Budapest hike and spa vacation in Hungary

COUNTRY:
Hungary
LOCATION:
Budapest
DEPARTURES:
2012: 8 Dec, 15 Dec, 22 Dec, 29 Dec
PRICE:
From 790 (8 days) excluding flights
MORE INFO:
8 days/7 nights stay in a hotel, including half board, transport costs, guidance, and all non optional programs; single supplement available. A 6 days/5 nights version of the tour is also available, where the Lake Balaton section is not included. The tour ends in the morning of day 6 in Budapest. The price for this shorter version is EUR 590. We can also organise tailor made tours with flexible starting dates.
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Budapest hike and spa vacation in Hungary

Budapest hike and spa vacation in Hungary

How Budapest hike and spa vacation in Hungary makes a difference

Environment

Our company is committed to environmentally, socially and culturally responsible tourism. During our hikes in the Duna-Ipoly National Park we aim to leave the environment in the same state as we found it, if not better. We advise our guests not to pick flowers or disturb the natural resources. We also ask guests during the walk to keep waste with them until back in nearest settlement. We are committed conserving the biodiversity of the areas visited, therefore we tell our guests about the actual environmental issues of the areas visited, such as deforestation or river control. Where possible we engage in partnership with local environmental groups and land managers to actively campaign conservation or promote environmental protection or rehabilitation. We also invite our guests to participate in upcoming environmental actions, such as a river cleaning project on the river Ipoly organised in the summer.

The accommodations are selected on the basis of their environmental policies, e.g. waste management and commitment to sustainability. The Budapest accommodation is located in downtown, hence public transport can readily be used for sightseeing purposes and we can also reach a number of sights just by walking. This way we decrease our carbon emission. We also encourage our guests to carbon offset their flights. The small group sizes (5-18 persons) enable us to minimize impact on delicate environments.

Community

During the walks we visit remote locations too where our presence helps local communities to generate income. To make sure the money stays within the visited community we rely on local suppliers both in terms of accommodation and catering. We actively minimize the negative effects that tourism can have by ensuring that tourism does not divert ressources away from local communities or drive up prices on local ressources. The tour provides opportunities for cultural exchange both in the small communities and in the thermal spas visited. Our presence also encourages local governments to invest into tourism-related infrastructure. There is also a great need for this because tourisme in Hungary is much too focused on key locations while other places with great potential and a high level of touristic complexity remain unnoticed.

An indirect benefit of this vacation is that we support hiking, cycling and canoeing activities of state adopted children by donating 1% of our income to this charity. In collaboration with an NGO we organise and guide these activities, and document the tours on the internet with itenary, budget, names of participants and photos. Environmental education of the young generations, and especially of those most in need, is the guarantee for our principles to live on and for our efforts to bear fruit.

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How we choose the provider of Budapest hike and spa vacation in Hungary

How we choose providers

Budapest hike and spa vacation in Hungary

Reviewed 27 Jun 2012 by Margaret Tuckwell3 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?


Many memorable parts, but one surprising find and highlight was the contrast between the local micro-climates on the North and South sides of the Danube bend - different walks on consecutive days.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?


It is a full-on vacation, so don't expect a restful time, although enjoying the spa baths most afternoons means you are not on the go all day long. Don't forget to take thongs for spas.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?


All those involved were real locals, often in micro-businesses, whether they be the guides, restaurants or hotels. Where appropriate we used public transport which added to the richness of the expirence.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?


We had a great time and felt the tour gave us a much better ‘bottom-up’ insight of Hungary than a more mainstream tour would. Our main guide, Peter, is a very likeable guy who knows his stuff (he does have a PhD from Oxford in Geomorphology) and has a passion for walking, reaching view points and showing the differences and continuity of the landscape and culture. The walks were an effort but still quite doable for a 60 year-old, and gave a good contrast between landscapes which at times were in very close proximity (north and south side of the Danube bend).
Being based in Budapest for most of the time avoided the stress of always moving, while the two night trip to Lake Balaton provided a great opportunity to see more of Hungary and its agriculture (of interest to us). The baths in the afternoons provided a lovely counterpoint to the other activities. We were lucky enough to be just us, with Peter showing great flexibility to meet our particular desires.
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