Our journey started six days ago when we left our hearts to be completely conquered by a majestic place which plays an important role for both animals and plants, and which broke many tops in Europe, called Danube Delta, the 2nd largest delta river from Europe.
What we knew about this journey it was that will last for almost half of the day but we didn't expect too much from it, other than being surrounded by lots of water and birds and those scenic views everybody dreams about from his boat.
But we were wrong, because just like we have a beautiful life on the ground, so the others have when they opt in for a wilder landscape to wake up with every morning, the delta being composed of different lakes and islands where some people found their peace and started a new life far away from the city lights and traffic noise.
And here we are - floating on a tiny boat next to some other guys and our guide, in the middle of nowhere, being surrounded by lots of water and the sun rays which became stronger with each passing minute, feeling our faces burning and melting.
In reality, as much as we thought that we were lost already, every small part of the water represents one step closer to a new place which will contribute a little bit more to our unforgettable journey on the lands of Danube Delta.
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After around two hours since our last stop, we managed to leave behind the infinity of water we could see all around us, and get closer to vegetation and shores which were welcoming us to a new place where we were going to explore more of the untamed Danube Delta, but also meet some of the guys who decided to step away from the urban life.
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It's called Letea, and it represents a tiny village formed on one of the eastern Danube Delta's islands between the Chilia and Sulina shores, mostly by unofficial political refugees from the Russian Empire in 1715. There are just a couple of houses more or less dedicated to the tourists, counting just four or five hundreds of people who currently live there and enjoy a simple living without needing too much to be happy.
Though, we didn't have too much time to admire and explore the surroundings because Letea represented the next stop before we jumped in a car that was about to make us enjoy the savanna feelings for the first time in our lives.
The next place that took the mission to conquer our hearts was a drowned forest called Letea located on around 7 km away from the village with the same name, and where we reached with the car from the image that was accompanied the whole time by lots of incredible stories about the lands that were surrounding us, shared by our guide.
Letea Forest represents the oldest natural reservation from Romania but also the northernmost subtropical forest in Europe, whom too little people ever heard about.
One of the most interesting things about the forest which catches everybody's attention is the number of wild horses which are living here that is no less than 4 times bigger than those of people.
Copyrights: Iliuta Goean
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We are talking about more than 2000 horses which are living wild and free in a virgin forest, where the single imposters are the tourists which from time to time wish to become part of the beautiful landscape, as we did.
Since Danube Delta is known as the wettest area in Europe, Letea Forest doesn't represent an exception, talking about a flooded forest which in most of the time is populated by horses, but which also comes out as the best habitat for rare plants and the vegetation we only heard about in books or seen documentaries about, on TV.
The first surprise that welcomed us, was one of the many secular oaks from the forest which is older than 780 years, while the rest of them have around 400-500 years old.
Though only two of them can be still visited by the tourists so they will be protected from any disasters.
Instead, the surprises are not ending here, the whole forest is populated with lots of lianas that can be found in jungles, talking about 300 different species of plants, such as the wild vines and Greek liana which can reach 25 meters long.
Letea Forest represented a big controversy for the scientists who didn't understand how a place that is mostly covered in sand and dust, located on just 50 cm above the water level can be such a perfect place for the trees which often need a different habitat in order to resist during the hot days of the summer.
This is how the forest became part of the UNESCO World Heritage back in 2000 and since then the whole vegetation is in a continuous process of change being orientated from north to south regarding how the sea receded, which also contributed on the creation of some big sand dunes similar to pyramids.
Source: miscareaderezistenta.ro
Unfortunately, when we visited the forest it was in a hot period of the year and so we didn't find it being flooded as it usually looks like during the rest of the year, but we managed to step between lots of lianas which are slowly embracing to death the trees from where they were born.
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Funny or not, the lianas doesn't represent some of the smartest plants out there because as soon as they are born, they grow up embracing the tree from where they provide and keep strengthening their embrace until the tree can't breathe anymore and dies. So dies the liana too.
There are over 1,600 species of plants which got used with the arid and wet habitat Letea Forest has to offer, and the lianas represent the single such plants from Europe which can be found on here, which were born from the seeds brought by birds who are migrating to warm countries.
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The heat of the summer was also the main reason we couldn't really discover so many wild horses as we hoped to because they were hidden in the forests which are not part of the sightseeing trail coming out only once in a while like they were not even caring about the presence of people. Talking about some independent wild horses which are living in a sand forest, the sources of food are quite limited, often feeding themselves with tree bark.
Letea Forest is populated by lots of wild animals from which we remember foxes, deers, wild pigs, eagles, hawks, snakes, rabbits, and more, and it's located 18 km away from the Black Sea, 23 km away from Sulina and 102 km away from Tulcea.
To reach the forest you have to take the boat from either Tulcea or Sulina and make sure to enjoy the adventure no matter what the season is because every season has something unique to offer for the tourists.
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT TRIP! 🗾
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Nature, wilderness, animals... Yes please! :)))
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Wow. That would not be what I think of when I think of Romania.
We have some old oaks, typically called charter oaks that are pretty darn old, but we have Bristle Cone Pines. One is thought to be 2500 years old. They are pretty well protected, too. There's really only one place to see them, but there are a few populations in the Pacific Coastal Range of mountains.
Horses! Who would have thought a large population of wild horses in Romania? The pair that you show clearly look sleek if not fat, they are eating just fine. Wild horses in a wet forest. Amazing.
You've surprised me again. Thank you.
Ha, Romania is full of surprises! And I'm not even close from discovering all its treasures.
Wow, 2500 years old? So crazy! I'm really curious how it looks like. I've been fascinated by the oaks I've seen in my country which are a few hundreds of years old, I can't really imagine how it looks a tree that was part of some different ages.
As for the horses, they are really incredible! We do have another big population of wild horses but somewhere in the mountains. Yet another place I have to discover one day. :)
Thanks for reading and stopping by, and have a safe weekend!
So. I don't have a decent picture of Methusela. I lied. It's 5000 years old.
The western US has lots of wild horses and burros. I love to 'stalk' them and see them living free.
Omg, what a gem! I would love having something like this in miniature! I'm a big fan of little trees instead of the usual flowers everybody has in their houses. I hope it will last at least 5000 more years from now on!
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Thanks for the kind words! I'm excited to see Romania being compared with America and Australia :)