Pădurea Domnească Reserve

Pădurea Domnească, the princely forest, runs along the Prut in northwestern Moldova and is the country's largest nature reserve, protecting one of the last stretches of natural floodplain forest on the river: oak, poplar and willow that flood each spring, with meadows and oxbows between them. A large mixed heron and egret colony nests in the trees, and a herd of European bison was reintroduced in the 2000s.

What you actually see

• The floodplain forest - one of the last natural stretches on the Prut.
• The heron colony - the mixed nesting site of herons and egrets.
• The bison - the herd reintroduced to the reserve in the 2000s.
• The oxbows and meadows - the wetland mosaic between the woods.

When to go

April to June is the best season, with the colony active and the forest in leaf. Spring flooding limits access in places. Winter is bleak.

Honest expectations

Access to the core areas is restricted and needs arranging. The bison are in an enclosure rather than free-ranging. Mosquitoes in the floodplain are severe in summer.

Nearby

Suta de Movile is north, and Bălți is east.