Tour information
TOP TARGETS:
1) Red-breasted Goose
2) Lesser White-fronted Goose
3) Great Bustard
4) Eastern Imperial Eagle
5) Greater Spotted Eagle
6) Saker Falcon
7) Long-eared Owl
8) Black Woodpecker
9) Syrian Woodpecker
10) Wallcreeper
Tour starting and ending time: It is important to book your flight according to the official starting and ending times of the tour! Our bus and guide will be waiting all participants in the Liszt Ferenc Airport at Budapest. Please make sure you can reach the starting point in time at 14:00 on the tour starting date! If you wish to arrive earlier to Budapest our office can help you to book accommodation and logistics. However if you arrive early you need to make your way to the airport for the meeting time. In some cases we can pick up clients from the nearby airport hotels (please check with our office). Also very important that the tour only ends at 17:00 on the last day so please do not book flights out of Budapest earlier than 19:00 on the last day!
The tour: A five day holiday to eastern Hungary, focusing on finding the spectacular Red-breasted Goose and the rare Lesser White-fronted Goose. Other major targets will be Eastern Imperial Eagle, Saker and Great Bustard plus if we have time Black and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Hawfinch and even Wallcreeper.
If you take a private pre- or post tour extension to the Zemplén Hills you can see more woodpecker and owls. Although in November the days are short and success can be weather dependent. If you interested please let us know when booking the tour!
Locations to be visited: The World Heritage Hortobágy National Park (4nts).
Group Size: The tour is guaranteed departure from 3 participants upwards with a maximum group size of 10 participants plus Sakertour leader.
Accommodation: Comfortable rural accommodation with great birding right outside the hotel in the Hortobágy area (4 nts). All rooms are en suite.
Meals: All included in the price. The food is good! Breakfast and dinner at the hotels. Lunches will either be taken at a traditional Hungarian inn or csárda, or as picnics in the field.
Walking: In the Hortobagy, easy walks over flat terrain. Sturdy waterproof walking shoes advised. November and March weather can be mixed, but generally cool to cold. Sunny and rainy periods also possible, Pack waterproof walking boots and over trousers, just in case.
Travel: Budapest to Budapest. Ground Transport is depending on the number of participants. Car up to three persons and coach/minibus for four person and above. If we use a coach/minibus we will also have a local driver
Expected bird list: 60-75 species
EXTENSION: We can arrange a private extension to the Zemplén Forest Reserve to look for more woodland birds especially for woodpeckers as well as owls. Please contact our office if you wish such a custom extension tailored to your needs!
Price and Date
| Tour date: | November 5 ‒ November 9, 2025 |
Guaranteed departure | |
| Price from: | 1050 €/person |
| Deposit: | 0 €/person |
| Single room suplement: | 120 €/person |
| Availability: | 6 places available |
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BookingGuaranteed departure
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Booking deposit: As soon as you fill out a booking form we will send you a deposit invoice and information of the final payment.
Cost includes:
- Budapest-to-Budapest all-inclusive
- All transportation throughout the tour
- All meals
- All accommodation
- All entrance fees
- Local guides
Cost excludes:
- International flight to Budapest
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Alcoholic drinks
- Services of personal nature (telephone calls, laundry etc.)
- Tips to guides
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1. The journey time from Budapest airport to our hotel in the heart of the Hortobágy National Park is around three hours. We shall arrive in time for some initial exploration of the superb grassland and wetlands.
Day 2-4. At the end of October and the beginning of November the vast hordes of geese arrive to the Hortobágy from the north. They more or less substitute the Cranes which by this time moving south although a few thousand will certainly be around! During our three days stay, we will focus on seeing the vulnerable Red-breasted Goose and Lesser White-fronted Goose. If luck is on our side and we see them easily we will also have time to visit other type of habitats of the Hortobágy and in its close surroundings. All this takes place in the tranquil environment of the beautiful steppe landscape. In the large Greater White-fronted Geese flocks we will also have the chance to find Greyleg, Bernacle Goose and Taiga Bean Goose. At the various wetlands we will see White-tailed Eagles spread panic amongst the large gatherings of waterbirds, often causing them to take flight in huge swarming flocks. The rich rodent population of the grasslands supports a healthy number of predators. Among the many Common Buzzards we will see Rough-legged Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Hen Harrier from the north and if we lucky a long staying Long-legged Buzzard can still be around. Best of all however is the magnificent Saker – surely Europe’s most enigmatic falcon. If we really lucky even the scarce Greater Spotted Eagle can be seen. On the edge of the steppe on freshly cut alfalfa fields Great Bustards are gathering in post-breeding flocks by this time of the year. In the vast reed beds the calls of Bearded Tits can often be heard and usually they are easy to see as well. In November and March we also have the chance to see some wintering birds but their appearance is unpredictable. These could include Twite, Lapland Bunting and Snow Bunting. Fieldfares and Great Grey Shrikes are more common. One day we will visit a Long-eared Owl roost – sometimes over 100 of these splendid birds have arrived by November or still around in early March. Other species we may find include Great and Pygmy Cormorants, Great Bittern, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Showeler, Common Pochard, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Grey Plover, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed, Common, Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls and Common Kingfisher. If our time allows we will make a short visit to a nearby woodland where we have the chance to find Black, Green, Great Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers.
Day 5. If we have been successful with the target species and especially with the geese we can leave early this morning and visit a wintering area for Wallcreeper before we drive to Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport.
