Hungarian national parks, the guardians of nature

Some European countries are famous for their beautiful beaches, while Hungary is known for its breath-taking natural environment, thousand-year-old forests, and national parks. Hungary has ten of them, and each one of them has its own characteristics. About 25% of Hungary is covered in forests; even our capital has numerous grassy and silvan area, such as the well-known Városliget. In order to protect our green fields and authentic villages, our guardian authorities have proclaimed ten national parks in Hungary so far: Hortobágyi National Park, Kiskunsági National Park, Bükki National Park, Aggteleki National Park, Fertő-Hanság National Park, Duna-Dráva National Park, Körös-Maros National Park, Balaton-felvidéki National Park, Duna-Ipoly National Park and Őrségi National Park. Soon enough, I will introduce you to all ten of them, but first, let's explore my personal favourites.

Kiskunsági National Park

In 1975, it was established as the second national park of the country between the Danube and the Tisza rivers. At the time of its establishment, the park consisted of six units, but now it comprises of nine different areas. It covers 50,523 hectares. The objective of Kiskunság National Park is to preserve the original image of the Danube-Tisza interconnection, the natural values ​​of the landscape, the geological formations and waters. Furthermore, the goal is to research these particular values ​​and present them for educational purposes.

The must-see of the park: Izsákó Kolon Lake.

Őrség National Park

Őrség National Park, **the youngest national park in Hungary, was established on March 1, 2002, and it consists of Őrség, Vendvidék, the Rába River Valley and the subregion of Szentgyörgyvölgy. On a total of 43,927 hectares, it includes 44 settlements altogether. Its total area is protected by the European Community, classified as Natura 2000, of which 3104 hectares are protected.

The must-see of the park: The giant’s way nature trail

Körös-Maros National Park

The idea of making this area a national park arose in the 1970s, but Körös-Maros National Park was officially established only on 16th July in 1997, as the country's seventh official national park. The entire territory of ​​Körös-Maros National Park is 52,125 hectares, of which approximately 6,419 hectares are specially protected, 61 hectares are covered in forests, and 5,486 hectares comprise of the wild waters. 

The must-see of the park: Kardoskúti White Lake

Danube-Ipoly National Park

This national park of Hungary is one of the most diverse parks of all. The national park is dedicated to preserving the natural values ​​of its unique mountain forests and river habitats. The Danube-Ipoly National Park is located close to Budapest and next to the Slovakian border, where you can take a pleasant car trip along the Danube. Some sub-areas of the national park are already in the immediate vicinity of the capital. 

The must-see of the park: The Honti Abyss

Well, let these be my first recommendations in case you fancy a little hiking and want to get lost in nature. However, regardless of your final choice, I don't think you can get disappointed if you visit any of Hungary's ten national parks. Luckily, there are more and more people nowadays who are eager to save our environment, and Hungary is similarly a faithful guardian of our beautiful nature and wildlife. Discover it yourself in person as soon as you can!