Set off along the Tulcea branch toward Canal Eracle, a wide, navigable waterway 3 meters deep. Glide into Lake Matita, famous for its large pike and water lily fields, and onward to Lake Merhei, a captivating blend of marshland, reeds, sand dunes, and river waters, home to mute swans, white herons, and spoonbills.

Pass near the Rosca-Buhaiova strict nature reserve, closed to visitors, but pelicans regularly venture out to feed in the surrounding waters. Continue to Canal Sidor, a geographical curiosity that cuts across a sand ridge, creating stretches that look astonishingly like a desert in the middle of the wetlands.

Stop in Letea Village for an optional traditional Lipovan lunch, then walk to Letea Forest, one of the last places in Europe where wild horses roam freely, amid climbing plants and ancient sand dunes.

On the way back, cross Musura Bay and admire Insula K, a 7-kilometer-long, 80-centimeter-wide sandbar colonized by thousands of pelicans, egrets, and gulls. Nearby stands the Turgut Shipwreck, a vessel that ran aground in 2009, its rusted silhouette rising dramatically against the blue sea.

Finally, stop in Sulina, the easternmost point of Romania. Explore the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, the still-functioning Water Tower, and the Lighthouse, a filming location for the classic Romanian series 'All Sails Up'. Return along the Sulina Channel.