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DANUBE DELTA FOOT HIKE
- explore the wildlife sanctuary on foot-
Footpath 1:
Letea Forest - Mad Man's Lake - Letea Forest
Letea Forest (Padurea Letea)- Nature reserve- with trees more than 500 years old. Oak, black poplar, elm, ash and thorny shrubs are smothered in the tropical creeper named "periploca graeca", a Mediterranean plant with reddish-brown bark and simple, glossy leaves, giving the Letea Forest its tropical looks along with other types of liana, wild vine and other climbing plants that are woven on the branches of the trees.
Here, you may encounter black-bellied foxes, wild horses, boars (Eurasian wild pigs), falcons and white-tailed eagles.
In the middle of the forest you will be surprised to discover sand dunes and a desert-like landscape-home to tortoises and lizards.
The horses on Letea are black or bay, without white spots.They are among the last remaining "wild" (feral) horses living at large on the European continent.
Note: Access to Letea Forest is permitted only with a guide (warden) on the designated route.
Footpath 2:
Caraorman Forest
Caraorman Forest- the name is of Turkish origins and it means “Black forest”, due to the vast oak forest nearby. A good portion of it is made of four centuries old trees that leave a dark, unsettling shadow.
Here you can find thousands of plant species , several dozen being unique in Europe, like the creepers (climbing plants) .
The presence of the vast majority exotic plants has a justification in the seeds brought from Africa by migratory birds .
Also it is one of the places in the Danube Delta where people have preserved most of their traditions, cultural heritage and way of living.
You’ll be surprised to find out that in medieval times, the Caraorman area was the place where criminals from all over Dobruja (Dobrogea) were exiled due to its secluded place.
Note: Being a Nature Reserve access to Caraorman Forest is permitted only with a guide (warden) on the designated route.
Footpath 3:
Sf. Gheorghe village - Sf. Gheorghe beach
Sfantu' Gheorghe (Saint George) village the last point before Danube enters the Black Sea, on the Sf. Gheorghe arm, the southernmost of the three Danube branches.
First mentioned in 1318, it was used as a military base by the Ottoman fleet. Nowadays, the fishing village of Sf. Gheorghe is well-known for its traditional cooking, including the famous black caviar (icre negre).
A 30-minute walk will take you to one of the longest strips of beach on the Romanian Black Sea coast.
Footpath 4:
Enisala Medieval Fortress and"Argamum" 6th Century Fortress with Cape Dolosman- which can be done also by bike-
Enisala Medieval Fortress
It was built by Genovese for trading in the middle of 13th century and was later transformed in the Ottoman garrison .
Enisala fortress was built with military purpose, for defense and surveillance of the high roads on land but especially on water in a period when the current Razim(Razelm) Lake was still a gulf at the Black Sea .
Footpath 5:
Sulina beach and Sfantu' Gheorghe beach
25-mile-long -the widest beach along the Black Sea Coast
Sulina -It is the easternmost point of Europe!
It has no access road, the only way to reach it is by boat which leaves Tulcea city and goes along the Sulina arm.
As a curiosity -The city has some similarities with New York: 6 streets parallel to the Danube and 13 perpendiculars as the fact that the streets have numbers instead of names.
This port town was once bustled with traders from Europe and the Middle East, adventurers and sea pirates.
Tombstones in Sulina’s cemetery bear witness.
19th century Greek Church of Saint Nicholas on the waterfront
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