Tour information
Tour starting and ending time: It is important to book your flight according to the official starting and ending times of the tour! Our bus and guide will be waiting all participants in the Otopeni Airport at Bucharest. Please make sure you can reach the starting point in time at 14:00 on the tour starting date! If you wish to arrive earlier to Bucharest our office can help you to book accommodation and logistics. However if you arrive early you need to make your way to the airport for the meeting time. In some cases we can pick up clients from the nearby airport hotels (please check with our office). Also very important that the tour only ends at 17:00 on the last day so please do not book flights out of Bucharest earlier than 19:00 on the last day!
The tour: A five day holiday to eastern Romania, focusing on finding the very rare European Mink and seeing as many other mammal species as possible. Other major targets will be Golden Jackal, Wildcat, Raccon Dog, Schreiber’s Bent-winged Bat and Steppe Mouse with a small chance on Steppe Polecat as well.
Logistics: This is a mammal watching tour, and we will be out at night. Usually from 20:00 to 01:30 and hence a late breakfast on the following morning (cc. 10:00).
Locations to be visited: Lagoon system south of the Danube Delta (1nt) and the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (3nts).
Group Size: The tour is guaranteed departure from 4 participants upwards with a maximum group size of 9 participants plus Sakertour leader(s).
Accommodation: Comfortable rural accommodation with perfect location for our mammal searching sessions (4 nts). All rooms are en suite.
Meals: All included in the price. Substantial breakfast and dinner at the hotels. We will only have sandwiches and snacks for lunch as the tour logistics best work this way.
Walking: We will have very little walking on the tour as we will spend most of our time in the boat. However sturdy waterproof walking shoes advised as usual. In September the weather can be mixed, but normally still should be nice and summery. Pack waterproof and windproof gear as you will need it on the boat – especially at night!
Travel: Bucharest to Bucharest. Ground Transport is depending on the number of participants. Small van and/or coach/minibus. Inside the delta we use a special wildlife viewing boat which is covered and can be used in all weather!
Expected mammal list: 15-20 species
Price and Date
| Tour date: | September 18 ‒ September 22, 2024 |
Guaranteed departure | |
| Price from: | 1190 €/person |
| Deposit: | 400 €/person |
| Single room suplement: | 120 €/person |
| Availability: | 5 places available |
|
BookingGuaranteed departure
|
|
Booking deposit: As soon as you fill out a booking form we will send you a deposit invoice and information of the final payment.
Cost includes: All accommodation, all meals, all transport by car/coach/minibus Bucharest/Bucharest, entrance fees to national parks, bird checklist and services of the leaders and local guides.
Cost excludes: Air ticket, insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1. The journey time from Bucharest airport to our hotel near Constanta is around three hours. We shall arrive in time for dinner and start our first mammal watching session. On the first day we have our best chance to see Golden Jackal, Steppe Mouse and a few more common mammals like Red Fox, Northern White-breasted Hedgehog and also have chance to see Stone Marten and Eurasian Badger.
Day 2. After a late breakfast we will visit some steppe habitatas well as a local cave too in hope of finding some late Sousliks and some bats. We will be in the habitat for Steppe Polecat all morning but we need a modicum of luck to connect with this scarce species! We do know some exact territories but most of our sightings are in May and June. Later we will drive to Tulcea which is the gateway to the Danube Delta and take our boat into the heart of the Danube Delta. It will take us 3-4 hours by boat to reach our hotel. We will arrive in time for dinner and the first mammal watching session starts after dinner.
Day 3-4. On both full days will have the same daily logistics. Following the previous night’s mammal-watching session we will have a late breakfast (cc 10:00). After breakfast we will check our pitfall traps in the hotel garden and take photographs if we had any success. Later we take a 3-4 hours boat excursion looking for wildlife (birds, mammals and whatever we can see). The Danube Delta is very exciting and we will certainly add some new mammals to the list even in daytime! Wildcat has been seen several times daytime so we can certainly hope! We shall be back to the hotel by late afternoon and we will have an early dinner followed by some bat detector work. Later our night session starts with the boat again (20:30-01:30). For the European Mink we have our best chance at night but also many other mammals are better at night. If the weather is good we will have very special evenings under an amazingly stary sky. The Danube Delta is part of the dark-sky reserve network in Europe!
Day 5. After an unusually early breakfast (08:00) we will take our boat to Tulcea and drive back to Bucharest airport.
