Travel Guide – Danube Delta on the Sulina Branch

What is the Danube Delta or Delta Dunarii?

Originating in the Black Forest in Germany the Danube flows for about 2850 kilometer through 10 countries. The Danube Delta is the river delta created by the Danube right before it ends up in the Black Sea. The delta is shared between Romania and Ukraine with the largest portion being in Romania. 3,446 km² from the total area of 4,152 km² .

When reaching the delta the Danube branches out into the Chilia branch, the Sulina branch and the Sfantu Gheorghe Branch (Saint George). The Sulina and Sfantu Gheorghe branches are the most visited ones by tourists. In this article I will focus on the Sulina branch as that’s the one I visited.

The Sulina Branch of the Danube Delta

The Sulina branch of the Danube is the shortest branch that lies between the two other branches. It starts in Tulcea and flows all the way to Sulina and eventually the Black Sea. Along the Sulina branch there are several villages and tourist resorts that can be visited only by boat. Some of those villages are Partizani, Vulturu, Maliuc, Gorgova and Crisan. Another well known village along the Sulina Branch is Mila 23. To reach Mila 23 a small detour from the Sulina branch is required.

With a speedboat it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Tulcea to Sulina.

In this travel guide I will focus on Mila 23, which lies in the heart of the Danube Delta and Sulina which is located where the Sulina branch of the Danube ends up in the Black Sea.

Tulcea, where your journey to any place in the Danube Delta starts

In order to get to any village in the Danube Delta (or Delta Dunarii) you will have to get to Tulcea first. Tulcea is a harbor city that lies at the shores of the Saint Gheorghe branche of the Danube. I’ll go into more detail about the Danube’s branches further in this article. Tulcea also serves as the administrative center of Tulcea County. Most of the Danube Delta’s villages are part of this county.

Most tourists don’t stay very long in Tulcea. It is just the only way of getting to their final destination in the Danube Delta. In my case it was the same. I only stayed in Tulcea to wait for my boat to the village Mila 23.

How to get to Tulcea?

Getting to Tulcea with a rental or your own car

• Bucharest to Tulcea is about 4 hours driving. Keep in mind that depending on which road you take you might depend on a ferry service to cross one of the many flowing rivers in the area. This could potentially cause huge delays. I speak from experience because I missed the boat in Tulcea due to gigantic traffic jams to get on the ferry. Thanks again to Madalina from Casa Lenuta I got on the next boat instead, which was the last one of that day.
• Constanta to Tulcea is about 2 hours driving. Constanta is a coastal city at the Black Sea. Chances are you visited one of the many beaches before journeying to the Danube Delta.

Now of course when you use your own car you would have to find a safe parking spot. As you’re probably going to be away for several days an affordable parking spot would be welcome I assume? Let me give you a few parking options:

• Port Aval Tulcea (or Port Downstream Tulcea): Probably the most convenient parking because it’s only a 1 minute walk to where the boat picks you up. This is where I parked my car for 5 days. Price per day is 20 Lei or 4 Euro. As far as I know reserving a spot in advance is not necessary, do check their website portaval.ro (in Romanian) in advance to avoid any surprises.
• Tic-Tac Ambarcatiuni: This the cheaper option at 10 Lei or 2 Euro per day but it will be necessary to take a taxi to where the boat leaves. If you’re planning to stay for a longer period this could be a good solution. Check their website (in Romanian) ambarcatiunitulcea.ro for more information.

Getting to Tulcea with public transportation

• Bucharest to Tulcea is about 5,5 hours on the train (Click on the link to go to Google Maps).
• Constanta to Tulcea is about 4 hours on the train (Click on the link to go to Google Maps).

The train station is a bit outside the center of Tulcea so depending on where in the Danube Delta you’re actually going your options might be a bit different. Read below which companies offer boat rides to different places in the Delta.

22-day road trip crossing some of the most beautiful areas in Romania, read all about it here: EPIC ROMANIA ROAD TRIP GUIDE – OFF THE BEATEN PATH ITINERARY

How to take a boat from Tulcea to Mila 23?

There are several companies that offer boat rides to different villages/cities in the Danube Delta. When you book a stay at a bigger resort or hotel they often have their own boats to pick you up. If you prefer to support the smaller local businesses like me it’s a bit different. You’ll have to book the boat transfer yourself which can be often quite hard as in this region of Romania English is not widely spoken. Luckily for me Madalina from the guesthouse Casa Lenuta in Mila 23 helped me out greatly.

Below three companies that offer boat transportation from Tulcea to Mila 23:

• Pelicanul Express: Speed boats from Tulcea – Gorgova – Maliuc – Mila 23 and back.
  • The trip from Tulcea to Mila 23 will take about 1 hour
  • Price is 75 Lei or 15 Euro for a one-way ticket.
  • Embarking is at Incinta Tulco or Port Aval Tulcea.
• Transdanubiana: Speed boats from Tulcea to Mila 23, Crișan, Caraorman, Maliuc, Gorgova.
  • The trip from Tulcea to Mila 23 will take about 1 hour
  • Price from Tulcea to Maliuc and Gorgova is 40 Lei or 8 Euro. Tulcea to Mila 23, Crișan and Caraorman cost 60 Lei or 12 Euro for a one-way ticket.
  • Embarking is at Port Aval Tulcea, Port Dana 1 Mai or Pensiunea “La Marcu” (Str. Prislav Zona Est – Trecere BAC).

When arriving in Tulcea with the train the closest port to embark for your journey would be Faleza Portului Tulcea but as the time of my writing this place is under huge renovations. Expected to be finished in 2022/2023.

Do keep in mind that if they don’t meet the minimum required passengers they might not take the trip so you’re better off to book in advance.

Everything you need to know about Mila 23

Accomodation in Mila 23

As Mila 23 is pretty much in the heart of the Danube Delta it is a pretty popular destination. English is not so widely spoken but you’ll always find someone that speaks English to help you out.

From what I heard there are some ‘unofficial’ guesthouses that offer nice accomodation. To find these you’ll have to ask around a bit or visit one of the many Facebook pages about the Danube Delta. I posted a few questions there and people really helped me a lot! I ended up using booking.com and found a really nice and affordable accomodation:

• Casa Lenuta (or Pensiunea Lenuta)
• Address: Salciei Mila23, 827062 Mila Douăzeci şi Trei, Romania
• Price / night: 29 EUR
• Not included but available: any meals and drinks
• Great service offered by Madaline who speaks perfect English.

I found that in Mila 23 there aren’t many restaurants so most tourists eat at their accomodation. In a larger city like Sulina you can find plenty of restaurants and bars.

Amenities in Mila 23

Mila 23 is quite a small village and everything is within walking distance. I noticed that local tourists Shops, bars and other amenities are all located around the center which is also where most boats will drop you off. On the map below you can see the main area of Mila 23 (around the mini market).

What to do in Mila 23

Kayak

When visiting the Danube Delta is almost a must to do any kind of boat tour. If you want the most flexibility you’re best of to rent your own boat. For most boats you need a boat driving license so I decided to rent a kayak instead. Very flexible and it keeps you fit at the same time.

To rent a kayak there is pretty much only 1 option in Mila 23: Ture cu Caiacul and the price for a full day is 100 Lei or 20 EUR. This price is for a duo kayak. At the time I visited they didn’t have mono-kayaks.

When renting a kayak there are not really predescribed routes that you can take. You can basically go wherever you want. I would recommend to use Google maps to find which rivers you can use. In my Youtube video you can get a glimpse of the scenic environment that you could pass through. With a little bit of luck you can spot some pelicans! I spotted 4 on the lake called Lacul Ligheanca. If you feel more comfortable following a route, you can check out my Strava upload or download the GPX file right here.

Motorized boats create waves when they pass you which can feel a bit uncomfortable at the beginning. From my experience they all slowed down when passing to avoid creating very big waves, very respectfull of them!

Boat tours

There actually lots of boat tours that pass through Mila 23. Usually they take of in Tulcea and go around the Danube Delta for a complete day or weekend.

When you’re already in Mila 23 it’s a bit different. The best thing to book any tour in Mila 23 is to ask at your hotel and they will gladly help you with the booking. It is usually done by phone and as English is not widely spoken I mostly relied on Madalina from my guesthouse.

Some options for boat tours are:

• Letea Forest:
  
  Letea forest is one of the most popular destinations in the Danube Delta. It is the most ancient natural reserve in Romania and especially known for the wild horses that roam around freely.
  
  Some local people advised against visiting as the rules have changed and entering the forest is not possible anymore. Also I heard it’s quite the tourist trap and I tend to avoid these as much as possible. Boats can only pass by the forest and you can’t get out anymore. I can’t confirm this myself but I would advise you to ask the company if it’s possible to get out of the boat to walk around in the forest.
  
  
• Boat tour around local lakes:
  
  In the area surrounding Mila 23 there are lots of great lakes with beautiful flora and fauna. Some companies provide tours that can be customized according to your needs.

Stroll around the many lakes

On my first day I went for a hike from about 10 kilometers. I started from Mila 23 and walked towards the lake called Lacul Bazila which is about 5 kilometer away. Pretty much the whole time you walk surrounded by fields or lakes. I noticed some cows and horses that were roaming around freely. For a minute I thought these horses were wild because I heard about Letea forest but I don’t think they were. Once I reached the lake pretty much I returned on my steps. If you want to use my route as an example, have a look at the Strava upload from that day.

Enjoy the sunset

Usually before I visit a new places I try to find some inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest or Google. What I noticed was that the sunset are absolutely beautiful. The first night I was there I was already amazed by the popping colors. Every night after that I walked towards the ‘center’ of Mila 23 to enjoy the sunset by the water.

Stargazing

Light pollution is pretty much non existent in Mila 23 so stargazing is pretty easy. All you have to do is walk a few minutes away from the center and you will be surprised how many stars you can see. I did some efforts to photograph the starry night but I deleted my photos accidentally. Stupid me.

What you need to know about Sulina

From Mila 23 you can get to Sulina in about 1 hour using a speed boat. Reservation is required and can be done by phone or by asking the hotel owner. Usually people are more than happy to help you out with reservations. The company I used was Eco Delta Trip

What to do in Sulina

Pirate Tomb

The Sulina Maritime Cemetary is a cemetary divided into sections for different religions. Throughout the years many famous people have been buried here, one of them being the Greek pirate George Kontoguris. The legend says that before dying he buried a treasure somewhere on Sulina beach and clues can be found on his tomb stone.

When I visited the cemetary I had quite a hard time finding his grave. According to several sources the stone has a skull and bones engravement. I didn’t find this engravement so I’m not entirely sure I found it. Let me know if you find it!

Plaja Sulina

As Romania borders at the Black Sea I wanted to have at least one beach experience while doing my road trip. Even though my expectations were quite low I had a great beach day nonetheless at Plaja Sulina. It was a calm September day, the beach was not overcrowded which is always a plus! When I walked all the way to the right, close to the borders of a military domain there was a apparently a nude beach. I returned on my steps a bit and installed myself there for a few hours. While relaxing all of a sudden some cows showed up just casually walking along the shoreline. It reminded me a bit of the Instagram hit in the Bahamas where the pigs roam around the beach. Check out my Danube Delta Youtube video to see my cow-on-the-beach-experience.

Useful resources about the Danube Delta

Usually before planning a trip to a place I try to get some insights from locals about that destination. Facebook groups are usually a great way of connecting with other people. Some useful groups were:

• Delta Dunarii: General info about the Danube Delta
• DELTA DUNĂRII – Info, Cazare, Oferte, Evenimente, Știri, Agenții, Ghizi: Info about rooms, tours, etc in the Danube delta
• Cazare în Delta Dunării: Info about rooms in the Danube Delta

Enjoy your trip and if you have more questions to not hesitate to contact me throug mny Instagram!