Beaver safari and the magic of Hortobágy near the Nine-arched Bridge - with Budapest transfer — Saturday, August 5, 2023
Meet Europe’s largest rodents face-to-face and in their own home, the Eurasian beaver, once on the brink of extinction due to hunting, now the population in steady recovery, and a key player in the balanced ecosystem of wetlands.
Join us on a trip to the realm of beavers, surrounded by sunset lights and untouched nature.
You can travel by comfortable minibus from Budapest to the location of the tour, where we will embark on a wildlife boat trip, explore the rich fauna of the Hortobágy River and meet Eurasia’s largest rodents, beavers weighing up to 20-30 kg and reaching up to 1 metre in length, and their spectacular constructions. During the more than two-hour water safari, you’ll have an unforgettable experience while becoming one with the unspoilt natural environment.
Watch a short clip of the experience that awaits you on the tour:
August 5, 2023 Beaver safari and the magic of Hortobágy near the Nine-arched Bridge – with Budapest transfer
Surprise someone with either this or one of our other tours, or even a free gift voucher for a personalised amount!
We meet at 1.30 pm (13:30) in Budapest, at the Puskás Ferenc Stadion metro station (BOK Sports and Conference Centre), easily accessible by public transport, where you will be picked up by our comfortable minibus, driven by an experienced driver who is a professional tour guide himself and knows the whole country inside out and also speaks perfect English.
You will be transported in complete comfort to the location of the tour (Hortobágy) and our driver will also take you back to Budapest.
Our tour will take place in the Hortobágy, which is Hungary’s largest protected area, and the largest semi-natural grassland in Europe, but the area is also rich with folklore and cultural history.
One of its most iconic sites is the Nine-arched Bridge, from where our Safari will start on the river Hortobágy.
We arrive at the Puszta Zoo (Pusztai Állatpark). The Puszta Zoo was founded in 1997 by the Hortobágy Nature Conservation and Gene Preservation Nonprofit Ltd. to present our traditional Hungarian domestic animals and to promote the preservation and popularization of these breeds in Hungary. Thus, whoever enters here can not only get in closer contact with the Transylvanian bald-necked hens, the Parlag goats and donkeys, Racka sheep and Mangalica pigs, Hucul horses, Hungarian grey cattle, the domestic buffaloes relaxing in the mud, and other livestock, but also contribute to their husbandry. In the petting zoo, children (and adults too, of course) can get to know the lambs, kid goats, donkeys and donkey foals.
At 17.30 our hosts will be welcoming us with dinner, which is the traditional Puszta dish, Slambuc.
Slambuc is a pasta and potato dish flavoured with bacon, a traditional meal of Hungarian shepherds. It is cooked in a kettle. Slambuc is a dish typical of the Hajdú-Bihar region, and was probably first prepared in the Hortobágy.
During dinner, we will meet our guide, Balázs Kiss, a renowned conservationist, an experienced tour guide and expert on Lake Tisza and the Hortobágy, formerly a staff member of the Hortobágy Bird Hospital, who works with heart and soul to promote and protect our natural treasures. He will tell us about the wildlife of the Hortobágy River and the region, as well as the interesting history and ecological importance of beavers in Hungary.
After dinner, we hop in a boat and set off up the Hortobágy River from the Nine-arched Bridge, a World Heritage Site and one of the most famous sights in the region. Far from traffic and settlements, this stretch of the river is an ideal home for beavers. Here, the canopy of the floodplain forest almost closes over the water, and the rodents, which can grow up to 20 kilos, find plenty of materials to exercise their “environmental engineering creativity”: they can build huge beaver castles from branches and logs.
Few people may know, but the native Eurasian beaver once disappeared from Hungary. The last specimens were recorded in the mid-19th century, but after that they were absent from our waters for a long, long time. Fortunately, the reintroduction projects that started in the 1990s have been successful, and since then the presence of beavers has been instrumental in maintaining the floodplain ecosystem and contributing to the conservation of the unique character of the landscape.
During our tour we will get to admire their creations – beaver castles and dams up to 2 metres high – but it is almost guaranteed that as dusk approaches we will also meet some of the industrious rodents, who are more active at night.
Our boat trip on the river will end after sunset, and the group is expected to arrive back in Budapest at 23.00.
Program fee
140 EUR + 38.70 EUR VAT per person
The price includes:
- Transfer from Budapest and back in comfortable minibus
- English speaking guidance during the transfer
- Visit to the Puszta Zoo
- one meal (one course, traditional Hungarian shepherd’s meal)
- introductory talk about the Hortobágy river and the wildlife of the landscape with the nature conservationist expert tour guide
- boat trip around sunset on the Hortobágy River for about 2 hours
- visit to the Nine-arched Bridge
- Tour guidance in English
- almost certain encounter with beavers
Pick-up point in Budapest: 1.30 pm (13:30) Puskás Ferenc Stadion metro station (BOK Sports and Conference Centre)
The tour starts with a minimum of 4 people and a maximum of 7.
(Children must be accompanied by an adult and are not recommended for children under 5 years of age.)
Entry fee payment due on registration. Your registration will be considered final once the payment has been received.
Available places will be filled in the order of payment.
Terms and conditions for registration and cancellation
Register on our website or email us at info@humtour.com.
🚗 The Budapest transfer is only offered on this day, but other tour dates are available if you can get there individually:
Beaver safari and the magic of Hortobágy near the Nine-arched Bridge – Registration or individual appointment
August 5, 2023 Beaver safari and the magic of Hortobágy near the Nine-arched Bridge – with Budapest transfer
Surprise someone with either this or one of our other tours, or even a free gift voucher for a personalised amount!
We look forward to welcoming you!
The Humtour Team
+36 30 292 9516
info@humtour.com
Check out our photos of the tour by clicking on the gallery below:
