Lacul Roșu and Lacul Puiu

Lacul Roșu and Lacul Puiu are two of the most representative lakes of the Danube Delta, located in the Roșu-Puiu lake complex, in the eastern part of the delta, within the fluvio-maritime delta zone, in Tulcea County, between the Sulina branch (to the north) and the Sfântu Gheorghe branch (to the south). Lacul Roșu, with an area of approximately 14.5 km², a length of around 7.5 km and a maximum width of up to 4.5 km, is one of the most extensive lakes in the delta; its bed lies below sea level, and the lake is situated only a few kilometres from the Black Sea shore. Lacul Puiu, located to the west of Lacul Roșu and connected to it by channels, completes this aquatic ensemble. The lakes of the Roșu-Puiu complex formed through the compartmentalisation of a former marine bay, gradually enclosed by ridges and sand bars, and are interconnected by a network of natural and man-made channels — including Potcoava, Ivancea, Tătaru and Busurca — which link them to one another, to the branches of the Danube, and to the sea. The entire area is part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991, and is distinguished by exceptional biodiversity: the lakes and the surrounding plaur (floating reed islands) are home to colonies of great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) and Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), herons, egrets, swans, and numerous other waterbird species, as well as a rich fish fauna including pike, carp, catfish and pike-perch. Access to the area is exclusively by water, by boat or motorboat, typically departing from the localities of Crișan, Sulina or Caraorman along the channels that cross the delta, and a visit requires an access permit issued by the Administration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.