Tour information

You can book a single day or several days in a row. For availability of dates in the given timeframe please contact our office!

Hortobágy National Park has the largest Common Crane gathering anywhere in Europe or in the World! We have been running tours for years to photograph drinking and bathing Common Cranes. However this subject can only safely available in late summer and even then if it is a wet year birds are not guaranteed to come to drink. In October when we have the masses of Cranes the experience is different and we want to share this with you! We still use our drinking hides if the weather is good.

We elaborated this day-tour for those who wish to maximize their Crane experience as well as to get the best possible photo results of their visit. PLEASE NOTE the experience and outcome of this one day tour will be different from day to day and year to year! Although we will try to give you the ultimate experience at every single day, in some cases it will simply not be possible as this is nature where weather and circumstances change quickly especially in October!

Timing: Available in the period between 20th September and15th October

Duration: 1 day (04:30 – 18:30)

Our main focus is to photograph Cranes at roosting place in the morning and photograph the ‘roost flight’ in the last hour of the day. We will be using our Roosting Crane Hide on this day-tour. Usage of any other Crane hides is weather dependent. In most years the drinking Crane Hides are not good in October but in very dry years it is possible to use them. If no daytime hides available for Cranes we will do stalking photography by car or use mobile blinds. This can be for Cranes or any other available subject like Bearded Tit. Also we can visit and photograph a Long-eared Owl roost if we have time.

Logistics: Meeting will be in Balmazújváros on the eastern edge of the Hortobágy National Park at 04:30 in the early hours. We will drive to the roosting Crane Hide (stay in hide until 0830). After this experience we will have a sit-down breakfast and then the daytime program from 10:00 – 14:00 is weather dependent. If it is dry we can use other Crane Hide, or we can use a Passerine Drinking Hide. If the weather is not suitable (wet) we can use mobile blinds or do stalking photography for Cranes or Bearded Tit or Long-eared Owls. Late afternoon we visit the best Crane roosting area for seeing / photographing the mass arrival of Cranes. We stay until sunset. Mobile blinds / tents can be used but often not needed. In some special circumstances we might return to the roosting hide in the evening though most of the time the Cranes arrive way too late for photography (but the guide will know the up-to-date information).

Recommended equipment: We suggest that you bring along lenses from fish-eye and wide angle to 300mm and 500mm ones.

Expected number of birds species photographed on this tour: 1-5 species

What to bring: binocular, tripod

Road Transport: Road transport is by car (4×4 if required).

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy throughout the tour if the weather conditions are normal. In this case we should be able to drive close to most hides.

Climate: In October the weather is variable but early morning can already be cold (0-10C). Daytime temperatures can range from 10-25C.