If you would like to include cycling and wildlife watching in your travel plans, Nagyhegyes offers some specific options: a connected network of cycling routes, as well as destinations at the visitor centre and in Elep. A short nature trail, a viewing point for migratory birds and the night sky, and a playground with a rural design each offer a different focus. This can help you decide which of these activities best suits your stay.
Cycling routes and short distances in Nagyhegyes
Nagyhegyes has more than 10 kilometres of connected cycling routes. Direct cycling routes lead to Balmazújváros and Hajdúszoboszló. The network’s length and its connections to these two places offer different points of reference for planning: they show both the extent of the cycling network and its direct destinations. Check current route conditions before setting out.
In Elep, Nagyhegyes, a 120-metre-long nature trail connects the exhibition building with an observation tower. Information boards line the route. Compared with the cycling network, the nature trail is a much shorter option; its length makes it a compact way to explore a topic along the way.
An observation tower at the visitor centre in Nagyhegyes serves as a viewing point for migratory birds and the night sky. The visitor centre also has a playground with a rural design that evokes the atmosphere of a farm. Wildlife watching and farm-inspired design are further local themes alongside the cycling routes. Check the current condition of the facilities before visiting.
HajdĂş-Bihar as a regional setting
Within the wider destination of Hajdú-Bihar, the Hortobágyi Nemzeti Park – the Puszta World Heritage area offers a distinct point of reference for landscape and cultural history. It covers nearly 75,000 hectares in the Great Hungarian Plain in eastern Hungary. As a cultural landscape, the area preserves visible evidence of more than 2,000 years of traditional pastoralism. The landscape and the herding culture are closely linked here and shape the region’s character.
The Hortobágyi-halastó pond system is also part of Hajdú-Bihar’s regional nature offering. It is a Ramsar site, an Important Bird Area, part of the World Heritage site and a Natura 2000 site. The nature trail there offers walks of 3.6, 5.4 or 10 kilometres, with no difficult sections. The three lengths can be compared directly and help you choose the route distance you prefer.
At Hortobágy Wildlife Park, a bookable guided Land Rover safari offers the chance to see wild horses and aurochs. The park also showcases the native wildlife of the Hungarian Puszta, including wolves, Przewalski’s horses, vultures and pelicans. The guided safari offers a different focus from a walk around the pond system. Check the booking conditions in advance.
Cultural history is also part of the wider destination of Hajdú-Bihar: the Shepherds’ Museum in Hortobágy focuses on the lives of shepherds and displays handmade clothing, tools and decorated personal items. It is housed in a former coach house that was part of the Hortobágyi-Csárda complex. The regional selection therefore ranges from landscapes and wildlife watching to the working and living worlds of shepherds.
Discover more destinations: HajdĂşszoboszlĂł, Ebes.
Back to the main travel overview: HajdĂşszoboszlĂł.
