With its varied terrain and water sources, the patchwork Hortobágy National Park has some of the best bird-watching in Europe. Indeed, some 340 species (of the Continent’s estimated 400) have been spotted here in the past 20 years, including many types of grebe, heron, shrike, egret, spoonbill, stork, kite, warbler, eagle and kestrel. The great bustard, one of the world’s largest birds, standing 1m high and weighing in at 20kg, has its own reserve, with limited access to two-legged mammals. Some 160 species nest here.
Stop first at the Hortobágy National Park Visitor Centre to get an overview of the flora and fauna of the region ,both from the helpful staff and the excellent exhibition. On site there’s also a traditional Craftsmen's Yard , where you can watch artists work in leather, clay, straw, wood and iron in 10 different workshops.
Park passes, also available from the visitor centre, allow entry to three restricted 'demonstration areas' within driving distance (each area 600Ft, all three 1000Ft). One of the most interesting areas is the Hortobágy Great Fishponds 7km west, where you can walk along interpretive trails and climb a watchtower to see the amazing amount of aquatic birdlife that inhabits this 20-hectare swathe. From April to October a narrow-gauge train runs back and forth across pond bridges four times at the weekend (daily in July and August). A bike path connects the ponds with Hortobágy village. Rent bikes from the Hortobágy Club Hotel or Ökotúra Vendégház.
Ask the visitor centre about the occasional local weekend bird-watching tours, too. October is a great month to visit; between 60,000 and 100,000 common cranes stop over on the Hortobágy plain during their annual migration.
