Detailed Itinerary

Day 1. The tour begins in Bucharest at around 14:00 local time, where we will meet and transfer to Tulcea, the gateway to the Danube Delta. Upon arrival in Tulcea, we will board our purpose-built photography boat, Borzas, and begin our journey into the Delta. We will travel along the waterways to our base near Mila 23, where we will spend the next three nights. If you are unable to find a suitable flight arriving at Bucharest Airport in time for the start of the tour, we recommend travelling a day earlier and spending the night at an airport hotel. If needed, our office staff will be happy to help you find suitable accommodation.

Days 2 – 4. We will have three full days of photography in the Danube Delta, giving us the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of subjects in one of Europe’s last great wilderness areas. The exact programme will be adapted according to the subjects available, weather conditions, and the interests and wishes of the photographers. We will have two photography sessions each day. We usually start around 30 minutes before sunrise, making the most of the early-morning light and the increased activity of the wildlife. We will then return to our accommodation for a well-earned brunch and some time to rest during the middle of the day. Our afternoon photography session will begin later in the day and continue until sunset, allowing us to take advantage of the beautiful evening light and the wildlife activity around dusk. After a final morning photography session and our usual midday siesta, we will sadly leave the Danube Delta behind and travel back to Tulcea. Even during the journey back, however, we will keep our cameras ready for action, as some of the most unexpected and memorable photographic opportunities can occur at the very end of our stay! In the afternoon, we will continue to Măcin National Park, where we will spend the next two nights.

Day 5 – 6. We will usually spend two days photographing the diverse subjects found around this fascinating area. You will also have the opportunity to visit our two ’Macin drinking hide’s. This is a rather dry and rocky habitat that supports a surprising variety of scarce and interesting bird species. Our drinking hides are likely to be visited by several species during our stay like Turtle Dove, Hawfinch, Syrian Woodpecker, Sombre Tit, Nightingale, Levant Sparrowhawk, Ortolan Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Spanish Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Red-backed Shrike or even Barred Warbler. The exact programme will be decided jointly by the tour leader and participants, taking into account the subjects available, weather conditions, and photographic opportunities. If a suitable subject is found, our ‘doghouse’-style blinds can also be used at any time during our stay. Some of the characteristic species we have photographed in this area include Hoopoe, European Roller, European Bee-eater, Little Owl, Isabelline Wheatear, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-headed Bunting, and European Souslik. At the end of our second day, we will leave Măcin and transfer to Constanța county, where we will spend the next two nights.

Days 7. We will spend a full day exploring the Southern border area of the Danube Delta, concentrating our photography efforts on wetland and steppe species. We usually start the day by looking for Collared Pratincoles, shorebirds, Cuckoos, Red-footed Falcons or Paddyfiled Warblers. Much of our photography will involve careful stalking and fieldcraft, although blinds or camouflage nets can be used when appropriate. For shorebird photography, we can use our low-angle canvas hides, or ‘mattress hides’, which allow us to lie close to the ground and achieve a much lower perspective. This technique can produce particularly attractive images with the birds photographed at eye level. In the afternoon, we will turn our attention to the dry steppe habitats and look for species such as Calandra Lark, Short-toed Lark, Yellow Wagtails, Eurasian Stone-curlew, Lesser Grey Shrike, Ortolan Bunting and Pied Wheatear.

Day 8. After an early-morning photography session, we will leave Constanța region and travel back to Bucharest, where the tour will end.

For more information (about the boat, hides, comfort, hide technical information’s, available bird species) visit our hides menu item or our Danube Delta Blog for the past year reports.