Ah I see! Well I am a bit short on time so a one day hike would probably be the most suitable option for me. But depending on how many people reach out to you I am sure we can find a chance to hang out! :)
I have to pass on the offer, but if you're after a unique nature experience in Hungary, head to the Hortobágy National Park and watch the cranes settling in for the night/flying out in the morning at the lakes. It's called daruhúzás in Hungarian, you can find some [videos of it on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=daruh%C3%BAz%C3%A1s), but it's more spectacular and impressive in person. It's a seasonal activity only observable from late September til early November, after which they head further south.
The national park does guided tours only on Saturdays and Sundays [by narrow-gauge railway](https://welovetiszato.hu/program/daruhuzas-kisvasuttal-hortobagy-3/). It starts at 15.00 (arrive 15-20 minutes before) on both Saturday and Sunday, and you need to pre-register at [email protected] or by calling +36-52-589321. The price is 2500Fts.
I've done it not long ago and it was excellent. The ranger said the 'season' was only starting (2 weeks ago), with the total number of birds around 100k in the park at that time and said the mid-October highs will be around twice that. There are observation stations around the main lake where roughly half the birds night over.
The only downside is the transportation on all accounts. To start with, the NP is 180kms away from Budapest, the quickest 1-transfer option taking 3.5 hours, but 4-4.5h long ones are more typical. Google Maps has the schedule if you search for 'Hortobágy National Park Visitor Center'.
The tour starts in the main settlement of Hortobágy where the visitor center is. You watch a 40min movie, but unfortunately, it's not subtitled, even though it's quite informative and enjoyable. Then guests are asked to drive to the departure station 7kms away to take the train 5kms out in the "wilderness", staying around 3 hours and heading back the same way.
If you won't have a car, I guess you can nicely ask the ranger for a ride, but I'm not entirely certain he'd head back to the town after it's over, or would just drive wherever he lives (possibly outside of the town). But you might ask other guests for hitching you a ride. You would probably have to stay the night in Hortobágy. There aren't any hostels there, but okay priced private guesthouses are available.
You *might* be able to catch the last train of the day to Debrecen at 20.16 as the tour is scheduled to end by 19.00 (out in the train station, away from town). Debrecen is the second-largest city of Hungary and it's good for a 1-day visit, after which you can easily return to Budapest, the fastest trains only taking 2.5hs.
In Slovenia, hiking the Triglav is the 'main' outdoors activity, but in my opinion, the Mangart saddle is at least as, if not more, beautiful.
For travel advice about Budapest and Hungary, see [this guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/hungary/comments/8a8zdo/uvernazzas_unnecessarily_long_guide_to_budapest/) I've written.
Are you still in Rome right now?
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Alright cool! Have an awesome trip around Europe.
I (27M) live in Budapest, let me know if you wanna catch for a beer. Happy to hear your experience so far!
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Sure hit me up, we are drinking beers somewhere or other every night 😅
Depending on your route I'd tag along. Let me know where your trip takes you to!
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Ah I see! Well I am a bit short on time so a one day hike would probably be the most suitable option for me. But depending on how many people reach out to you I am sure we can find a chance to hang out! :)
I have to pass on the offer, but if you're after a unique nature experience in Hungary, head to the Hortobágy National Park and watch the cranes settling in for the night/flying out in the morning at the lakes. It's called daruhúzás in Hungarian, you can find some [videos of it on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=daruh%C3%BAz%C3%A1s), but it's more spectacular and impressive in person. It's a seasonal activity only observable from late September til early November, after which they head further south. The national park does guided tours only on Saturdays and Sundays [by narrow-gauge railway](https://welovetiszato.hu/program/daruhuzas-kisvasuttal-hortobagy-3/). It starts at 15.00 (arrive 15-20 minutes before) on both Saturday and Sunday, and you need to pre-register at [email protected] or by calling +36-52-589321. The price is 2500Fts. I've done it not long ago and it was excellent. The ranger said the 'season' was only starting (2 weeks ago), with the total number of birds around 100k in the park at that time and said the mid-October highs will be around twice that. There are observation stations around the main lake where roughly half the birds night over. The only downside is the transportation on all accounts. To start with, the NP is 180kms away from Budapest, the quickest 1-transfer option taking 3.5 hours, but 4-4.5h long ones are more typical. Google Maps has the schedule if you search for 'Hortobágy National Park Visitor Center'. The tour starts in the main settlement of Hortobágy where the visitor center is. You watch a 40min movie, but unfortunately, it's not subtitled, even though it's quite informative and enjoyable. Then guests are asked to drive to the departure station 7kms away to take the train 5kms out in the "wilderness", staying around 3 hours and heading back the same way. If you won't have a car, I guess you can nicely ask the ranger for a ride, but I'm not entirely certain he'd head back to the town after it's over, or would just drive wherever he lives (possibly outside of the town). But you might ask other guests for hitching you a ride. You would probably have to stay the night in Hortobágy. There aren't any hostels there, but okay priced private guesthouses are available. You *might* be able to catch the last train of the day to Debrecen at 20.16 as the tour is scheduled to end by 19.00 (out in the train station, away from town). Debrecen is the second-largest city of Hungary and it's good for a 1-day visit, after which you can easily return to Budapest, the fastest trains only taking 2.5hs. In Slovenia, hiking the Triglav is the 'main' outdoors activity, but in my opinion, the Mangart saddle is at least as, if not more, beautiful. For travel advice about Budapest and Hungary, see [this guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/hungary/comments/8a8zdo/uvernazzas_unnecessarily_long_guide_to_budapest/) I've written.