Near the villages Slobozia Mare and Văleni, in the Cahul district, is situated Beleu, the largest natural lake in the Republic of Moldova. It constitutes the most important component of the Natural Reserve "Prutul de Jos" (Lower Prut), created in 1991. The Reserve is a corner of paradise for birds, fish, animals and plants, many of which are included in the Red Book of the Republic of Moldova. Beleu Lake is actually a miniature Danube delta, with lots of aquatic vegetation, having a wetland status of international importance. It is connected to the Prut river by four streams, two of them bring water into the lake, and through the other two it flows back into the river. The diversity of life and plants here is impressive: Hundreds of egrets, common coots, white storks, cormorants, ducks, herons, swans and other birds have crowded the area. A really special phenomenon is when several thousand pelicans come here for about 2-3 weeks. Common pelicans make their annual appearance on Beleu, where during their short stay, they consume significant quantities of fish. After stopping a bit here, the pelicans continue on their way to the Danube Delta. When you go by boat through the labyrinths made of willow and reed, you realize the importance of this ecosystem.

This place is full of history, because these places were often visited by the great ruler of Moldova (1527 - 1538 and 1541 - 1546) - Petru Rareş with his men.

Depending on the available time of the visitors, their age, as well as the hydrological level of Lake Beleu, two tourist routes can be made:

The first one starts with the viewing platform, located on the slopes near the reservation. From here you can see the panorama of Lake Beleu from above.

The second route, when water level is high and allows crossing the lake by boat. It starts at the Reservation headquarters where tourists can take the boat and cross the Manolescu stream towards the lake, admiring a carpet of white water lilies.