Why Mila 23? 10 Reasons We Chose It as Our Home in the Danube Delta

Friends and guests often ask me why we chose Mila 23 as the heart of all our work in the Danube Delta. The answer is simple: no other place brings together so many good things at once. Here are my ten reasons.

Ten reasons for Mila 23

1. Only by water. There is no road to Mila 23. You arrive by boat, walk on narrow lanes of earth and paving stones, and in the evening you hear the frogs, the birds and the neighbours talking at the gate. This is the place to really feel the Danube Delta.

2. On a quiet branch. The village stands on the Old Danube, a branch used only by boats, without large ships. The water is calm, perfect for slow boat trips, kayaks and canoes.

3. In the very middle of the Danube Delta. Mila 23 is right in the centre of the Danube Delta: far enough from the city to keep its peace, and easy to reach.

4. A different route every day. From here a day trip by boat reaches almost any corner of the Danube Delta: the lakes, the long channels, the oak forests of Letea and Caraorman. You can explore for a week without repeating a route.

5. The way there is already a trip. The quick route follows the Sulina branch. Our favourite one goes “across the marsh”, as people say here, only on small channels with a wild, natural look.

6. The gate to the north. Mila 23 is where the northern Danube Delta begins, with the great lakes around Matita and Merhei. In my opinion this is the wildest and most beautiful part of the Danube Delta, and it is close at hand.

7. Wildlife on the doorstep. Pelicans fly over the houses in spring and summer, and Pallas’s gulls rest almost every day on the water in front of the village, in winter just as in summer. You see birds before you even step into the boat.

8. A living Lipovan village. Mila 23 is still a Lipovan village, with old houses in white and Lipovan Blue, an Old Believer church and elders with long beards. Fish cooked the local way is part of every stay: see 10 dishes to try in the Danube Delta.

9. The village of champions. Romania’s great canoe and kayak champions came from here, the most famous being Ivan Patzaichin, with four Olympic gold medals. The Ivan Patzaichin Museum in the village is usually open Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00.

10. Dry in every season. The village stands on a platform, land raised artificially after the great floods of the 1970s. When the spring high water rises in the Danube Delta, Mila 23 stays dry and our programs run as planned.

Stay in Mila 23 with us

Mila 23 is the base of our nature tours, of the private tour in Mila 23, and of our birdwatching and wildlife photo tours. Read more about the history of the village in Mila 23, the Lipovan village in the heart of the Danube Delta.