Beaver safari and the magic of Hortobágy

After one and half hour bus trip, 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. Here, at 17.30 our hosts will be welcoming us with dinner, which is the traditional Puszta dish, Slambuc.

One of the Hortobágy National Park most iconic sites is the Nine-arched a Bridge, World Heritage Site. After dinner, we hop in a boat next to this bridge and set off up the Hortobágy River. 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.

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. our guide, Balázs Kiss, a renowned conservationist, an experienced tour guide and expert on Lake Tisza and the Hortobágy, 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.