PELICAN TRAVEL

Romance of Romania.

Proposed Itinerary. A seven night holiday from Bucharest to deep in the heart of the Danube Delta and high up in the Carpathian mountains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1: Pick up from Henri Coanda Otopeni Airport, transfer to our hotel in Bucharest, introduction and dinner in the fascinating Old Town, with opportunities to see and photograph Ceausescu's 'People Palace', The CEC Bank building and some other interesting local sites.

 

Day 2: Breakfast. Travel to the Danube Delta with a visit to the site of the ancient Greek city of Histria founded circa 650BC, where we will take lunch then wander around the Greek, Roman and Byzantine ruins, we'll also visit the Archaeological Museum. Arrival at Wels Hotel right on the bank of one branch of the Delta ideally located for observing wildlife and relaxing. It also has a swimming pool and nice gardens. Dinner.

 

Day 3: Breakfast then travel to Tulcea for Full Day boat trip into the Northern Romanian Delta, lunch onboard with opportunities for observing and photographing birds. We will get great views of thousands of geese and ducks, hundreds of White and Dalmatian pelicans, scores of herons and egrets and many other birds including White-tailed eagle, Osprey and a range of Harriers, Falcons, Woodpeckers, Waders, Gulls and Terns etc. On our arrival back in Tulcea we will take coffee, have some free time, then dinner either in the city or at our hotel.

 

Day 4: Breakfast then an optional morning walk to visit a colony of European ground squirrels (Spermophilus citellus) close to our hotel. Lunch at the Wels and free time there until we take our second boat trip this time into the heart of the Delta's backwaters in small 4 or 5 persons boats that are able to visit places that larger boats cannot reach. Dinner at our hotel.

 

Day 5: Breakfast then travel to our next location near Busteni in the Southern Carpathian Mountains, this area is also home to a large number of birds and of course mammals including Brown bears (Ursus arctos) we will have a number of chances to see them in the wild as they feed almost every evening at a campsite that is just a couple of hundred meters from our hotel. We will visit the site just before sundown to await their arrival.

 

Day 6: Relaxed morning as this will be a long day. Sunday Brunch at 10:30 then we will visit the wonderful neo-renaissance Peles Castle, which was the former Summer residence of the Romanian royal family, every inch of this place is a work of art with murals, frescoes and ornate decorations. The expansive gardens are also a delight to walk around. Following that we'll go to the very beautiful seventeenth century Sinaia monastery. We'll then return to our hotel for some free time. Late afternoon we will head to Rasnov for an early dinner. That evening we will visit the best of all the Romanian bear observatories in the Stramba Valley.

 

Day 7: After breakfast we will have a trip to a sanctuary homing over eighty rescued bears who live in 'near wild' conditions on a reserve regarded as the World's best for Brown bears in nearby Zarnesti. We will have exclusive access to a viewing platform ensuring that you will get the best pictures of these majestic animals. From there we'll travel on to Bran where we'll take lunch, then with garlic at the ready and crosses in hand, we'll enter the legendary medieval "Dracula's" Castle. After returning to our hotel we'll have some free time and another opportunity to see wild bears on this evening.

 

Day 8: Breakfast followed by transfer to Henri Coanda Otopeni Airport in good time for your return flight.