Things to do in and around Sulina
Level
easy to high, depending...
Target
Location
Sulina/around Sulina
KAYAKING
SHORT KAYAKING TRIP
Sunrise on Musura Bay (2-4h)
Arriving at Musura Bay after passing the Old Lighthouse we admire the sunrise, then we cross the bay to arrive on the channel which brings us back to the Sulina arm of the Danube.
Very close to the place where we meet the Danube we have to take our kayaks out and cross over the Letea road. Then we float downstream to the camp, seeing the city from the water.
Usually in this trip we see pelicans, swans and other water birds and identify plants like floating fern, edible water chestnut and utricularia vulgaris– a meat eater plant. This trip is close to 9 km.
LONG KAYAKING TRIP (6-8h)
It is the continuation of Musura Bay trip. We are moving the kayaks over the Letea route, and after 500 meters we go to the left on a little channel behind the Prospect district called willow’s channel.
This channel is a good example of wilderness right at the edge of town. It passes behind people’s courtyards, a lot of them abandoned, a neighbourhood full of life some years ago. It is a wild channel with a lot of natural obstacles, a bushy jungle, sometimes hard to pass.
We get into the Sulina Channel at the 3rd mile, from where we float home on the mighty Danube where the big ships go out into the Black Sea.
KAYAK RENTAL
For people who are very experienced in kayaking it’s possible to rent a kayak (or a canoe).
All kayak rentals include lifejackets and paddles.
ALL AROUND SULINA
It’s a trip that doesn’t need much endurance, just 13 km of biking. We keep to the beach route and before the bridge we go on the Sfantul Gheorghe route.
When we arrive at the second bridge, we don’t cross, we go ahead on the dam, on the left side of the channel, until the end, at the 2nd mile. The trip is spectacular in spring, when between the dam and the city the channels and swamps are full of water and there are a lot of birds that remind us that even though it is very close to the city, we are still biking the wilderness of the Danube Delta.
Passing by the small forest, where we find yellow waterlilies, and all along the channel, where in summer there are big white waterlilies.
The rest of the trip we go downstream near the Sulina Channel, passing the water tower, then on the river promenade we arrive in the center of the city, where we can drink a cool beer or juice, and finish the trip at the camp where we started.
LETEA FOREST
One or better 2-day trip, 7-9 hours, medium level endurance, 46 km on rough country road, usually windy, a day full of experiences.
We visit the Letea Forest with its old oaks, the lianas, the sand dunes and, if we are lucky, we can see wild horses.
In spring and early summer there are lots of water birds in the swamp around this area and on the channel in the neighbourhood big white water lilies.
We can also book lunch which will be a traditional fish or vegetarian meal cooked and served by local people. We can use it to achieve the energy to return to Sulina.
Our preferred option is to stay overnight in Letea, so as to get a chance to experience village life and stay with a local family. The 2nd day we can take a more extended route to see the salt lake, wildlife from a tower (if accessible, depending on the water level) and in general have a fuller experience…
CASLA VADANEI
A 42 km trip, 7-9 hours, towards Sfantul Gheorghe on a rough rocky road along the channel. It will be a little bit annoying for our wrists and bottoms because of the rutty road, but it isn’t boring.
Crossing the two overflows, which we find full of water until July or even August, we can see water birds who use it for finding food easily.
After the first half of our journey we arrive on the beach, near the abandoned military picket named Casla Vadanei.
We take a well-deserved break, eat our lunch, take a refreshing dip and rest a bit, then return. We can go back on the beach. There will be a few parts where we push our bikes, even through water, but the experience deserves every drop of tiredness.
SFANTUL GHEORGHE
It is the continuation of Casla Vadanei trip on to Sfantul Gheorghe, a 70 km two-day trip, to give us a break from the rough road. And there is a lot of great stuff to visit in Sfantul Gheorghe. We can rent a boat to see the Sacalin Lagoon and the channel around it, a really wild and strictly protected Danube Delta area.
We can camp free on the beach or in the nice local campgroud. There are also little guest cabins for rent at a very reasonable rate at the Green Village eco-resort – or one of their posh rooms… We return on the same route or on the shore, choosing on the spot. Or continue on to Tulcea, taking the ferry at 7am, get off at Mahmudia and cycle on the mainland along the southernmost arm of the Danube…
PHOTO TRIPS
On the trips dedicated to photography it is agreed that neither route nor number of km matter, the purpose is to capture great wildlife or magical landscape pictures! Bonus – a wonderful sunrise, if the sky is cloudless.
FISHING
Fishing activities are recommended for recreative fishermen, families with kids, not professional fishermen, because it’s just for fun. Our purpose is to have a nice day with a lot of minnow, bream, perch, but possibly also carp, pike or crucian. The fishing day finishes with a meal of the fish caught, which we prepare in the camp.
WILD BEACH
Wild beach tour is a 11 km trip, walking along the wild coast of the Black Sea.
After a short halt at the cemetery, where we discover the legend of the famous grave of the Greek pirate, the princess Ecaterina Moruzi, a local Romeo and Juliet, we keep to the beach route until arriving at the shore of the Black Sea where we walk on northwards on the rocky dam of Sulina channel. On the shore we meet a lot of birds and plants of this specific habitat of the Danube Delta.
ALL AROUND SULINA
The first part in the wilderness, on the dam nearly the Busurca channel, south of the town until mila 2, then on the river dam street, we pass the water tower, continuing to the center town. In the wild part we will see birds, especially in springtime, white and yellow water lilies in the summer, and a small forest. In the city part we can visit the “Old Sulina exposition” and discover the legend of the famous pirate grave, the princess Ecaterina Moruzi and a local Romeo and Juliet visiting the cosmopolitan cemetery. The trip is ending in the center of the town, by the restaurant terraces, where we can drink a cool beer or a juice.
What can be better than teambuilding? A Danube Delta teambuilding! And better than an ordinary Danube Delta teambuilding? A Danube Delta teambuilding organised by the Sulina fabuloasa team! It is made for groups of 10 people or less.
There are 5 competitions we can organise, remaining for you to choose which one of them suits the team the best, or you can choose more so everyone can enjoy more of an experience.
1. The “Great Photographer” round. We are going with the kayaks and the points are given for the different bird species to be photographed. The clarity isn’t important as long as we can identify the bird. Points are given for a single bird, not necessarily a whole flock
2. The “Great Artist” round. Everybody chooses between: kayak, bike, on foot. The time is 3 hours: one for drawing a bird. Points are given for the identified bird by the jury, the photo is just for proving the bird was seen.
3. The “Great Detective” round. There are 6-8 photos with places in Sulina, presented by me to both teams and a time limit. The photos are memorised visually. Proof of finding the place is a photo made by the team.
4.The “Great Fisherman” round. The teams are given 3 types of fishing rods, the same type of bait. The teams have a total time of 3-6 hours to fish. Points are given for the number of different species of fish caught. The round is ended with a traditional fish soup and a bonfire.
5. The “Great Athlete” round. It is a baton round. The teams will compete with each other in 4 rounds: running, swimming, kayaking and biking. We’ll fix the details according to the participants’ fettle, so the whole experience will be fun.
You will need to bring:
Danube Delta permit, all the necessary adequate clothing and really good sunscreen: hats, long sleeves and long pants, water shoes, mosquito spray, dry bag, head lamp…