Romania really is a wonderful country! Besides plains, rivers, hills and mountains, it has the Danube Delta: hundreds of bird species, white water lilies, an amazing maze of canals flanked by willows, a rich community of fish and animals: a paradise lost in time.
From the moment you leave Tulcea, the last city proper before wilderness gradually takes over, and up until you come back to the city, you are amazed at the wonderful simplicity of these places. We left Tulcea on board a ferry that stopped in all the villages strewn along the Sulina Branch, and we were able to take in the beautiful sights for almost five hours. But you can also choose a scheduled fast boat and reach Sulina in just about two hours.
So, after five hours on the windy deck we reached Sulina, the only town in the Danube Delta, once a well-known port for traders from Europe and the Middle East. Sulina is the easternmost point of Romania situated on both banks of the river.
Once you get off the boat you can admire the Greek Church of Saint Nicholas on the waterfront. Sulina is not a big complicated town, and the chances to get lost are minimal :)
Our first boat trip started where the Danube flows into the Black Sea, continued with the new and old lighthouses, then we crossed two canals, Cardon and Bărbosu, as well as the Musura Bay, and it ended with a spectacular sunset back in Sulina. I must admit I was amazed by the trip but pretty disappointed I didn`t see any white water lilies…
The second boat trip was all inclusive: the Love Canal, also named the Secret Canal (Canalul iubirii/ secret) – the Roșuleț and Roșu lakes, the Busurca Canal and water lilies :). I could spend days in a boat relishing those views and enjoying the silence!
We had everything we needed for a perfect holiday: beach, boat trips, silence, a cute guide :) and an amazing fish broth (ciorbă de pește) made by our host.
After four days spent in Sulina I can make a “to do“ list in case you are still wondering whether to go or not:
Relax and listen to the wind (and the waves and the birds)
Get tanned on the beach and swim in the clear – turquoise water (luckily, it is not very crowded)
Go on a boat ride (amazing views of the canals, birds, old villages still untouched by modernity)
Take photos (if you are a photo addict you will take hundreds)
Eat fish broth made by locals
Listen to the locals’ stories
Breathe fresh air.
And yes, I have to go back to see pelicans and to visit the Letea Forest (Pădurea Letea) :)