Romania's Danube Delta & Carpathian Mountains

It was all a highlight. Bears, chamois, geography, accommodation, food, great company, brilliant guides, the floating hotel and day launch, white tailed eagles, pelicans jackals, and so on. Both Bogdan and Michael with their encyclopaedic knowledge of wildlife and localities. went above and beyond the call of duty in their determination to ensure that we not only had great sightings and interesting walks but that the whole holiday was a total success. Nothing was too much trouble and their bird knowledge was uncanny. They were both great company and a large part of why the holiday was so enjoyable. . They worked together so well as a team and are a credit to Naturetrek and Ibis Tours.

I loved seeing pelicans for the first time on my birthday. They were wheeling up on the thermals, glinting white then almost disappearing then back again as they circled up and up, with groups joining them from all around. I also loved immersing in the diverse landscapes of forested mountains, river delta, dry steppe grasslands and salt marsh by the Black Sea. Bogdan worked really hard to take us to many places in search of wildlife to show us. He was passionate and never complacent. Michael was the bird whisperer, surprising even Bogdan with what he could hear or see. Both leaders' enthusiasm, energy and consideration for the people in our group was super-impressive and made this a holiday of a lifetime.

It was a joy from beginning to the end. The guides, the organisation, the variety of scenery and wildlife and our fellow travellers all made for a special trip! Bogdan and Michael - both excellent. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic and friendly.

Of course the wildlife was amazing. We had big moments such as the pelican's circling and cooperative feeding, the unexpected mass drink up by the swallows and the jackal that turned out to have 2 more in tow and more. However, it was how it all came together as a journey through the contrasting habitats that made it very special indeed. That and we had a cracking group and 2 outstanding leaders. Michael & Bogdan exhibited exceptional teamwork, great knowledge, infectious enthusiasm and 4 high resolution extra eyes. Michael gave the impression that he'd learned the appearance of every bird in the world at the age of 2, and is making it his life's work to help everyone he meets to see them all during days filled with great humour, generosity and a little sunburn. He brings his whole self to work every day. I am in complete awe of Bogdan's knowledge and ability to share it with humour, as stories and with opinions. Not only did he provide wildlife knowledge for us to eagerly lap up, but it seems he is pretty knowledgeable about everything as well. If he ever visits London, people would fight to have him on their pub quiz team. We were very lucky to have him. Both leaders, it seems, are very at ease with themselves, and so it is no wonder they led a group that became very quickly at ease with itself too. I would have only seen half or less of it without them, but more important than that, it wouldn't have felt so good. Thank you

As a bird watcher seeing the sheer amount and variety of birds that we’d not seen before was great, but seeing wild bears was amazing. We had a great time with a great group of like minded people. Both Cristi and Luca were fantastic. Cristi was great for his local knowledge and translation skills. Luca was outstanding as a source of information about everything from birds, mammals, insects and flora. Both were also just really nice people with a great sense of humour and the ability to get on with everyone in our group and answer all questions no matter how trivial. The locations were stunning and we saw an amazing amount of birds and other wildlife, we loved seeing the bears and the golden Jackal in particular. They did a good job of adapting to my Gluten Free diet on the whole.

Too many highlights to mention really. The Carpathian mountains were beautiful and seeing 10 bears from the hide was a memorable experience. The sheer variety and number of birds on the Delta was incredible. Spending two nights out in the wilds in peaceful, remote corners of the delta was wonderful, going out each day in a smaller boat to navigate the many narrow channels. As well as the birds we were lucky enough to see an otter, turtles and golden jackals. Marcus and Cristi were outstanding and knowledgeable leaders and created a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for all. Cristi's local knowledge was excellent, not just about the wildlife but about Romanian history and culture, and it was great to feel that we were supporting a local Romanian company. Transylvanian Inn was in a beautiful location, comfortable with good food and friendly staff. The "floating hotel" was a brilliant place to stay in the wilds of the Danube Delta. The Ibis tours staff, both on the boat and at the guesthouse in Tulcea, did everything possible to give us an enjoyable stay, with lovely three course meals and nice touches like the origami pelicans and water lilies which decorated the table each day.

Our 10-day Carpathian Mountains and Danube Delta holiday in Romania gave us some wonderful experiences such as seeing Chamois grazing high on cliffs in the dramatic Zarnesti Gorge, watching 10 Brown Bears, including 6 cubs, feeding and frolicking in front of a hide in the Piatra Craiuliu National Park and staying on a floating hotel in the Danube Delta with twice daily trips on a smaller vessel cruising the myriad of channels that wound between vast beds of reeds and lily pads to give views of the thousands of birds that roost, feed and breed in the area. Seeing the delightful Susliks, or ground squirrels, scampering around later in the tour was another plus. Accommodation and food throughout the tour was very good and our British and Romanian guides were outstanding in their ability to spot and identify wildlife. As an added bonus, it was a real pleasure to spend time with such a friendly group of like-minded guests who were more than happy to help two Australians come to grips with northern hemisphere birds!

The floating hotel was a brilliant feature- it was so nice to be moored alone in the delta surrounded by nature. The crew were excellent - the food was generous and tasty and the whole cruise felt relaxed and well organised. I also really enjoyed everything about the Carpathian area. The hotel was lovely, the scenery gorgeous and the birdwatching sites were beautiful. Both Marcus John and Cristi were great - so knowledgeable about the birds and enthusiastic. Their expertise really enhanced my birdwatching experience