Hortobágy Wild Animal Park — Attraction in Balmazújvárosi járás

SEPTEMBER 2023. Vadaspark is a Zoo with many unhappy animals in terribly small cages. Only the wild horses and aurochs are free in the field. The website doesn't provide comprehensive data. The tourinform where you buy tickets is temporarily in the Csárda building (Petőfi utca, 1). Adults 2200 Huf; retired, student 1700 Huf. The optional "safari" 20 min long is paid separately, extra 2.200 Huf per person. Shuttle to the Zoo leaves every exact hour between 10.00-15.00; back from the park every hour 30 min (11.30-16.30). There is a Coffee/souvenir shop; WC, adventure playground at the reception area. You walk between caged compounds with wild animals, which all look extremely unhappy. Falcon cages are too small. No proper shadows for the wolves. The furret seemed lonely and heartbroken. So did the wildcat. Pelicans are not caged, they swim in a pond, cannot fly, probably trimmed. There is a giant binocular close to the boars, looking at the field with Przewalski hourses and aurochs, it was lovely to observe them for a longer time. (Much better than the rushed safari) We saw the Hungarian grey cattle in the field from the shuttle bus. The bus driver was very friendly.

Shame to call it National Park, it's misleading. Overall NOT worth your...

I found the website very confusing so decided to follow google maps straight there and try my luck. Google maps is not correct though. You cannot drive right to the park. There is another domestic animal park at the entrance to the closed road of the actual national park/wild animal park.

So what you need to do is

buy a bus/ entrance ticket in the town centre at the temporary visitor centre being hosted at the main restaurant in the centre.

wait for the pick up and drop off bus for the national park. They will drop you back in town departing the animal park every hour. I.e 12.30, 1.30 to the final bus at 4.30pm.

I highly recommend the safari tour. It provides the context the park operates in and what it is trying to achieve. You also get to see the horses and cattle up close. It is short though - around 25 mins.

walking around the park took my young family about 80mins. Adults only might take...

This is not a wildlife park but a zoo!

Animals are in cages or on a small fenced off space. The marmot was behaving very worryingly as he was literally trying to climb up the wall of his tiny cage. Most animals are alone in their cages as well.. very sad view..

You need to get a bus from the center of the village (next to the 'Pasteurmuseum', but you buy the tickets there). 10min drive to the zoo and then you get 1,5u to walk around before the bus brings you back. Which is more than enough time as it's...