PRIVATE Winter Birding in Dobrogea: Red-breasted Geese, 3 to 7 Days
A private winter birding tour in Dobrogea, for the Red-breasted Geese and the other great flocks of geese and swans that spend the winter south of the Danube Delta. Your own birding guide and car, from 3 to 7 days.
Duration
3 to 7 days
Tour type
Private, 1 to 6 birders
Birding
1 to 5 days, by car
Meals
Breakfast to go
Guiding
Birding guide, in English
Season
December to February
The tour in short
Red-breasted Geese in winter
Every winter, a large part of the world population of Red-breasted Geese comes to Dobrogea, together with thousands of White-fronted Geese, a few Lesser White-fronted Geese, Whooper and Bewick’s Swans. They sleep on the great lagoons south of the Danube Delta and spend the day feeding in the fields around them.
Your birding guide follows them with you, by car and on foot, from the roosts at first light to the fields where they feed. The winter also brings White-tailed Eagles, Spotted Eagles, buzzards and other raptors, Long-eared Owls at their winter roosts, and passerines such as Goldcrests, tits and Bramblings.
This is a tour for birders who come for these birds and accept the winter that comes with them. The pace is slow and patient: long scans of the fields with the spotting scope, waiting for the flocks to move, and time outside in the cold.
You choose the length of your program, from 3 to 7 days. The first and the last day are for arrival and departure, and every day in between is a day of birding: 1 day on the 3 day program, up to 5 days on the 7 day program. You stay in a 3 star hotel in Tulcea, with breakfast to go, so you can be in the field at first light.
Build your target list. Download our list of the birds of the Danube Delta and Dobrogea and tell us which species you want to see most.
The bird comes first, always. The geese are watched from a distance, from the car or from the edge of the fields. We never walk towards a flock or make it fly.
The highlights
What makes the winter
First light · the roosts
Geese on the move
At sunrise the flocks leave the lagoons for the fields, in long lines and with the calls of thousands of geese.
During the day · the fields
Red-breasted Geese up close
Scanning the feeding flocks with the scope for Red-breasted and Lesser White-fronted Geese among the White-fronts.
All winter · raptors and owls
Eagles, swans and owls
White-tailed and Spotted Eagles over the lagoons, Whooper and Bewick’s Swans, and Long-eared Owls at their winter roosts.
Sample itinerary
Itinerary, a 4 day example
The geese move every day, so there is no fixed route. Your guide chooses it each morning, by the latest sightings, the weather and the state of the roads.
Day 1 Arrival in Tulcea
- After 14:00 Check in at your hotel in Tulcea.
- Evening Meeting with your guide, to plan the next days around your target list.
Meals today: none included
Day 2 Roosts and fields
- Before sunrise The departure is before sunrise, with breakfast to go, to be at a roost when the geese leave it.
- Day Birding by car and on short walks, from field to field, following the flocks, with stops for raptors and other winter birds.
- Afternoon Back in Tulcea before dark.
Meals today: breakfast to go
Day 3 Lagoons, eagles and swans
- Before sunrise The departure is before sunrise, with breakfast to go.
- Day Birding around the lagoons, for the species still missing from your list: geese, swans, eagles and the winter passerines.
- Afternoon Back in Tulcea before dark.
Meals today: breakfast to go
Day 4 End of the tour
- Morning Breakfast at the hotel. End of the tour.
- After breakfast Optional transfer to Bucharest airport or Constanța airport, if you booked it with us.
Meals today: breakfast
The first and the last day are for arrival and departure, not for birding. A 3 day program has 1 day of birding. If you want the first or the last day as a day of birding too, it costs €450 extra per day, for the guide, the car and the fuel.
Lunch and dinner are not included. On birding days, bring your own food for the field. In the evening you have dinner at the hotel or in a restaurant in Tulcea.
Private winter tour
from
€180
per person
The price per person depends on the number of days and your group size. For example, on the 4 day program: €640 per person for 2 birders, €300 per person for 6.
- Single room + €40 per night
- Deposit to book 20%
Essential
- StartDay 1 in Tulcea, any time after 14:00
- EndLast day in Tulcea, after breakfast
- Stay3 star hotel in Tulcea
- Group1 to 6 birders, only your group
Price details
What the price covers
The price includes
- A specialised birding guide, only for your group, speaking English
- The days of birding of your program, by car, with fuel included
- Accommodation in a 3 star hotel in Tulcea, in a double room, with breakfast to go
- A spotting scope, always with the guide
- Binoculars on loan for the tour, if you do not have your own
The price does not include
- Lunch and dinner
- Drinks
- Single room supplement, €40 per night
- The first or the last day as a day of birding: €450 extra per day
- Transfer from Bucharest airport, €300 per car one way, or from Constanța airport, €200 per car one way, for 1 to 6 guests, on request
- Insurance of any kind (travel, equipment and so on)
Photo gallery
Birds from our winter tours
Private tour
Winter prices
Prices are in euro (EUR), per person, for the whole tour, in a double room with breakfast to go, VAT included. If you travel alone, the room is yours, with no supplement.
Find your price
Find your number of days and your group size. Click on a price, then choose your start date in the booking request form, and we will get back to you to confirm availability and the next steps.
Please choose your start date first.
| Days Guests | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Single room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days / 2 nights1 day of birding | + €80 | ||||||
| 4 days / 3 nights2 days of birding | + €120 | ||||||
| 5 days / 4 nights3 days of birding | + €160 | ||||||
| 6 days / 5 nights4 days of birding | + €200 | ||||||
| 7 days / 6 nights5 days of birding | + €240 |
Price per adult, for the whole tour, VAT included. Single room supplement per room, for the whole tour. On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see all group sizes.
Booking request
How to book
- Send a booking request. Click on your price in the table, or fill in the form directly, with your preferred dates, guesthouse, meals and number of guests. We usually answer in less than 24 hours. Please check your spam folder too.
- We confirm and send you the payment link.
- Your booking is confirmed when you pay the 20% deposit, online, through the payment link. Until then, no places are held for you.
- Pay the balance at boarding, in cash or by card (RON or EUR).
A request is not a booking. Please pay within 3 days of our email. If we do not receive the 20% deposit by then, the request expires and the places go to other guests. If you decide later, write to us first to check that there is still room. Do not pay an old payment link without asking us: if the places are taken, we can only refund you.
Bookings are taken only through the form or by email. The phone is for information only.
Cancellation policy
- More than 90 days before the tour, you can postpone your trip. You receive a voucher valid for 2 years.
- Less than 90 days before the tour, the deposit is not refundable and cannot be moved to another program.
Extreme winter conditions
- Before the tour: if heavy snow, closed roads or other extreme conditions stop the tour from starting, your deposit is refunded in full.
- During the tour: your guide can change, shorten or stop a day for heavy snow, ice or thick fog. The days of birding that cannot take place are refunded. The nights you stay are paid.
- If you ask to stop a day early because of the cold, nothing is refunded.
- We do not cover flights, other transport, extra nights or other costs caused by the weather, including when you cannot travel home on the planned day.
Packing list
Dress for real winter
You travel by car, but much of the birding is done outside, standing still at the edge of the fields, in the wind. Come dressed for it.
Must bring
- Your binoculars. If you do not have any, we lend you a pair
- Warm winter boots, waterproof, for muddy and frozen field edges
- Several warm layers and a windproof, waterproof outer layer
- A real winter hat, warm gloves and sunglasses
- Clothes in natural, muted colours. No red, white, yellow or bright blue: the geese see them from far away
- Your own food and a hot drink in a thermos for the day
Recommended
- Your camera, ideally with a long telephoto lens
- A field guide or a bird app in your language
- Hand warmers and a spare pair of socks
Try Kite Optics stabilised binoculars. On the tour you can test the Kite Optics APC 42 ED 14×42 stabilised binoculars in the field. If you like them, use the code ILGO10KO for 10% off.
Before you book
Is this tour for you?
A tour for birders
Early starts, cold days and long, patient scans of the fields. This is not a photo tour: the geese are watched from a distance.
A private tour
The guide and the car are only for your group, from any start day you choose in the winter.
Winter on the water?
For the wintering birds of the Danube Delta by boat, see our winter birding and photo day trip.
Meet our guides
Experts in the wild
Our guides are more than birding experts. They are conservationists, researchers and naturalists, some with degrees in biology, who take part in bird monitoring and conservation projects. Years in the field mean they know where the birds are, how they move through the seasons and how to watch them without disturbing them.
Specialised birders
They know the calls, the plumages and the difficult identifications, and help you at your own level.
Local
They live and work in the Danube Delta and Dobrogea, and are in the field in every season.
The bird comes first
No chasing, no flushing, no stress for a picture or a tick on the list.
Our commitment to conservation
Nature comes first
The Red-breasted Goose is a globally threatened species, and every flock needs its rest and its food to survive the winter.
Watching from a distance
We watch the flocks from the car or from the edge of the fields, with the scope, and never walk towards them.
No flushing
A flock that flies loses energy it needs for the cold nights. No sighting and no photo is worth making it fly.
Quiet roosts
We keep away from the roosts on the lagoons and watch the geese leave them from far away.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
Will we see Red-breasted Geese?
In most winters, yes: Dobrogea is one of their main wintering areas. But the flocks move with the weather and the food, and wildlife is wild, so no species can be promised.
When is the best time?
From December to February, when the wintering flocks are in Dobrogea.
Are the first and the last day days of birding?
No. They are for arrival and departure, so a 3 day program has 1 day of birding. If you want the first or the last day as a day of birding too, it costs €450 extra per day, for the guide, the car and the fuel.
What if it snows heavily?
Your guide adapts the route or stops the day. If extreme conditions stop the tour from starting, your deposit is refunded in full. During the tour, the days of birding that cannot take place are refunded.
Is lunch included?
No. Only breakfast to go is included. Bring your own food for the field; dinner is at the hotel or in a restaurant in Tulcea.
I do not have binoculars. Can I still come?
Yes. Tell us when you book, and we lend you a pair for the whole tour.
How do I get to Tulcea?
By car, bus or train, or with our transfer from Bucharest airport (€300 per car one way) or Constanța airport (€200 per car one way), for 1 to 6 guests.
Contact
- Emailcontact@discoverdanubedelta.com
- Phone, SMS, WhatsApp+40 763 869 400
+40 757 894 456 - For bookings and requests we always prefer email. Thank you!
Coming from Bucharest?
Tulcea is about 300 km from Bucharest. Book our private transfer together with your tour, or come by train or minibus.
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