 ROMANIA
Sunday 4 July - Saturday 10 July 2010
Price:£1595pp Single Supp:£ 90pp Deposit:£300pp
Leaders:Gerard Gorman & another from our team with more than 7 clients.
 
The Danube Delta is the second biggest riverine delta in Europe. Similar birding areas such as the Camargue and Coto Doñana are dwarfed in size, and could both fit inside the Delta such is its vast size. Pelicans, ibises, cormorants, egrets and herons breed here in very large numbers and many other birds use the delta on passage.
With three nights on board our exclusive ’floating hotel’
house-boat, and a further three in the Delta-side town of Tulcea, we will get great birds in quantity and quality
throughout the holiday. On this unique, well-organised
holiday many birds can be easily photographed from our boat - huge numbers of wetland birds, and some eastern European specialities away from the water
ensure a great mix of species in one of Europe’s best kept birding secrets! Amongst our target birds will be the
endangered Dalmatian Pelican, large flocks of White Pelican and Pygmy Cormorant, Little Crake, every
European species of heron, Ruddy Shelduck, Levant Sparrowhawk, Lesser Spotted and Booted
Eagles, Long-legged Buzzard, colonies of Collared
Pratincole, noisy mixed tern flocks, eight species of woodpecker, abundant Rollers, Calandra Lark, Tawny Pipit, Isabelline and Pied Wheatear,
Paddyfield and Olivaceous Warblers,
Sombre and Penduline Tits, Golden Oriole, Ortolan Bunting, Rose-coloured Starling, and Spanish Sparrow.
By Romania joining the European
Union, a wealth of opportunity has been
created for foreign visitors to
explore the wildlife of this
wonderful country. We will get a flavour of the real Romania - friendly, relaxed and stunningly beautiful.
 
One of Europe’s best-kept birding secrets!
ITINERARY
Days 1-3 Sun 4 July - Tue 6 July
Fly London-Bucharest. Upon arrival we meet Gerard and our bus, and set off by road to the Danube Delta, where we climb aboard our hotel-style house boat. The first four nights will be spent in the heart of this incredible wetland, heading into areas inaccessible on land-based itineraries.
Besides birding from the upper deck, which will enable us to see over the high reedbeds (the largest expanses in the world), we'll disembark to explore wooded islets, marshes, sand-dunes and villages before mooring each night in a
convenient spot. We'll also have the use of smaller boats and a local navigator throughout to enable us to enter the many small channels and back-waters. All in all we will be birding and exploring the Danube Delta the way it should be, without being tied to a land-locked hotel. Common birds include Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes, Pygmy
Cormorant, White Pelican, Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night and Purple Herons, Little and Great White Egrets, thousands of pairs of Glossy Ibis, Hobby is the commonest falcon, but Red-footed Falcon can also be seen, Syrian and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, Roller, Penduline and Bearded Tits. Among the warblers there are Great Reed, Savi's, Icterine and Olivaceous. Other possible birds include White-tailed Eagle and the endangered Dalmatian Pelican, for which we know regular sites. Nights will be spent on the boat within the delta.
 
 
DANUBE DELTA HOUSE-BOAT FACTS
Although a house-boat, locally it is known as a ‘floating hotel’, and indeed it is better than many a land-based Romanian hotel! The house-boat has 10 cabins, each containing two beds. Cabins are cosy, and all have a private WC, wash-basin and shower.
There are 3 decks. The cabins are situated on the downstairs deck, whilst the main deck includes a large, air-conditioned dining room. The top deck is open and ideal for birding, stable enough to use telescopes, and elevated to offer great views over the vast reedbeds.
The house-boat is towed around the delta by a small tug. Sometimes we bird from the upper deck, sometimes we head off by smaller boat or on foot over one of the islands or dykes. Each night we moor and sleep in a different place.
Romanian staff on board include a cook, a cleaner, a waitress, and a local wildlife guide. Cuisine on board is superb and prepared by the boat’s very own cook, who uses local produce - we shall be eating authentic Romanian food in style every night.
We will also have a motor boat for excursions into the myriad of smaller channels and back-waters and to access small island-based villages, and areas otherwise inaccessible, giving us ultimate mobility.
By having our own boat we get right in and around the Delta to the places we want to go. It is the only way to see this massive area!
 
 
Day 4 Wed 7 July
We disembark our floating accommodation in the inland port of Tulcea, on the edge of the Danube Delta, where we spend the night in splendid new en-suite guest house
accommodation.
Days 5 - 6 Thu 8 July - Fri 9 July
Besides being the "gateway" to the delta, Tulcea is also an ideal base for exploring northern Dobrudja - a dry region dotted with steppe, fish-farms, brackish lagoons, oak woods, vast crop fields and flanked to the east by the Black Sea. Our first two full days back on terra firma will take in roadside marshes where Black-necked Grebe, Spoonbill, Little Egret, Squacco Heron, Ferruginous Duck and Savi's Warbler breed and where White Storks nest in almost every village. We will visit areas of steppe for Tawny Pipit, Short-toed and Calandra Lark and Pied and Isabelline Wheatears. The area around Babadag is particularly good for raptors such as Booted
Eagle, Honey and Long-legged Buzzards and Levant Sparrowhawk. Black Storks can be seen circling on the thermals over the forests. Sites for Bee-eater, Spanish Sparrow, Ortolan Bunting and Sombre Tit are also here and we could encounter Wryneck, Grey-headed, Black, Syrian, Greater, Lesser and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers. Marshes and saltpans at Histria and Vadu are often alive with noisy tern flocks: Whiskered, Black, White-winged Black, Little, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns are all
possible, as well as Slender-billed, Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls. A speciality here is Paddyfield Warbler which should be singing at this time. Waders should include Collared Pratincole, Marsh Sandpiper and Kentish Plover. Evening meals and overnight in Tulcea again.
 
 
Day 7 Sat 10 July
Today we leave Tulcea and head back to Bucharest by road to catch our
return flights. En route, if time allows, we will have lunch and make several birding stops.
Expect to seeWhite Stork, Lesser Grey and Red-backed Shrikes, more Red-footed Falcons, Bee-eater and Roller as we travel.
Please note: all itineraries are given as a guide only. Actual holiday content may vary according to the judgement of your guide, and elements beyond our control (eg weather).
Price includes: return scheduled flight from London – Bucharest, airport taxes, all ground transportation, accommodation in two areas (nights 1-3 aboard en-suite hotel-boat in the Danube Delta, and nights 4-6 in new, en-suite guest hose in Tulcea), all meals, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.
Price excludes: holiday insurance, optional tips, drinks and other personal expenses.
Picture credits: thanks to Daniel Petrescu for many of the pics on this page, including pelicans, houseboat, Black Woodpecker and Rose-coloured Starling. Thanks also for Gareth Hawkes for many high quality bird images.
Airport: All holidays depart from one of the major London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton or Stansted). It may be possible for you to join this holiday from another airport – please ask for details.
If you have any questions, just contact Heatherlea on 01479 821248 or e-mail info@heatherlea.co.uk and we will be more than happy to help. We are here to help you!
Please note: all itineraries are given as a guide only. Actual
holiday content may vary according to the judgement of your guide, and
elements beyond our control (eg weather).
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Lazy birding on our houseboat!
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