We paddled this stretch on Saturday the 18th of May, 2024. In the morning, we departed Golubac and took the ferry from Usije in Serbia to Moldova Veche in Romania, going through immigration. From there, we made a quick stop in Moldova Nouă and Berzasca before we started paddling from Svinița to Dubova. That stretch has a lot of things to sightsee: the Tri Kule ruined fortress, the Great Kazan Gorge, and several caves. Contents1 Ferry from Usije to Moldova Veche: Border Crossing Horror2 Paddling Out of Svinița: Cetatea Tricule3 Before Dubova: Zucchini Has a New Leak4 Kayaking the GreatContinue reading
Danube Trip
Ahhh, the mighty Danube!
I’ve had an obsession with the idea of kayaking the second-longest river in Europe – after the Volga – since 2013. In 2019, that dream came half-way true.
Jonas and I began paddling at the source in Donaueschingen, Germany. From there we continued downstream to the border with Austria, which we crossed. Then we paddled a short distance in Slovakia, followed by a lengthy stretch in Hungary. The original plan was to end in Budapest, but we had enough summer days left to continue another 200 kilometers. We came to a stop in the last Hungarian town on the Danube: Mohács.
We planned to continue this trip in 2021 after 18 months of traveling in Asia, but then 2020 happened. One day, the trip will continue into Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, a touch of Moldova, and Ukraine.
To the Black Sea. That’s where this river ends.
I wrote about each and every kayak day, which resulted in some 50 Danube-themed articles. I recommend you to start at Day Zero in Donaueschingen. If you’re searching for the statistics of our trip, look no further than the interactive Danube kayak map page with our spreadsheet. We did this entire trip while also working online on our non-paddle days, hence the name Kayak+Work.
The first half of the Danube trip was a literal dream come true. I can’t wait to continue this journey once the world opens up a little more again.
Kayak Trip Day 62: Golubac to Donji Milanovac – Entering the Iron Gate + Breaking Fifty
We kayaked from Golubac to Donji Milanovac in Serbia on the Danube on the 11th of May, 2024. This is in the border area between Romania and Serbia through the Iron Gate canyon. It’s the first time we paddled over 50 kilometers in one day. Contents1 Seeking a Sailor’s Advice on Đerdap Lake2 Paddling Out to Golubac Fortress + Golubac Gorge3 Canyon Kayaking in the Iron Gate to Dobra4 Theory Will Only Take You So Far5 Tailwind Squalls, Jet Stream Speeds6 1000 Kilometers to Go to the Black Sea7 Arriving in Donji Milanovac8 Miracles: Making the Bus from Donji MilanovacContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 61: Ram to Golubac Vinci – Giving Up!
We tried to paddle from Ram to Golubac on the 9th of May, 2024. Because of a powerful mountain jet wind called Košava, we didn’t make it all the way to Golubac and eventually settled for a village called Vinci. Contents1 Kayaking into the Romanian Border Area2 Meeting the Košava Wind3 Lunch in Veliko Gradište + Comparing to the TID4 Nutria + Nesting Swans + Romanian Time5 Veni, Vidi, (and Settling Down for) Vinci6 8 Kilometers from Golubac7 Five Nights One Week Nine Days in Golubac8 Informative post? Please consider buying me a cappuccino!9 Thanks for reading! Feel free toContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 60: Smederevo to Ram – Fortresses + Sunken Barges
We paddled from Smederevo to Ram in Serbia on the 7th of May, 2024. This was our 60th day of kayaking the Danube. We are now entering the border area between Serbia and Romania. Contents1 Leaving Smederevo for Ram2 Sunken Barge + Great Morava Confluence3 Paddling Past Kostolac + Weirdly-Shaped Islands4 Arriving in Ram5 Stara Palanka + Ram Fortress6 Informative post? Consider buying me a sparkling water!7 Wish to share? That’s really great of you! Leaving Smederevo for Ram We left the apartment in Smederevo and walked to the rowing club. Once there, we started unpacking Zucchini and inflating her.Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 59: Grocka to Smederevo – Headwind + Switching Places
We paddled from Grocka na Dunavu to Smederevo in Serbia on the 2nd of May, 2024. This was our 59th day of kayaking the Danube. For a change, we swapped places in Zucchini the kayak. Contents1 Grocka to Smederevo: Just 17 kilometers2 1127 Kilometers to the Black Sea + MarineTraffic3 Iris the Captain4 Arriving in Smederevo5 The Easter Weekend in Smederevo6 Want to support my trip? Consider making a donation!7 Feel free to share this article! Grocka to Smederevo: Just 17 kilometers A bit of a filler day, as we intended it all along. We’re going to paddle just 17Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 58: Belgrade to Grocka na Dunavu – The Worst Paddle Day… Yet!
Our 58th kayak day on the Danube was on Monday, the 29th of April, 2024. Somehow, we managed to paddle from Belgrade to Grocka na Dunavu in Serbia. Contents1 Arriving in Grocka2 Optimism3 Doubt4 Pessimism5 Total Defeat6 A Sparkle of Hope7 Motorboat Man + Arriving in Grocka na Dunavu8 Our Stay in Grocka na Dunavu9 Informative? Consider buying me a sparkling water!10 Good read? Feel free to share! Arriving in Grocka It was 17:31 and we had one last break at the latest Y-shaped stick we moored at. We had a six-minute break to let the pump leave our arms.Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 57: Novi Banovci to Belgrade – The Last Capital on the Danube
Our 57th kayak day on the Danube was on Monday, the 22nd of April, 2024. We paddled from Novi Banovci to Belgrade in Serbia. Belgrade is the last capital city on the Danube River. I used to live in Belgrade back in 2015, which was part of my original inspiration for kayaking the Danube. Going to Veliko Ratno Ostrvo (Great War Island) was a major goal. Contents1 Leaving Novi Banovci2 Cliffs + Goodbye Vojvodina3 Pupin Bridge4 Landing at Great War Island5 Kayaking to Belgrade Up the Sava River6 One Week in Belgrade7 Cool story? Consider buying me a craft beer!8 If you could share thisContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 56: Stari Slankamen to Novi Banovci – Sailing Past the Loess Cliffs
Our 56th kayak day on the Danube was on Sunday, the 21st of April, 2024. We paddled from Stari Slankamen to Novi Banovci in Serbia. It was a shorter distance. Contents1 Departing Stari Slankamen + Tisza Confluence2 The Loess Cliffs of Surduk + Switching Paddles3 A Break on the Islands4 Arriving in Novi Banovci5 One Night in Novi Banovci6 Good read? Consider buying me a pizza!7 Thanks for being here. Wish to share? Departing Stari Slankamen + Tisza Confluence We woke up at 7:00, had a coffee and a banana, and a look out the window. The sky was aContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 55: Novi Sad to Stari Slankamen – Frozen Toes
Our 55th paddle day was on Wednesday, the 17th of April, 2024. We paddled from Serbia’s second-biggest city Novi Sad to the village of Stari Slankamen. This is about 40 kilometers and it was very cold. Contents1 Low Expectations2 Paddling Out of Novi Sad + Novi Sad Bridges3 DTD Canal + New Bridge at Kovilj + A Stop in “Ko Chang”4 Sailing to Stari Slankamen + Beška Bridge5 Arriving in Stari Slankamen6 Our Stay in Stari Slankamen7 Thanks for reading! Consider buying me a glass of wine8 Good read? Feel free to share Low Expectations During our week in NoviContinue reading