Letea Forest

About Letea Forest

Letea Forest grows on the Letea sand bank, a strip of sand about 14 km long between the Chilia and Sulina arms in the north of the Danube Delta, north of the village of Letea in the commune of C.A. Rosetti. A first core of about 500 ha, Hasmacul Mare, was declared a nature reserve in 1938 at the urging of Romanian naturalists. Today it is a strictly protected zone of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991: the protected area covers about 5,250 ha, of which 2,825 ha are strictly protected.

The forest is not one continuous woodland but a string of tree groves, called hasmacuri, growing in the damp hollows between the dunes: pedunculate and grey oak, ash, white and grey poplar, black alder. Lianas climb the trunks, ivy, wild vine, hop, old man's beard and above all Periploca graeca, a Mediterranean plant at the northern limit of its range here, giving the forest a subtropical look. Between the groves stretch sand dunes up to 12 m high and salty meadows.

The reserve is home to more than 120 bird species, including the white-tailed eagle, and rare reptiles such as the meadow viper. The most visible residents, though, are the feral horses, descendants of domestic horses turned loose by the villagers: hundreds of animals graze on the meadows along the forest edge. To protect the saplings, the strict zone was fenced in 2013–2014.

Information verified on 21 October 2026.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: you cannot drive your own car to the forest. Drive to Tulcea, ~290 km from Bucharest (A2 motorway to Cernavodă, then DN22 via Hârșova, ~4 hours) or ~125 km from Constanța (DN22, ~2 hours); the car stays in town and the journey continues by water. From the village of Letea, tours go with the villagers along the DC4 to C.A. Rosetti and then north on the DC3, ~10 km to the dune area; from Periprava, on the Chilia arm, it is ~6 km south on the same road.

Public transport: train or coach to Tulcea, then a day trip by fast boat (Tulcea – Mila 23 – Letea, sometimes also Sulina, ~9–11 hours in all) or the boats of guesthouses in Crișan, Mila 23 and Sulina, which moor at the jetty in Letea village. The Navrom Delta ship on the Tulcea – Periprava line runs along the Chilia arm; from Periprava, the villagers provide transport to the dunes.

Where to park

Letea village and the forest cannot be reached by car from outside the delta. Leave the car in Tulcea, in the guarded car parks at Port Tulcea Aval or along the embankment, where the boats leave from.

Fees & discounts

The ARBDD access permit, compulsory throughout the reserve: 5 lei a day, 15 lei for 7 days, 30 lei until the end of the year; free for pupils, students, pensioners, people with disabilities and locals. Buy it at permise.ddbra.ro. At the forest entrance there is also a visiting fee set by the Tulcea Forestry Directorate, 5 lei when it was introduced in 2019; the current rate is not published online. The boat trip from Tulcea and the cart or minibus ride from the village are paid separately, to the operators.

Rules

The forest is a strictly protected zone: it is visited only on the three approved routes and only with a certified guide. Do not leave the path, pick plants, light fires or smoke. Do not approach or feed the horses; they are feral and can kick. Take your rubbish back with you, as there are no bins in the reserve. Drones need a separate ARBDD permit. Bring water, a hat, closed shoes and mosquito repellent.

Facilities

No toilets, bins or shops in the reserve · reed-thatched shelter at the entrance to the dune area · guesthouses, fish meals and a jetty in Letea village · weak mobile signal · no step-free access (sand, carts, boats)