Romania has more brown bears per square kilometer than any other country in the world. Unspoiled forest covers 80 percent of the Carpathian mountains. Transylvania is home to thousands of wolves and 30 percent of Europe's lynx population. Wild boar, chamois, eagles and red deer abound.

Romanis's Transylvanian region is home to thousands of wolves, and travel brochures boast of opportunities to see them up close.

Throw in Gypsies, Dracula's castle, 4,000 sq. km of bird-filled marshland around the Danube delta, and you've the makings of a pretty solid Nature Travel column.