Odessa tour, Danube Delta
| country: | Ukraine |
| location: | Danube Delta |
| departures: | Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sunday departures every week from May to September |
| price: | From €80 (1 day) excluding flights. In order for us to answer your enquiry accurately, please provide as much information as possible about what you're looking for |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Spend an unforgettable day in Odessa and the extraordinary Danube Delta, featuring the historic town of Vilkovo that was founded by Russian Orthodox "Old Believers" and Ukrainian Cossacks. Watch the clouds of birds. Enjoy a traditional lunch of fish freshly caught from the Danube.
The tour starts and ends in Odessa. We only take small groups (max. 15) to ensure personal attention. The journey to Vilkovo takes about 3 hours. In Vilkovo, we stroll through the historic centre. The inhabitants here have to cope with surviving in the delta of a mighty river that can rise by two metres or more in a few weeks. Everything, from constructing a house to growing food, is in tune with the rhythm of the river.
Then we board our traditional skiff and glide gently along to enter the Danube Biosphere Reserve, recognised by UNESCO as having global importance. This vast natural area of woodlands, reedbeds, lagoons and shoreline is the realm of birds: herons, cormorants, pelicans, ducks, gulls and terns fill the air.
Our journey goes to the very end of the river. Here it serenely enters the Black Sea, over 2,750 km from its source in the German Black Forest. We will land at the famous sign for "0 km" and absorb the special atmosphere of the place.
Meanwhile, our cook has been preparing a delicious lunch of fresh fish at our riverside garden. The meal will be accompanied by local "Novak" wine, made from the grapes grown on the island itself. There will be time to explore the garden, maintained in its traditional manner, and to take a plunge in the river - so bring your costume. By early evening, we will be back in Vilkovo for the return journey to Odessa.
This trip runs from May to September and each season – spring, summer and autumn - has its special features, from the cherry blossom to the grape harvest, from the arrival of nesting birds to the gathering pre-departure flocks pelicans.
The tour starts and ends in Odessa. We only take small groups (max. 15) to ensure personal attention. The journey to Vilkovo takes about 3 hours. In Vilkovo, we stroll through the historic centre. The inhabitants here have to cope with surviving in the delta of a mighty river that can rise by two metres or more in a few weeks. Everything, from constructing a house to growing food, is in tune with the rhythm of the river.
Then we board our traditional skiff and glide gently along to enter the Danube Biosphere Reserve, recognised by UNESCO as having global importance. This vast natural area of woodlands, reedbeds, lagoons and shoreline is the realm of birds: herons, cormorants, pelicans, ducks, gulls and terns fill the air.
Our journey goes to the very end of the river. Here it serenely enters the Black Sea, over 2,750 km from its source in the German Black Forest. We will land at the famous sign for "0 km" and absorb the special atmosphere of the place.
Meanwhile, our cook has been preparing a delicious lunch of fresh fish at our riverside garden. The meal will be accompanied by local "Novak" wine, made from the grapes grown on the island itself. There will be time to explore the garden, maintained in its traditional manner, and to take a plunge in the river - so bring your costume. By early evening, we will be back in Vilkovo for the return journey to Odessa.
This trip runs from May to September and each season – spring, summer and autumn - has its special features, from the cherry blossom to the grape harvest, from the arrival of nesting birds to the gathering pre-departure flocks pelicans.
how this holiday makes a difference
 Our company adheres to an ethic of environmental care which strives to ensure that our operations do not result in unsustainable use of natural resources, emission of environmental pollutants, wastage of materials, or lead to the destruction of the social fabric of local communities. The company employs only local staff in the region and uses local resources such as guides, boatmen and cooks (using mostly locally-produced food), and accommodation is only in locally-owned premises. We also continuously engage in a number of activities to improve local social and environmental conditions in the Lower Danube region. Recent examples include:
|
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |