The Hungarian puszta (steppe) invites you to adventure! 3 hikes that you should not miss in Hortobágy

The Hungarian puszta dotted with draw wells, horse herders and shepherds’ homeland, conceals much more experiences than you might think at first. The small region of the Great Plain was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999, it covers an area of 82,000 hectares. Saline grasslands, wild pastures, floodplain forests and a water world separated by swamps and lakes also await you, which has a fascinating flora and fauna and an unforgettable atmosphere. Go crane watching on Hortobágy-Fishpond, spend the night under the starry sky, admire the famous stud of Máta, or find out how the shepherds used to navigate according to the position of the stars. Taste the typical dish of the puszta gastronomy, the slambuc made with smoked mangalitza bacon, or try the authentic pancakes filled with meat from Hortobágy! During your trip, be sure to visit the famous Nine-arched Bridge and also visit the Shepherd Museum, where you can gain insight into the unusual lives of shepherds.

As a brand new option, you can already discover the plain with an electric bike. Bikes can be used for organized tours, the special feature of the excursions is that you can get to protected areas with the help of qualified tour guides, which cannot be visited on your own. The electric bike is easy to handle, and even those who don’t spend much time in the saddle on weekdays can casually ride a longer distance. The half-day Hortobágy-Fishpond e-bike tour, for example, is guaranteed to promise unforgettable adventures. Along the 25-kilometer route, you can also see buffaloes and grey cattle, and from the bird-watching towers you can scan the entire area of the lake.

Discover the swamp world of Egyek-pusztakócs, which is a real waterfowl paradise! Walking along the educational trail that crosses the area, it will be easy to imagine that Europe’s largest grassy puszta was once a region separated by floodplains, swamps and saline steppes. The departure point of the Górés educational trail is the Kaparó csárda (Scraper Inn), on the road we are awaited by a sand dune inhabited by European bee-eaters, swamps full of egrets, ducks and northern lapwings, the Górés farm and a rescue place for storks and birds of prey, where experts introduce bird rescue. Be sure to visit the nature conservation Filagória mound, which has survived from pre-conquest times and is one of the special kunhalom (Cuman mound) in the area. The trail also has a cultural and historical attraction, and at the end of your trip, visit the Meggyes csárda, the rooms of which evoke the puszta atmosphere of the turn of the century.

As described above, you agree with us that Hortobágy is one of the most exciting nature conservation areas in the country, don’t you? And not only the days but also the nights have a surprise here! In 2011, in addition to its previous titles, Hortobágy acquired another one, as it got in the list of International Dark Sky Parks. So it is worth spending the night under the open sky, as you can see almost two thousand highlights in the clear sky. Light pollution in cities makes it impossible for us to be a part of this miracle, which is why it will be a huge experience to get lost in the light of distant stars. But not only because of the view, star-watching will be a good adventure: in the Hortobágy Dark Sky Park you can also get to know the ancient knowledge of shepherds and the spatial and temporal orientation from the stars. Take a peek into the observatory, where you can observe the distance with binoculars!