The Danube Delta

The mighty Danube River flows 2,860 km (1,788 miles) from its springs in Germany's Black Forest to the Black Sea.

Just before reaching the sea it forms the second largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas: 5,700 square km of rivers, canals, marshes, tree-fringed lakes and reed islands. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Danube Delta is a wildlife enthusiast's (especially a bird watcher's) paradise.

Danube Delta Travelers can explore the highest concentration of bird colonies in all of Europe. Some 300 species of birds make Danube's Delta their home, including cormorants, white tailed eagles and glossy ibises. There is also a rich community of fish and animals such as wildcats, foxes and wolves, and even occasional boars or deers. Altogether, 3,450 animal species can be seen here, as well as 1,700 plant species. The maze of canals bordered by thatch, willows and oaks entangled in lianas, offers the perfect breeding ground for countless species of birds, some of them from as far away as China, Africa or the North Pole.

The Danube Delta can be seen via: