Hortobagy National Park, Hungary

Hungarian horsemen, dressed in blue, have incredible skills. Find them at the UNESCO-listed Hortobágy National Park, the Puszta, in Hungary. Also see the rare and heritage breed livestock of this unique region. This post is about visiting Hortobagy, is it worth it? We also share photos from Hortobagy National Park, the horsemen, and heritage livestock, along with the history of the region.

We’ve been trying to make a visit to this area ever since but our first chance came with our trans-Europe, Romania to London road trip. We decided to make this trip fun and an exploration rather than the usual trudge, so seeing these Hungarian blue-clad cossacks with their whip-cracking, trick riding, grey cattle and weirdly horned racka sheep became our first destination.

We drove south from Maramures, crossed the border into Hungary near Oradea and headed to Hortobagy National Park for the first night of our summer adventure in Europe.

Our Hortobagy travel blog includes staying in Hortobagy, visiting Hortobagy National Park, the Puszta and the famous Hungarian horsemen, heritage cattle, sheep and more livestock. We don’t cover Debrecen in this post.

Hortobagy National Park

We found it difficult to find accurate information on this region online, most of the websites were in Hungarian and defeated Google translate. The information they offered was confusing and less than helpful.

We decided to head to the Hortobágy Nemzeti Park Tourist Information Centre after breakfast and simply ask how best to enjoy and explore the area. Their top suggestion was the Mata Stud and their 10 am tour was about to start, we had a plan!

This was an incredible morning at the Mata Stud and absolutely worth visiting.

You can reach the area easily by road, it’s in central, eastern Hungary, or there is a train station nearby at Mata.

What is the Puszta?

UNESCO say “Puszta consists of a vast area of plains and wetlands in eastern Hungary. Traditional forms of land use, such as the grazing of domestic animals, have been present in this pastoral society for more than two millennia.”

Hungary’s Puszta is a fascinating area to drive through, encircled by commercial agricultural land, endless sunflowers, corn and grains, the Hortobágy Puszta is reminiscent of the grassy plains of the UK, even Mongolia. Grasslands and wetlands mingle, giving a diverse habitat and abundant birdlife.

Where to Stay for Hortobágy National Park

We visited the Hortobágy area mid-week, in July and we found it hard to find accommodation through limited availability. We settled on a lower-cost small hotel in Balmazújváros, a small town on the edge of Hortobagy National park. Breakfast was included, the family suite had 2 separate bedrooms and the town had a good Hungarian food restaurant and a fantastic swimming pool with natural hot water spa a short walk away. We would recommend this hotel as a good basic choice.

Pictures of Hungarian Horsemen From Hortobagy National Park and the Mata Stud

Hortobagy and the Puszta offered some incredibly good photographic opportunities, the blue skies and striking blue costumes of the horsemen making for some cool shots.

Is the Mata Stud and Hortobágy Park Good for Kids?

Hortobagy National Park is fantastic for kids and families! The animal park mentioned below gives children the opportunity to interact with baby animals and everything about the Puszta and this region is extremely interesting and educational, from the whip-cracking horsemen to the rooftop crane’s nests. The little museum at the Visitor’s Centre is great too.

Other Things to Do in and Around Hortobágy National Park

Things to do in and around Hortobagy National Park include the following:

• Swimming, Thermal Pools and Spa at Balmazújváros
• Hortobágy Nemzeti Park Tourist Information Centre and Visitor Centre with Craftsmen’s Yard. (as above, craftsman’s yard only on weekends)
• Hortobagy Wild Animal Park
• Puszta Animal Park
• The Annual Crane Migration, see thousands of cranes in the region in October.
• The Great Fish Ponds

For you, for Pinterest

Hortobagy Hungary

Hortobagy is a region of Hungary about 2 hours from Budapest by road. The steppe region of Hortobagy lies between the Tisza River and the city of Debrecen. The village of Hortobagy is rich in cultural and folk traditions and crafts. The village is the traditional centre of the region lying where the Debrecen to Budapest road crosses a stone bridge over the Hortobágy River. Hortobágy National Park was created in 1973 and in 1999 became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

So that’s our Europe road trip off to a great start, we enjoyed exploring the Hortobágy National Park and meeting the blue Hungarian horsemen along with their animals, even more than expected. It was a morning to remember. Onward now into the south of Hungary for Lake Balaton, Hungary’s inland sea, and from there beautiful Slovenia. Stick around to follow! This Hortobagy National Park blog first appeared on this website and this part of the world is a phenomenal summer destination in Europe.

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