This kayak day happened on Friday the 7th of June, 2024. We kayaked from Comoara Istrului on the Gogoșu Branch of the Danube past the Iron Gate II hydroelectric power plant to Calafat. The Iron Gate II (Romanian: Porțile de Fier II – Serbian: Đerdap II) dam is the last (mandatory) Dam on the Danube before the Delta. Though we intended to go camping for one night and then kayak to the Romanian city of Calafat the next day, we ended up doing the whole distance in one go. This was a whopping 74.4 kilometers. Our previous distance record wasContinue 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 67: Crivina to Comoara Istrului – Iron Gate II Dam + Danube Gogoșu Branch
This kayak day happened on Wednesday the 5th of June, 2024. We kayaked from Crivina to the touristic complex of Comoara Istrului nearby the Gogoșu branch of the Danube at the Iron Gate II dam (Romanian: Porțile de Fier II – Serbian: Đerdap II). Why Bypass the Iron Gate II Locks? Short reason: I don’t think we can get lucky twice. We might have to wait hours in our kayak without shadow for a companion ship to arrive to go through the lock and descend the ~12 meters. Or we might arrive there and the lock operators aren’t fond ofContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 66: Drobeta-Turnu Severin to Crivina – Șimian Island + Strong Currents
On the 3rd of June, 2024, we kayaked down the Danube from Drobeta-Turnu Severin to Crivina on the Romanian side. We also made a quick stop on Șimian island. Departing Drobeta-Turnu Severin + Șimian Island Stopover Without our usual morning coffee, we departed the Airbnb in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. I’d hoped we’d be ready and out the door 35 minutes after the alarm, but it all took a bit longer. We were walking past the unvisited Severin Fortress a little before 7:00 and crossed the train tracks to the launch spot next to restaurant Marinaru. We didn’t see Mafia the cat,Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 65: Orșova to Drobeta-Turnu Severin – Iron Gate I Locks Unlocked!
This kayak trip happened on Monday the 27th of May, 2024. We paddled from Orșova to Drobeta-Turnu Severin on the Romanian side of the Danube in the border area shared with Serbia. We also had to pass through the Iron Gates I dam (Romanian: Porțile de Fier I – Serbian: Đerdap I). Portaging is not feasible, so we had to go through the lock with the big ships! Kayaking Through Locks: Research + Stress The Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station is the 53rd obstacle on the Danube for us since 2019, but it’s the first one in 2024. SoContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 64: Dubova to Orșova – Decebalus + Tabula Traiana
This kayak trip happened on the 24th of May, 2024. We paddled from Dubova to Orșova on the Romanian side of the Danube in the border area shared with Serbia. The Dog That Wouldn’t Let Go I woke up still carrying the stress from the previous bunch of days. Fixing the boat, deciding the route, waiting out the weather, full phone storage, and packing. It’s not nice to not trust our boat anymore. Whether the patch will hold. Whether there will be a new leak. Or some new unforeseen fuckery. It’s exhausting. After getting ready, we walked downstairs and outContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 63: Svinița to Dubova – Entering Romania + Great Kazan Gorge
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. Ferry from Usije to Moldova Veche: Border Crossing Horror Paddling Out of Svinița: Cetatea Tricule We started kayaking away from Svinița at 12:34 Serbian time, soContinue reading
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. Seeking a Sailor’s Advice on Đerdap Lake Paddling Out to Golubac Fortress + Golubac Gorge The following morning, we had a coffee and prepared for paddling. It’s not a long walk to our launch spot on the Danube from here and with such little luggage, it was very pleasant. We pumped up Zucchini below theContinue 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. Kayaking into the Romanian Border Area Getting ready for the kayak day without coffee saved us about half an hour. We were by the river a little before the ferry departed for Stara Palanka with three of our least-favorite street dogs. As intended, we used the ferry’s gravel slipway to launch our boat. We started paddling towards Golubac at 7:27.Continue 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. 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. Some kids showed up in sports gear. And then more and more kids showed up. They’re probably members of this rowing club and they have a practice today. We finished setting up Zucchini, and we even took our time by makingContinue reading