Photograph of European Bee-eater

A stunning photo of a 'Golden' Bee-eater, the old Russian name for European Bee-eater, taken by Ray Wilson.

ROMANIA

Best Wildlife in Romania

Mammals
Brown Bear (mostly May-Sep), European Beaver (reintroduced), (Carpathian) Chamois, European Souslik and Muskrat. Also an outside chance of Wolf and Eurasian Lynx.

Birds
Many of the species listed are present during the spring, summer and autumn only. White-tailed Eagle, White and Black Storks, Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans, (Eurasian) Nutcracker, Wallcreeper and Firecrest, as well as Ruddy Shelduck, Red-necked Grebe, Yelkouan Shearwater, Pygmy Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Booted, Lesser Spotted and Golden Eagles, Levant Sparrowhawk, Red-footed Falcon, (Pied) Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Little and Slender-billed Gulls, Caspian, Black, White-winged and Whiskered Terns, Alpine Swift, Golden (European) Bee-eater, European Roller, Hoopoe, woodpeckers including Black, Great Grey and Lesser Grey Shrikes, (Eurasian) Golden Oriole, (Bearded) Reedling, Sombre, (Eurasian) Penduline and Long-tailed Tits, (White-throated) Dipper, Moustached and Paddyfield Warblers, Collared Flycatcher, (Eastern) Black-eared, Isabelline and Pied Wheatears, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, (Black-headed) Yellow Wagtail, Rock Bunting and Spanish Sparrow. Also a chance of (Western) Capercaillie, Hazel Grouse, (Eastern) Imperial and Short-toed Eagles, Ural Owl, Little Crake, Red-necked Phalarope and Great Black-headed Gull. During the usually very cold northern winters huge flocks of Red-breasted Geese usually gather along the Black Sea Coast.

Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
Fire Salamander.

Invertebrates
The wide variety of butterflies includes Clouded Apollo and Scarce Swallowtail.

Plants
The rich flora of the Carpathian Mountains includes over 50 orchid species (best mid-June to mid-July).

Best Sites for Wildlife in Romania

Photograph of European Roller

European Roller by Paul Macklam.

Best Times for Wildlife in Romania

The best times for Brown Bears are usually the beginning of May when they are fresh out of hibernation and hungry and therefore most likely to take advantage of any food put out for them within sight of hides (chocolate chips are a favourite), and during the second half of September when they are fattening up before hibernation.

The best time for birds along the Black Sea Coast, including the Danube Delta, is from mid-April to October, with the peak times, when the majority of migrating birds are usually passing through, being the first half of May and the first half of September.

The best time for flowers in the Carpathian Mountains is mid-June to mid-July.

Recommended Books etc. for Romania

Bradt Travel Guide: Central and Eastern European Wildlife by G Gorman. Bradt, 2008.

Birding in Eastern Europe by G Gorman. WildSounds, 2006.

Mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East by S Aulagnier et al. Helm, 2009.

Mammals of Britain and Europe by D McDonald and P Barrett. Collins, 2005.

Collins Bird Guide by L Svensson et al. Collins, 2010 (Second Edition).

Birds of Europe by L Jonsson. Helm, 1999.

Wild Flowers of Europe by C Grey-Wilson and M Blamey. Helm, 2010.

Collins Butterfly Guide by T Tolman and R Lewington. Collins, 2009 (Third Edition).

Butterflies of Britain and Europe: A Photographic Guide by T Haahtela et al. Helm, 2009.


Collins Bird eGuide.

Trip Reports for Romania

Many trip reports, some for Romania, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Romania. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Romania' below.

Local Guides and Tours in Romania

The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.

Accommodation in Romania

Some Organized Tours to Romania

There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.

While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.

Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Romania include the following.