Probably the most important of these protected areas is the Roșca-Buhaiova reserve, located somewhere in the north of the delta, between the Chilia and the Sulina channels, just a few kilometers from the Chilia Veche village. What this place is known for is the mind-blowing number of pelicans that settle here every spring.

There are over 2500 pairs of Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) living in the Danube Delta and about 100 pairs of Dalmatian Pelicans (Pelecanus Crispus). Of these, you’ll find that their highest concentration is in the Roșca-Buhaiova reserve, a 9.625 ha area that’s been protected from human intervention since the 1940s.

Roșca-Buhaiova is located just north of the Matița-Merhei basin and is consists of a number of lakes, canals and other swamps. The precise area of the reserve is separated from the rest of the delta by the Cernovca canal to the north, the Sulimanca canal to the east, the Roșca canal and the Merhei and Merheiul Mic complexes to the south, and the Rădăcinoasele canal to the west.

At the center of the area lie the Roșca and Buhaiova lakes which appear as an endless sea of reed and water lillies. All the ways into the reserve, such as the Lopatna canal which I used the last time I was there, are completely covered with beautiful water lillies.

Every year, a swarm o pelicans, cormorants and many many other species call this place their home.

From listening the stories of people who are actively studying the birds, it looks like the pelicans here have a rather interesting strategy when catching fish. Unlike their North American cousins who prefer to hunt individually, the pelicans in the delta totally love hunting in packs.

What they do is to make so much noise that they scare the fish into swimming close to the shore of the lake where, in the big congestion created, all that the pelicans have to do is dip their heads in the water and get a mouthful of fish.

Opportunistic, the cormorants hunt the fish that lay somewhat deeper, just a bit out of the reach of the pelicans. This way the two species avoid any clashes and live together in harmony.

A pelican’s nest and younglings

For a bird this beautiful, you’d expect it to have some really spectacular skills at building its nest. A majestic bird, the symbol of the delta, definitely has something interesting to show, right?

Not really… You’ll be surprised to find out the a pelican’s nest in nothing more than a small pile of dirt that offers just enough shelter for the egg so that it doesn’t roll over accidentally. But when the egg hatches, that little bird looks like a reptile or a little dinosaur. It’s beautiful!

When they grow a little, all the chicks pack together in ‘nurseries’, waiting for their parents to return from fishing. This way they are much easier to supervise by the adults that stayed home for the day.

It’s cool watching the younglings of the two pelican species because they are so different. The chicks of the Dalmatian pelican have some sort of a grey-white color and they look pretty much like their parents. The chicks of the Great White pelican, on the other hand, are unbelievable. They are so black that you’d think somebody actually spray painted them. Incredible!

Other species

I only spoke about the pelicans in the Roșca-Buhaiova reserve because that is what this place is known for. But there are a bunch of other interesting species that you’ll find here.

Some of these are the otter (Lutra lutra), the mink (Mustela lutreola), the ermine (Mustela Erminia), the muskrat (Ondathra zibethica), the raccoon dog, the fox, or the wild boar.

The same diversity is present in the vegetable world. Besides the white and yellow water lillies, you’ll find crows feet, Hydrocharis morsus wound Limnanthemum, Trapa natans, Stratiotes aloides. The low nitrate waters in offer a great place to live for a series of carnivorous plants.

Hope you loved finding out about the Roșca-Buhaiova reserve and that you’ll consider visiting it in your next Danube Delta trip.

P.S. If you like this article and you’d like to discover more interesting information about the Danube Delta, sign up for my newsletter using the form below. I’ll send you a short email every time I add a new article to this site.

Since I have this passion of just roaming around the countryside to visit places, I decided to head to the woods following an old dirtroad. I did have an idea of the geography of the area , but I didn’t know exactly where that particular road was leading.

So I kept on going deeper and deeper. The road was vaguely following the small river which you could barely hear flowing downstream. Somewhere along the way, I run into some villagers in a carriage and asked them where exactly the road was leading. They told me that it was going to Fântâna Mare and that there were only 2-3 kilometers left.

I wanted to go there since I was a kid, but I never got the chance. This was my lucky day! I kept going, only that the two kilometers turned out to be more like ten. But it was interesting. I even had dogs follow me. What was interesting was that some of the sights were reminding me of  Tuscany.

I finally reached the village, which wasn’t big by any standards. A couple hundred of souls at most.

It’s old name is Bașpunar, which in Turkish means “The fountain at the top of the hill”. People in Slava Rusă and Slava Cercheză (where my grandparent from my mother’s side come from) still refer to Fântâna Mare using its old name.

Coming out of the woods, when you first spot the village, you notice the white church which is by far the tallest structure of the place. When I got there, people were just leaving the church after the Sunday morning mass.

When I got closer, It struck me! The church looks strikingly similar to the Sfântu Nicolae Cathedral in Tulcea. I thought that maybe the same architect designed them. Funny enough, after this, I started paying more attention to churches and I realized that there are actually many throughout the country that share the same basic architecture.

Inside the yard, you’ll find the tombs of a number of soldiers that fought in the Second World War.

Truth be told, there isn’t much else to see in Fântâna Mare. The location is great however. Located in between the hills, it is a really nice place to relax and have a barbecue.

When I was growing up, I envisioned this place somewhat differently. Not that I’m dissapointed, but I though I’d find something different.

How can you get to Fântâna Mare?

You could try my route, through the woods from Uspenia monastery, but that would shake you a little.

The easist way it to follow the DN22A till Ciucurova, then turn to DN22D for a couple of kilometers then going deep in the woods following the DJ223A.

A group of monks that left the Celic-Dere monastery after it became specialized in nuns founded the Saon chapel in 1846. They first built the Cilicul de Jos hermitage not far from the Cilic valley, before finally settling on this beautiful site on the banks of the Saon lake.

They chose this place because it was close to Celic and also because it was just 11 kilometers from the village of Niculițel, one of the most important places in the history of Christianity in Dobrogea. In the village, you’ll find the oldest basilica in Romania while just outside, in the woods, you’ll find another monastery, Cocoș.

In its early years, Saon functioned as a chapel under the control of priest at Celic. After Dobruja was reunited with Romania in 1978, all the remaining monks at Celicul de Jos were moved to Saon which became independent.

The Old and the New Churches

That very same year, the monks built the first church on the site. Although they used simple materials like mud and wood, it still stands today, known as “The Old Church” or “Biserica Veche”. They use it mostly to hold the service in the winter.

At the start of the twentieth century, a big fire destroyed most of the site. The church survived unharmed, but the following years were difficult financially and Saon was put under the administration of the Cocoș monastery. It regained its independence in 1916, and in 1930, it became a monastery for nuns.

In 1909, under the rule of bishop Nifon, they started building a new and much bigger church, with three towers.

The First World War slowed the pace of the building, however, especially that the Danube became a front line. Later, the church sustained gread damage during the earthquake of 1940, when the towers collapsed. They were finally rebuilt between 1956-59 and they started service here.

Unfortunately, that year this holly site was dissolved and all its posessions were taken by the Lower Danube Episcopate.

Saon reopened its gates in 1972 and it finally became a monastery in 1990.

The Windmill, the Peacocks and the Ostriches

What I like about Saon is that they still preserve one of the many windmills that once covered the whole of Dobruja. The structure of the one here resembles that of the mill in Celic Dere monastery, only that instead of six paddles, this one only has four.

One other thing that I particularly enjoyed was the ostriches that the nuns raised here. It was the first time when I saw ostriches in real life and I was surprised how big they were. I fed them some grass I tried to see if they would bite me. Turns out that it doesn’t hurt as bad as you’d think

They also have quite a few peacocks. Unfortunately, it’s quite obvious that the climate here is not really appropriate for them and they don’t really display those huge colorful feathers.

How to get here?

Fairly simple. If you’re in Tulcea, head west on DN22 for about 23 kilometers. About here, you’ll find a road on the right DJ229D. Follow it for another two kilometers and turn left on the DJ229E and in just a little over a kilometer you’re there.

On the other hand, if you’re coming from Galați or Brăila, all you have to do is to follow the DN22E or DN22 respectively and after you pass Isaccea and Niculițel, turn left when you see the sign to Saon and Parcheș.

If youțre coming from Bucharest following the DN22A, you can take a shortcut by turning left on the DJ229A in the village of Cataloi.

Lipovans left Russia a few hundred years ago because of the religious persecution. They settled in Dobruja and the neighboring area and over the years they’ve been here, they’ve built a series of monasteries throughout the region.

The center of the old-rite Christianity is the Uspenia Monastery, located about three kilometers outside the village of Slava Rusa (Staroslava). The Lipovans settled here between 1680 and 1769.

Every year, on 28-29 August, Lipovans believers from all over the country and abroad gather here to celebrate the Holy Mary holiday.

It is believed that the monastery was founded around the year 1769 when a wooden church was built here, together with the hermitage for the monks, by the priest Evfrosin. He died shortly after, and for many years, the Lipovans didn’t have a priest. They finally elected Ambrosie as head of the church in 1846.

In 1883, they built a brick church in place of the old one. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Although big enough for it’s use throughout the year, in these two days of holiday you can barely move inside.

There is also a smaller church, built in 1860, currently used mainly in the winter.

Here’s an old painting of the monastery, dating from the early 20th century. These days, is looks somewhat different.

As a kid, I loved going there because every time, there were plenty of small shops selling toys and other fun things at the entrance.

Also, they had a nice old water mill powered by the small stream going through the center of the monastery. As a kid, I loved going inside to find out how it worked.  Unfortunately, it has not been used for many years and they finally demolished it a few years ago.

From what I understand, there were only two water mills in northern Dobruja, and this was one of them. Wind mills were much more popular (they were in the hundreds). You can still see one at the Celic Dere Monastery.

Inside the monastery, there is a cemetery for the clergy. A few years ago, I went there with my mother and we set our tent right there amongst the graves. Waking up in the morning was indeed a very nice sight.

According to my mother, one of my great grandfathers was a priest or a monk there.

This year, I didn’t really feel like attending the mass, so I decided to head out to the woods. I didn’t really know where I was heading so I followed the road. After I found out that it was leading to Fântâna Mare, I knew I had to get there, because I wanted to do that since I was a kid. It took me about three hours round trip, but I enjoyed the road. There were plenty of great sights.

If you’re on a religious tour in the northern Dobruja, make sure to visit this place. It’s really worth it.

One of the most important monasteries, widely considered the center of Christianity around here, is the Celic Dere Monastery. It is located just half an hour away from Tulcea, between the village of Telița and Frecăței.

The site is beautifuly situated in the middle of the woods, in a beautiful clearing on the Cilic valley.

The first church was built here in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century by a group of monks from Transylvania and Bucovina. They lived on the Athos Mountain in Greece for a while and they decided to settle here, near a village built by Transylvanian sheepherders.

Unfortunately, that first church burned down. Nowadays, archeologists uncovered an old cemetery there. Also, they found a necropolis from the sixth century just a few kilometers from here.

The Cilic Dere monastery was founded here in 1841, with Athanasie Lisavenco behind the project.  He had the written approval of the Ottoman sultan at the time, Abdul Medgid, as well as the Greek Church.

It was initially a mixed monastery, but in 1846, all monks had to move to a different site called Cilicul de Jos, leaving Celic Dere to the nuns. Later on, they would build the Saon Monastery.

In 1946, they opened the first church. The building of the curet church started in 1901 and was completed in 1916, with the paintings taking another 16 years for completion. The architect was Toma Dobrescu, while the painting was done by Ion Dinea.

As you enter the monastery, you’ll be delighted to find an old wooden wind mill. Back in the nineteenth century, these mills used to everywhere throughout the northern Dobrogea. I have an old photo with no less than five of them on a small site near Tulcea.

Back then, visitors going down the Sulina channel could see tens of them lined up on the side of the Danube, near the village of Crișan. Too bad they were taken down… We could have had a netherlands thing going.

Its name is Republica and it’s one of the oldest ships in Romania and one of the surviving three or four paddle ships in the Country.

It was built in 1903 in the Linz Shipyard, in Austria. It had the name Csobanc and had a commercial use until the uear 1916 when it was fitted with weapons to be used in the First World War. It was mainly a patrol ship, but she also layed mines along the Danube.

At the end of the war, it was captured by the Romanian forces. Over the years, she change her name to “Arad” (1919-1930), „Căpitan-comador Păun” (1930-1944), „Republica” (1947-1991). For a brief period, she was given the name „Locotenent-comandor Vasile Păun” which had nothing to do with the history, so in 2003 she was named, yet again, „Republica”.

A few fun historical facts

It seems that throughout its history, Republica has welcomed a number of high profile personalities. The first was Austrian General Von Mackenstein, the commander of the Austrian-Hungarian front during the First World War, Admiral Wolf, the commander of the Austrian fleet.

After she became a Romanian possession, it seems that Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, the country’s first communist president, invited Nikita Hrusciov on board of the Republica in order to renegotiate the war compensations.

It is rumored that it was on this ship that Nicolae Ceaușescu had a secret meeting with Tito, the dictator of former Yugoslavia.

Republica today

Having served for over a century, Republica is a living monument.

Although the engine now works on diesel, the actual machine that powers the paddles is 100 percent original.

These days, it stands as a floating restaurant. Below decks, on the other hand, a museum was organized. You can see all the original parts and find out more about her history from her captain.

The village was first mentioned in 1543 with the name Mor-Kasim in a Turkish document. In the mid nineteenth century, its name was Mori-Gol, only to evolve into Morughiol in the early twentieth century.

The Russian – Ukrainian influence on the architecture of the place is pretty visible. Most houses are decorated using traditional Slavic motifs (such as the mermaids or the rays of the sun), or motifs representing the activities that the villagers engage in (the fish, the tree of life, the branch).

How to get to Murighiol?

The fastest way is certainly by car. You leave Tulcea using the 222C road and 38 kilometers later you’re there.

You could also rent a boat in Tulcea and head downstream on the Sfântu Gheorghe arm. About 8 kilometers after you pass Mahmudia, turn right on the Murighiol canal and you’ll find yourself in the village’s marina.

What can you see in Murighiol?

The Lake

The main attraction has to be the lake that the nearby lake. Besides it’s violet reflections, it is also a fantastic place for bird watching and fishing. It is connected through a series of canals with the Sfântu Gheorghe arm.

The harbor

The village also has a small harbor that connects though a short canal with the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, and from there, witht the rest of the Danube Delta.

The church

The church is also worth visiting. It was built in 1883 and it hold a number of very rare religious paintings.

The Halmyris Fortress

It is no doubt that one of the most important attractions of the place is the Halmyris stronghold. Located about halfway between Murighiol and Dunvățu de Jos, it is a site that tells a beautiful story about the north of the Dobruja.

The fortress has 15 towers, three entrance gates and three defensive ditches.

It was originally built on the shores of the Halmyris gulf (which means “salt water”), which whould lated become today’s Razim Lake.

From its earliest days, archeologists uncovered two Geti necropolis.

Later in history, during Roman times, it became the easternmost point of the Moesia Province. The Romans built an important stone harbor and kept a sizeable fleet here. Their ships were small, just perfect to police the Danube Delta.

In the early fourth century A.D., emperor Constantine the Great built an important basilicahere . What is most interesting is that under the altar, archaeologists discovered a crypt. Inside it, they found the bones of Saints Epictetus and Astion who were beheaded here in 290 A.D., during the reign of Diocletian.

They also found a beautiful fresco that identifies the two martyrs, and also mentiones the torture of the Christians.

Because the Danube altered its course over the years, Halmyris was eventually abandoned.

However, the story of the Tulcea County and the Danube Delta cannot be complete without it because historically, it’s been one of the most important cities in the North of Dobruja for many centuries under Ottoman rule.

According to the legend, it was founded by Sari-Saltuk-Baba-Dede in the year 1262. He was allowed by the Byzantine Emperor at the time to settle here an army of 12.000 Turkish mercenaries that were going to defend the borders of the Byzantine Empire.

An Arab geographer, Ibn Battuta, made the first official account of the city in the year 1330 when it had its founder name, Baba-Saltuk. Its current name means “The Father’s Mountain” in the old Turkish.

Immediately after the Ottoman Empire conquered the whole region in the early fifteenth century, it became the capital of Dobruja and a major headquarter for the armies that were fighting in the North.

By the eighteenth century, it was already the biggest city at the mouths of the Danube, with a population of over 100.000. At the time, Babadag had four mosques, many more houses of prayer and numerous public baths, among other public service buildings.

The decline of the Ottoman Empire, however, led to the downfall of the city. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were only about 3300 people left. There were three Christian churches, two mosques and one synagogue.

What can you see in Babadag?

The “Cetățuia” Fortress

2.5 kilometers out of the city, on the lake with the same name, you’ll find “Cetățuia” a settlement that dates back from the XI-VII centuries B.C. Later, during the Roman occupation, a fortification was added.

At the time, it lied on the shore of the Black Sea, but the expansion of the Danube Delta closed its access to the sea, the same way it happened to Heracleea. You can actually see Heracleea in the distance, up on hill, overlooking the surrounding land.

The Panaghia house

If you want to see the way Muslims used to live here, this is the place to visit.

The exposition hosts traditional costumes both from this area and other far away lands. There are also weapons, jewelry, prayer mats and much much more.

The Tomb of Sari-Saltuk-Baba-Dede

This is the final resting place of the founder of Babadag. It became a pilgrimage place and Bayazid II built a public bath and a mosque nearby. Unfortunately, these last two were lost.

The Mosque of Ali Gazi Pașa

This monument was built by the the general with the same name back in the seventeenth century. Near the mosque, until 1971 there was also an important caravanseray nearby.

The Tomb of Coiun Baba

One of the hills to the south of the city is called Coiun Baba. It is named after a sheep herder that lived here about eight centuries ago. He belonged to the first generations of turks that inhbited Dobruja.

The legend says that he saved the city from disaster. There were massive flood waters coming down towards Babadag and he somehow managed to divert them using the wool from his sheeps.

If you go up that hill, you’ll find his tomb, surrounded by shredded cloths hung on the trees. People believe that this is some kind of homage that they pay to the saviour of the city.

The Yemelik and Kalaigi Fountains

The first was built in the eighteenth century by vizier Yusuf Pașa in the northern part of the city, while the second one is located in the center of the city, near the Ali Gazi-Pașa mosque. Both of them function today and they have the tastiest spring water. The Kalaigi fountain was built in the seventeenth century by Muslim pilgrims.

The sculptures

At the foothills of the Coiun Baba and the neighboring hills, you’ll find numerous sculptures scattered around the field. I can’t say for sure, but I think they were built sometime in the year 1984, as I could distinguish that one of the rocks there.

I’m sorry I don’t have a good picture of them, but they are definitely worth visiting.

Why aren’t there more monuments standing up in Babadag?

After all, the place has a rich history. Many more should be found here.

That has a lot to do with a peace treaty signed in 1771, following a war between Russia, Austria and the Ottoman Empire. The treated stated that any fortress that was destroyed during the war should not be rebuit.

Because of that, many of the Babadag’s monuments fell into ruin and are now vanished. I would definitely would have loved going to that caravanseray built by Ali Gazi Pașa…

One of the most important things the you’ll find in Nufăru is the medieval fortress.

While doing the excavations here, archeologists discovered the ruins of the city of Periaslavetz (Proslavița, Pereyaslavets or Preslavetz). What the name meant was “little Preslav” in reference to the Bulgarian capital in the tenth century a.d..

Maybe it’s no surprise then that the village of Nufăru was also known as Prislav until 1968.

The city was actually built by the Byzantines, but was taken over by the Bulgarians when they started their expansion north.

Here’s a view of the Danube from the cliff the main part of the fortress was located.

The Bulgarians and the Kievan Rus’

The Bulgarians were actually making the law around these places back in the day and Peryaslavetz was a thriving commercial center, controlling most of the traffic here at the Danube’s mouth.

What I found most fascinating was the fact when the Kievan Rus were finally fed up with them, they conquered most of the Bulgarian territory, including their capital. Then, they settled their own capital here, in Peryslavetz, in 968. Can you imagine that?

When the Sviatoslav Kniaz conquered the city in 958, he described it as a major commercial center at the crossroads of many routes bringing in goods from Greece, Russia, Hungary and Bohemia.

Unfortunately for him, it only lasted for about three years because the Byzantines also had some unfinished business here and conquered the whole place back in 971. It is possible that they renamed the city as Theodoropolis, in honor of one of the generals who took place in the final battle.

The city was completely destroyed in 1241 when the place was invaded by the tartars.

The excavations led to various discoveries throughout the Nufăru. On that main hill they’ve uncovered two towers. Close to the modern Danube crossing point, they’ve discovered the port of the ancient city.

The beach that you see today is much further out in the sea than it used to.

I was looking at an old map from the mid nineteenth century and the line of the beach was starting close to the ECD lighthouse and was passing  just a few meters from the Maritime Cemetery.

Actually, during powerful storms, the sea would rush into the cemetery itself and dig up some of the graves.

By the time that Jean Bart was writing his books, and especially Europolis, the beach was already hundreds of meters further out than it was in the previous paragraph. By this time, there were already massive projects in place to straighten and make the Sulina channel more suitable to navigation which innevitably pushed the shore line a few kilometers further out.

In his book, he often mentions that the beach started right at the foot of the south dike lighthouse. I’ve seen a picture from 1928 that proves just that.

Sulina’s officials finally organized the beach the way we see it today in 1939 to be a touristic spot.

So, how to get to the beach?

That’s easy. Just go east

I’m not kidding. There are just so many roads in the city and they all pretty much lead into two directions.

I personally like going by foot, but if you feel lazy, you can take one of the frequent busses or even a taxi… I actually hate  the idea of having so many vehicles in Sulina, but what can I do? Times do change.

About half way there, you can visit the Maritime museum. It’s a great place. They have pirates too

What will you find on the beach?

Only the softest sand you’ve ever seen. Really. I’ve seen many beaches throughout the world, but none has had sand so soft. It probably has something to do with its origins. While most beaches’ sand is made from eroded rock, the sand here comes from the silt brought by the Danube.

If you feel like taking a walk, you have plenty of room to do that going to the north. To the south, if can get across a canal, you have thirty kilometers of completely wild beach, all the way to Sfântu Gheorghe. That’s the road me and my friends took when we went to the Anonimul Film Festival this year.

It is also a great place to see the famous wild horses of the Danube Delta.

Now, although I said that the beach was organized in 1939, it doesn’t mean that they’ve  done more than that. Besides a few terraces and, more recently, two wooden piers, the place has been left for nature to shape the way it best saw fit.

How about a place to stay?

Well, there isn’t any yet. I’ve seen that they’ve build a couple of wooden huts which will house tourists some time in the future, but for now there’s nothing.

If you feel like tenting, you can set it right there on the beach. Unfortunately, there aren’t many sources of water for drinking or showers, but you’ll do just fine with a couple of beers at Tip Top.