The Danube Delta - Paradise on earth

The Danube Delta is pure nature, spreading over an area of approx. 5000 km², part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, accommodating 25 types of ecosystems, numerous plants and animals on the verge of extinction (over 5500 species), protected by law. It is the second largest and the best preserved delta in Europe; it was formed 5000 years ago,through the forking of the Danube River, before its outlet into the Black Sea, into three branches: Chilia, St. George and Sulina, linked together through a complex and remarkable system of lakes, channels and lagoons. The Danube Delta encompasses the third biggest biodiversity in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Galapagos Archipelago in Ecuador. More than 50% of the Danube Delta biosphere is intact, and here you can encounter white lotus flowers and yellow water lilies, the biggest colony of white pelicans – the symbol of the Danube Delta, wild geese, swans, egrets, storks, gipsy ibises, and also herds of wild horses racing along at will in the Letea Forest, the northernmost exotic forest exhibiting tropical features; here there are also trees whose age is assessed to more than 500 years old. And last but not least, the sand dunes provide a perfect shelter for turtles and different types of lizards.