PRIVATE Winter Birding & Bird Photography Day Trip in the Danube Delta, from Tulcea
A private winter day in the Danube Delta for birders and wildlife photographers, from December to February: wintering birds, frozen reeds and almost nobody else on the water. In an open boat, in real cold. Come dressed for it.
Duration
Up to 7 hours, in daylight
Tour type
Private, up to 8 guests
Boat
Open, no roof, no heating
Clothing
Guiding
Birder and photographer, in English
Season
December to February
Read this before you book
Open boat, winter, cold. Very cold.
Dress as if you were going to the North Pole. You sit still in an open boat for up to 7 hours, in winter, in the wind over the water. You do not walk, you do not move, so your body makes almost no heat of its own. Whatever you are wearing is all that keeps you warm.
No half measures. Not “it will be fine, we will not die”. Not “we had no choice”. Not “we travel light”. If you are not dressed properly, you will not last until the end of the trip. You will ask us to stop the excursion, and then nothing is refunded and the same boat takes you back to Tulcea.
Mandatory
- Ice fishing boots, insulated, with a thick felt liner inside. You find them in fishing shops. They are the best you can wear.
- At least 5 warm layers, of very good quality, from thermal underwear up.
- A windproof and waterproof outer layer. The last layer must stop both wind and water. No exceptions.
- A real winter hat on your head: thick, warm and windproof. Not a cap, not a thin beanie.
- Warm gloves, and sunglasses against the glare of the ice and the water.
Not good enough
- Hiking boots. They keep you warm while you walk. In the boat you do not walk, you sit still, and your feet freeze.
- A city coat or a ski jacket alone. One warm jacket is not 5 layers.
- A cap or a thin beanie. Much of the heat you lose goes through your head.
- Counting on us for spare clothes. No, we do not happen to have jackets, boots, hats, gloves or any other clothes in the boat. You bring everything you need.
By booking this trip, you confirm that you have read this and that you will come dressed for it.
The day in short
The Danube Delta in its quiet season
In winter the Danube Delta belongs to the birds again. The tourists are gone, and on the water there is only you, the reeds, the ice and the wind.
Ducks and geese from the north spend the winter here, Dalmatian pelicans and great cormorants are already in their breeding colours, and white tailed eagles hunt over the frozen lakes. It is a season for birders and wildlife photographers who know what they come for and accept the cold that comes with it.
Usually you go from Tulcea to Mila 23 and back. Sometimes you find so much to watch and photograph on the way that there is no time left to reach Mila 23, and that is a good day. The winter day is very short, and the whole trip has to fit inside the daylight.
The ice and the birds decide the route. Your guide chooses it on the day. If the ice closes the way out of Tulcea before the tour starts, the trip does not run and your deposit is refunded in full.
The highlights
What makes the day
Winter only · wintering birds
Guests from the north
Smews, goosanders, pochards, geese and swans, Dalmatian pelicans in breeding plumage and white tailed eagles over the ice.
All day · low winter light
A frozen landscape
Frost on the reeds, ice at the edges of the lakes, mist over the water and a low sun all day. A Danube Delta very few people ever see.
Up to 8 guests · your own boat
Room to work
Our 7.3 m open boat was built for the Danube Delta. With at most 8 guests, everyone has space for binoculars, a long lens and a clear view of the sky.
Step by step
A typical day
The day Usually Tulcea, Mila 23 and back, inside the daylight
- Morning Meeting with your guide at Port Tulcea Aval, at an hour agreed with you, as early as the light allows.
- All day Birding and photography by boat, in our open boat, wherever the ice allows and the birds are.
- Midday A break in Mila 23, if you get there. You can have a hot tea or a coffee at the village bar.
- Before dark Back in Tulcea, up to 7 hours after you set off.
There is no lunch on this trip. Bring your own food for the day.
Private winter day trip
from
€450
per boat
One price for the whole boat, up to 8 guests: €450. Your guide, fuel and the Danube Delta fees are included.
- Deposit to book 50%
- Season December to February
Practical
- StartPort Tulcea Aval, in the morning
- EndIn Tulcea, before dark
- GroupOnly your group, up to 8 guests
- FoodBring your own
- ClothingPolar gear, mandatory
Price details
What the price covers
The price includes
- A private boat and guide, only for your group, for up to 7 hours
- A guide who is both a birder and a wildlife photographer, speaking English
- Binoculars on loan for the trip, if you do not have your own
- Boat, fuel included
- Fees for visiting the Danube Delta
The price does not include
- Food and other drinks
- Winter clothing and boots. We do not lend any, so bring everything you need
- Airport transfer from Bucharest, €300 on request
- Insurance of any kind (travel, equipment and so on)
Photo gallery
The Danube Delta in winter
Private winter day trip
Price and booking
Any day from December to February, when the ice allows. The price is for the whole boat, in euro, VAT included: €450 for up to 8 guests. For a larger group we use more boats; write to us for the price.
Before you request a date, read what to wear. If you are not dressed for the cold and ask to stop the trip, nothing is refunded.
Choose your date
Choose a date and the number of guests and click Request this date. In the booking request form, tell us your target species and, if you photograph, your equipment, and we will get back to you to confirm and to send you the next steps.
Booking request
How to book
- Send a booking request. Choose your date and the number of guests and fill in the form. 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 50% 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 50% 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 trip, you can postpone it. You receive a voucher valid for 2 years.
- Less than 90 days before the trip, the deposit is not refundable and cannot be moved to another program.
- If ice, snow or closed roads stop the trip from starting, your deposit is refunded in full.
- If you ask to end the trip early, nothing is refunded.
Children
- This trip is not suitable for children: they cannot sit still in the cold for 7 hours.
Our boats
Open boats, the complete experience
Our boats are open. You see, hear and smell the Danube Delta all around you: the water, the reeds, the ice, the wind. In winter, that also means you feel the cold, all day.
- No roof. The boat is not covered in rain or snow. Protect your camera.
- No heating. Your clothes are your only heating.
- No walking. You sit still for most of the day.
We offer you a fabulous experience. Your part is to come prepared.
Packing list
Bring with you
Everything in the mandatory list above, and also:
Essential
- Food for the day
- A thermos with a hot, non alcoholic drink
- Thick thermal socks, and a spare pair
- A balaclava or a neck warmer against the wind
- Your binoculars and your camera. If you do not have binoculars, we lend you a pair
For photographers
- A telephoto lens of at least 300 mm, longer if you have it
- Spare batteries, kept warm in an inside pocket. The cold drains them fast
- A rain cover for your camera
- Thin gloves to work the camera, under your warm ones
- Hand and foot warmers
Before you book
Is this trip for you?
For birders and photographers
This trip is for people who come for the wintering birds and the winter images, and accept a whole day of cold to get them. It is not a sightseeing trip.
Just want to see the Danube Delta?
Come from April to October. See all our day trips, private and shared, from 4 to 10 hours.
Wildlife is wild
We know where to look and when, but no sighting and no image can be promised. In winter, the ice also decides where we can go.
Meet our guides
Experts in the wild
Our guides are more than birding experts. They are birders and wildlife photographers, conservationists and naturalists, some with degrees in biology, who take part in bird monitoring and conservation projects. They know where the birds are, how they behave and how to get close without disturbing them.
Birders and photographers
They help with the difficult identifications and with the light, the angle and the position of the boat.
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
Our tours are designed to keep our impact low and to protect the delicate ecosystem of the Danube Delta. In winter, birds need every bit of energy to survive the cold, so we keep our distance and never make them fly.
Lower power engines
Our boats run on engines with less power than they would normally carry. That means less disturbance in the water, less fuel and lower emissions.
A slow, steady pace
Moving slowly protects the aquatic vegetation and the banks, and reduces stress on the birds that spend the winter here.
No flushing
Every flight costs a wintering bird energy it may not have. We never drive at birds to make them fly, for any picture, in any season.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
How cold is it really?
Colder than you think. Even on a mild winter day, the wind over the water and 7 hours of sitting still make it feel far colder than the thermometer says. Dress as if you were going to the North Pole.
Are hiking boots good enough?
No. Hiking boots keep your feet warm while you walk. In the boat you sit still, and your feet freeze. Wear insulated ice fishing boots with a thick felt liner, from a fishing shop.
Can you lend us warm clothes or boots?
No. We do not have jackets, boots, hats, gloves or any other clothes in the boat. You bring everything you need.
Will a drink of brandy keep us warm?
No, and we do not recommend it. Alcohol feels warming for a while, but when the effect wears off you feel the cold even more. Bring a thermos of hot tea instead.
What happens if we get too cold and want to go back?
The same boat takes you back to Tulcea, and nothing is refunded.
Where exactly do we go?
Usually from Tulcea to Mila 23 and back. But we follow the birds and the ice, and on some days there is so much to see and photograph that we never reach Mila 23. The winter day is short, and we must be back in Tulcea before dark.
Is lunch included?
No. There is no lunch on this trip. Bring your own food for the day.
What if the Danube Delta is frozen?
Your guide adapts the route to the ice. If the ice stops the trip from starting at all, your deposit is refunded in full.
What can we see in winter?
Often smews, goosanders, pochards, red crested pochards and tufted ducks, greylag and white fronted geese, mute swans, Dalmatian pelicans in breeding plumage, great and pygmy cormorants, great egrets, grey herons, kingfishers and white tailed eagles. See our list of the birds of the Danube Delta and Dobrogea. Wildlife is wild, so no sighting can be promised.
Is the price per person or per boat?
Per boat: €450 for up to 8 guests.
Do we wear life jackets?
Yes. A life jacket is provided for everyone and must be worn during the whole boat trip, over your winter clothes.
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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