Some highlights

  • A true bird photo-fest with lots of really good photo opportunities, with birds at absolute close range, nice backgrounds and beautiful angles
  • Red-footed falcon, one of our most beautiful birds of prey, up close
  • Great photography for bee-eaters, European roller and Hoopoe
  • Perfect oppertunities for photographing the charming Little owl
  • All hides is just a short distance from the farm where we live
  • Hide sessions vary from approximately three to five hours
  • You get your own photographic advice and top tips from our photographic leader in a small group of like-minded people
  • Comfortable accommodation with full board
  • Our guide has of course been here before and done scouting photography before the tour

HORTOBÁGY PUSZTA – FLAT IS NOT BORING
Visiting the Hungarian puszta is a rare experience. Here we meet healthy ecosystems that display a multitude of shimmering winged friends. The area we visit is located in Hungary’s largest protected area, the Hortobagy National Park, which with its 80,000 square kilometers consists of a huge plain with extensive grasslands and wetlands. The area is one of the largest and most important wetland areas of its kind in Europe.

The area has been strongly characterized by grazing since time immemorial. Herding culture is very much alive. The climate on Puszta is characterized by a typical continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. In late autumn, intense rains fill flat depressions on fine-grained soils. In many places there are soda deposits that have formed salt flats with peculiar salt-resistant or salt-demanding plants, several of which are species normally found on the salt beds of sea beaches. The fact that nature has been characterized by similar conditions for a very long time has created a multitude of biological diversity. Despite the fact that nature is completely flat, it is striking how great the variation in the area is. The extensive wetlands and pasture have provided the conditions for a teeming plant and insect life, which in turn has given rise to a magnificent bird life. Here, depending on the season, you can find black and white storks, spoonbills, pygmy cormorants, black-winged stilts, large numbers of herons and waders as well as ducks.

We visit the puszta during the second half of May when the conditions for photographing the most colorful species are at their best. In the area there are many hides, all of which are built with a focus on one or a few specific species. Our focus on the trip will be to get the best possible conditions to get fantastic pictures of the truly “exclusive” species. We will spend time in hides in different types of environments. The hides we will be photographing from are specially designed for the European roller, bee-eater, herons, Red-footed falcon and Little owl. For these particular species, the conditions for gaining an insight into their lives are absolutely world-class. There are several hides adjacent to the nesting sites of these species. Here we can see the birds really close without disturbing them.

In a forest hide, there are species such as Black woodpecker, nightingale, Jay, Golden finch, Crested tit, Pine marten and many more.

Färgstarka fåglar på pusztan - Ungern. Fotoresa med Wild Nature fotoresor. Foto Staffan Widstrand

Itinerary

Day 1 (23/5) (Dinner)
We arrive in Budapest and are picked up at the airport. We drive directly to our accommodation and check in. As there is time, we take an afternoon/evening session in the hide and seek.

Day 2-6 (24-28/5)(Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
During these days we start early so that we are in the hide before the sun rises. We have a rotating schedule so everyone gets to shoot from all the hides.

Day 7 (29/5) (Breakfast)
Depending on when our flight leaves from Budapest, we leave our accommodation in good time, maybe we can manage a shorter hide and seek session in the morning.

More information

  • PHOTOGRAPIC EQUPIMENT
    The focus of the tour is on photographing birds. Since we will be shooting primarily from specially made hides, it is above all telephoto lenses that apply. The hides are built for 300 to 600 mm focal length. Telephoto zoom lenses, e.g. 70-200 mm or 100-400 mm, provides very good conditions for taking varied pictures of birds and mammals. A normal zoom for other types of images should of course also be included. To increase the focal length if you have a shorter telephoto or a zoom, you can use a teleconverter. If you have access to two camera housings, it is good to have these with you.

    Tripods must be brought, as in these hiding places there is no table installed for mounting the tripod head. With few exceptions, the hides are equipped with a glass that can be photographed through. The advantages of such a hide are that the birds are not disturbed by any movements in the hide. Another advantage is that it is possible to change position inside the hide in order to reach a subject from a different angle. However, the solution of shooting through glass means that it is absolutely necessary to bring a tripod to mount the camera equipment on.

  • CLOTHES
    The temperature in Hungary in May is pleasant. However, the morning and evening can be experienced as a bit chilly, and it is good to bring a warm sweater, long trousers and a light jacket. Light hiking shoes are a good choice for the feet.
  • ACCOMMODATION
    We stay in a lodge of middle standard.

  • ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE DISABLED
    The accommodation is fully accessible for participants with some reduced mobility. However, the hides are difficult to access with reduced mobility.
  • INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
    Shared double room, meals according to itinerary, all hides, local guides, photo lectures, all local transport (minibus) and VAT.

  • NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
    Round trip Budapest International Airport (NOTE! Contact us for flight ticket information), gratuities, insurance, cancellation cover, drinks and personal items.

  • MEETING POINT
    The tour starts and ends at Budapest International Airport. The tour guide meets and leaves the group here. We will get back to you with the exact time and place.
  • PAYMENT TERMS
    The registration fee shall be paid after an invoice from us, right after your booking. The remaining amount shall be paid no later than 30 days before the trip. Payment will be in Swedish crowns (SEK). Amount in Euro and US dollars mentioned above are just reference amounts.

  • PASSPORT AND VISA
    If you are an EU citizen travel within the EU or to the Schengen countries Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein, you must always bring your passport or national ID card issued by the police. When checking in for a flight, a passport is required. With reservation for that government decisions because of the somewhat unclear Covid-19 situation may mean various limitations that we do not know of today.

    For citizens outside of the EU please check if you need a visa to enter Hungary.

  • INSURANCE
    Contact your insurance company to see that you are properly covered for travel insurance and cancellation protection.

  • HEALTH
    Please check with your doctor.

  • GROUP AND LANGUAGE
    Our tours are open to all nationalities, which means that the group is often international.
    Our tour guides speak both Swedish and English, and sometimes also more languages.

  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
    Terms and conditions

Photographic leader

Magnus Martinsson, born in 1964, is a photographer, author and biologist, living on Gotland since 1988. He has since devoted himself to nature conservation issues in the profession. His interest in nature and photography has taken him on a large number of trips around the world and also gained in-depth knowledge of the Gotland homeland. Magnus contributes in various ways to conveying his knowledge to a broad public. He is a frequently hired speaker, excursion and tour guide. Magnus Martinsson is responsible for photography and text in a large number of publications. As a member of Naturfotograferna, he is one of the leading nature photographers in Sweden.

    Book the tour

    Colorful birds on the puszta - Hungary 23rd-29th May 2024

    NOTE! When you have made your booking you will immediately get a confirmation e-mail. If you don´t get the confirmation e-mail please check your spam e-mails or contact us by telephone, +46705 89 13 18.

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