TRAVERSE OF THE WEST CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS
from Budapest to Krakow
GENERAL BACKGROUND
A Central European odyssey linking two cities, three countries and four
national parks, richly interspersed with contrasting landscapes, abundant
wildlife, and cultural distinctiveness, with most excursions based on walks
in beautiful natural surroundings.
From Budapest, one of Europe's most historic and attractive cities with many
striking buildings and which famously straddles the River Danube, we will
travel by train to another of Hungary's classics, Eger. The city is at the
centre of a renowned wine region and has a long history, not least in
relation to its resistance to Turkish invaders. During the siege of 1552,
legend has it that just 2000 soldiers defended the castle ably assisted by
the town's feisty women showering rocks, hot soup and boiling fat on to the
Turks below, who in turn christened the town's Egri wine Bikaver [Bulls
Blood]. The Turkish invaders considered this robust red wine to have
strength-giving properties akin to Asterix's magic potion. Eger was
eventually ransacked in 1596 but after its occupiers were themselves
expelled in 1687 the city revived its fortunes with wine production and a
Baroque-style rebuild, a noble combination. We will spend three nights based at Eger.
Close by is Bukk National Park, 43250 hectares, established in 1977 as the first highland park in Hungary, with a maximum elevation of 959 metres. Positioned between the Hungarian Great Plain and the Carpathian Mountains, Bukk is a meeting point of plants, birds and butterflies from the Mediterranean to the high mountains. Bukk mainly consists of limestone, with many caves, canyons, cliffs and pinnacles and is especially noted for eroded ryolite columns more than 10 metres high. All this is clothed by Austrian oakwoods on the lower slopes, oak with hornbeam on the intermediate slopes and short-stemmed highland beechwoods towards the top. It is home to eight species of woodpecker, four species of eagle, nightingales, eagle owls, and many more, some of which we will hope to see or hear on a day's walk in the Park in the company of a local ranger.
By way of complete scenic, wildlife and cultural contrast we will also spend
a day with a ranger in Hortobagy National Park, one-and-a-half hour's drive
from Eger on the Hungarian Great Plain - the Puszta. Hortobagy is the
largest continuous grassland in Europe and the National Park, established in
1973 and Hungary's largest [82000 hectares], helps to protect a unique
legacy of harmonious co-existence between people and nature. It was
designated a World Heritage Site in 1999 in the 'cultural landscape'
category, evoked by the simple herdsmens' reed-built dwellings and the
sweep-pole wells for watering domestic animals such as Hungarian Grey Cattle
and Raczka Sheep. Inns were built for travellers crossing the Puszta and we
will try to arrange a herdsmans meal at one of these historic
establishments. Hortobagy is one of Europe's prime targets for
bird-watchers, with 340 recorded species and notable for a host of
unfamiliar birds such as Great Bustard, Roller and Red-footed Falcon.
Moving on from Hungary to Slovakia we will spend a few days in Slovensky
Kras and Nizke Tatry National Parks, both established in the 1970s.
Slovensky kras is an extraordinary karst region which contains some of the
finest caves in Europe. We will visit one of the very best of these,
Aggtelek, as we make the fairly short journey from Eger into southern
Slovakia. One of the characteristic karstic features of Slovensky kras are
the forested sheets of planina [tableland], rising above the plains but
subsequently cut through by water action to form some spectacular canyons.
We will spend a very full day walking in and around the Zadielska Valley,
regarded as the most outstanding of these canyons, which along with the
planina above are of great floristic interest.
Nizke Tatry [the Low Tatras] are across the plain from the Slovak High
Tatras. Peaks of Nizke Tatry, rising to over 2000 metres, are more rounded and less craggy than the High Tatra. In many ways they are more wild and less explored than the
High Tatra with lots of fine walking opportunities and interesting nature, especially flora.
The tour will end in Krakow, the cultural capital of Poland, with one of
Europe's oldest universities. After WW2 the city rose to the challenge of
conserving an extraordinary architectural heritage in spite of proximity to
sources of damaging atmospheric pollution. The old centre of Krakow ['Stare
Miasto'], which remarkably survived largely unscathed during WW2, is a World
Heritage Site, one of twelve designated by UNESCO in the original list back
in 1978.
DRAFT ITINERARY
DAY 1. Arrive in Budapest. Overnight at Park Inn*** or similar, B & B.
DAY 2. Morning in Budapest. Afternoon train to Eger. Evening walk close to
the hotel. Overnight at pension, B & B.
DAY 3. Walking and bird-watching excursion, Bukk National Park. Evening
wine-tasting. Overnight at pension, B & B.
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DAY 4. Full day excursion in Hortobagy National Park. Overnight at pension, B & B.
DAY 5. Morning free time in Eger. Leave after lunch by private bus for
transfer to Betliar, near Roznava, Slovensky kras National Park, possibly
via Aggtelek cave. HB accommodation in the vicinity of Roznava.
DAY 6. Full day excursion exploring Slovensky kras, including tableland
walks, flora, caves [eg. Domica/Aggtelek]. HB accommodation, same place.
DAY 7. Full day excursion exploring Slovensky kras, including walks in the
vicinity of Zadielska dolina and Jasov/Jasovska jaskyna. Evening transfer to
base for Nizke Tatry, probably Pension Limba, Demianovska Valley, HB.
DAY 8. Walking in Nizke Tatry. Overnight same place, HB.
DAY 9. Walking in Nizke Tatry. Overnight same place, HB.
DAY 10. Walking in Nizke Tatry. Evening transfer to Krakow for overnight
at hotel in town center, B & B.
DAY 11. Return
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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Accommodation and Meals
In Hungary we will stay for four nights in hotel accommodation, one in
Budapest and three in Eger, bed and breakfast basis.
We will be staying in Betliar, Slovensky kras, for two nights, half-board
basis.
In the Demianovska Valley, Nizke Tatry, we will stay for three nights in
pension accommodation, half-board basis.
You can choose hostel or hotel accommodation in Krakow, bed and breakfast
basis.
Breakfast and dinner is included in the price, except in Budapest, Eger and
Krakow [breakfast only]. Lunches will be a combination of the packed variety
or stops at other huts/cafes en route, for which you will need to allow
around 10 euro per day.
Group Size and Guiding
Maximum group size is 15. The tour will employ local guides in Bukk and
Hortobagy National Parks, then a professional mountain guide in Slovensky
kras and Nizke Tatry, the cost of which is included in the price. There will
also be a tour leader from Budapest through to Krakow.
Travelling to Hungary and from Poland
The cost of this is not included in the price. You have to make your
own arrangements.
Land Arrangements and Price in Hungary, Slovakia and Poland
Transfer from Budapest to Eger will be by train. Local transport and
arrangements for guiding on June 4 and 5 will be arranged by tour leader in
association with Hungarian National Park staff. A private mini-bus with
driver will accompany us from lunchtime on June 6 through to arrival in
Krakow on June 11.
All arrangements are subject to availability and possible change to take
account of local conditions at the time, but the essential character of the
outline itinerary will be retained.
Price
The price is 950 euros per person.
This includes:
- 10 overnights with breakfast in hotels/pensions in Budapest, Eger, Betliar,
Nizke Tatry and Krakow;
- 5 evening meals; National Park entrance fees and taxes in Slovakia;
- all tour leader/guiding services as required;
- all transfers and mini-bus charges as described in the itinerary.
There will be a reduction of 20 euros per person if you prefer a hostel in Krakow.
You will need to fund in addition:
- five evening meals;
- lunches;
- any cable car or chairlift charges, if required, in Nizke Tatry;
- museum and cave entrance fees;
- evening wine-tasting event [optional, c.20 euros];
- airport transfers;
- personal spending money
Extensions
If you wish to extend your stay in Krakow, additional nights in Krakow can be arranged for 25 euros per person per night [shared room basis], hostel B&B or for 45 euros per person per
night [twin room basis], hotel B&B.
Insurance
It is your responsibility. It is essential to have appropriate travel insurance so that if you are forced to cancel you will be able to recover monies paid, as well as all the
other usual reasons for having such insurance; in particular, you should
have insurance which provides you with good medical cover, and for hiking
[typically, any decent travel insurance will cover you for hiking up to 6000
metres] and search and rescue.
Registration and Payment
See booking conditions
NOTE:
This tour is prepared on request of a group of people involved in nature protection from the UK but there are still few available places.
