casa Vanessa guesthouse, impeccable for all the accommodation services offered. Very good food, cleanliness and great interest in the client. We thank the hosts on this path, we thank the guide Iulian and we thank the company ''Despoteră Delta Dunării,, If it were possible I would give 50 stars. Thank you.
Fantastic day trip to the Danube Delta
We had an absolutely great day trip with "Discover Danube Delta" and can fully recommend this provider!
Our guide was just fantastic. Not only did he answer all our questions in detail, but he was incredibly attentive, showing us all the animals we could wish for – from majestic pelicans and eagles to rare gold jackals, elegant cormorants, colourful kingfishers and wild horses. He also explained a lot of interesting things about the Danube Delta and its unique nature.
The traditional lunch was super delicious and a real highlight of the day.
And the boat was perfect for our tour: Without a roof, we could observe and photograph the birds and the landscape even better.
Incredible experience! We took the tour in English on Tuesday, July 15th, and our guide was extremely friendly and took the time to explain everything to us. I highly recommend it.
We had a wonderful experience in the Delta! The guide (Mr. Ionuț) was very involved in showing us the most wonderful places! The boats are very clean, used only for tourists. The speed of travel is average, at points of interest (frogs, white-tailed deer, swans, water lilies, etc.) there are stops for photography. Professional agency. I recommend.
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!
The best tour ever!! Our guide was so knowledgeable in the Delta history, birds, photography and anything else you can think of. Definitely bring layers because you just don’t know what the weather is going to do out there, but I highly recommend this tour, especially if you love birding 🙂
Superb
Excellent agency, which organized us 3 days and 2 nights in the Danube Delta.
Pick-up by a Guide at Check-out from Tulcea after a short trip from the agency manager in FRENCH.
Excellent Guide (Marius) very friendly, listening to people and very competent.
Great day trip to the delta.
Thank you very much 😉
This was an outstanding day trip. Such beautiful scenery and rare birds on every corner - we saw so many birds we have never seen before. Our guide Ilie was really knowledgeable and knew the name of every bird in English as well as Romanian. He also had great stories about the history of the area, and his passion for nature and conservation really shone through. The meal at Letea was amazing - I highly recommend including it in your trip, if you like fish. After reading previous 5 star reviews, we hoped the trip would be good, but it really exceeded expectations. Huge thank you to Ilie for the day.
Unique nature experience
The excursion was a unique nature experience, our guide a really dear, friendly person who liked to answer questions but also told a lot about the Danube Delta, it was very special! We even saw a herd of cows swimming through the water.
With lunch we were out for 11 hours, but they flew like nothing. The food was very lovingly prepared traditionally, before the departure we could say what we would like, vegetarian was also possible...the guide then passed this on to the cooks..My daughter was also very enthusiastic, it was our highlight this holiday week--nothing could keep up!
My tip to take a light jacket with me, as it was already getting cooler on the way home due to the relative wind.
AMAZING
Discover Danube Delta was a unique and unforgettable experience. Iliuta was an outstanding guide, who made sure to answer everyone’s questions and cater to the group’s needs. Moreover, his knowledge of the wildlife and history of the Danube Delta was not only beyond impressive, but also entertaining. The small size of the group is ideal, as one can completely enjoy and immersive themselves in this experience. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in exploring and learning about the Danube Delta or to anyone who is looking for an out of the ordinary experience.
Outstanding trip to the delta !
My wife and I joined several friends for a trip to the Danube delta prior to a conference in Bucharest. It was coordinated by Ilie (Sorry if misspelled !) and one of his driver guides. It was an amazing photo tour of the incredible biodiversity of the delta - truly one of the most unique areas of the world. Our guides were not only familiar with the natural history of the flora and fauna of the delta but were also expert at photographing the migratory and resident birdlife. The lodging was arranged at a wonderful boutique hotel in Mila 23 that served delicious family style meals for our group. My only regret was that I did not bring my best camera for the trip and that we couldn't make our trip longer.
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.
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!