MECSEK

The Mecsek hill range rises from the floodplains of the Danube and Dráva Rivers. Wildlife here reflects sub-Mediterranean influences. The southern slopes boast orchards, vineyards and chestnut groves and the ruins of former guard towers overlook the surrounding areas. The modest, yet commanding medieval churches give the region an unmistakable feel of the Mediterranean.

Eastern Mecsek Landscape Protection area
Due to its geographical and geological assets, the flora and fauna are very rich in species. There are also plenty of monuments and culture-historical and ethnographical treasures. The most significant botanical gem is the common peony. This wilderness-like area is intertwined with tourist routes, so you can walk the area on foot. We can visit the glass-houses of Pusztabánya, Máré Castle or the protected Óbánya valley, with its Csepegőszikla (Dripping Rock) and the Ferde (Sloping) Waterfall. If we are longing to find the highest peak of the Mecsek, we should descend form Pusztabánya to Püspökszentlászló. Do not forget to visit the Episcopal holiday home and arboretum here. From here, we can climb the 682 m Zengő Hill. Please view the ruins of the Zengő castle and marvel at the view, which in clear weather, reaches all the way to the Danube. We can finish our tour by visiting the castle in Pécsvárad, or the chestnut orchard, Egg museum and Straw treasury of Zengővárkony.

Programmes of the Eastern Mecsek forest schools
1. Half-day programme in Óbánya:
During the tour, which leaves from Óbánya to Kisújbánya and back again, the kids can get to know wild-life, natural beauty, protected species, the Csepegő (Dripping) Rock and the Ferde (Sloping) Waterfall. The „Pro Silva” learning track will teach us about the natural functioning of the forest and the forestry methods adapting to this. Interactive games will help the kids in their learning.

2. Whole-day programme in Óbánya:                           
- Tinkering away: colourful, creative handicrafts work-shops.
- Life in the water: getting to know the world of small water organisms. Practical observations  
  to investigate water quality.
- Village history: getting acquainted with old crafts, folk customs, folk songs, old tales and recipes of traditional foods.
- Characteristics of plants, making prints of leaves and bark.
- Forest eco-system.
- Topographical knowledge, making a map, navigation tasks.
- A tour through the Óbánya Valley
Western Mecsek Landscape Protection area

This region has only recently been declared a landscape protection area. We are proud of the thousands of years of Jakab Hill culture-history, millions of years of valuable geological assets and the wonderful dolomite surface and underground formations of the Western Mecsek. We can get acquainted with the Babás and Zsongor rock formations, the Celtic earthworks and the ruins of the Paulite cloister along the Jakab Hill learning track. We can come across dolomites along the Bat learning track of Abaliget or the Vízfő learning track of Orfű. We could also take a walk along the Melegmány Valley, with its calc-tuff waterfalls, sink-holes and dolinas.

The Cave of Abaliget                           
One of the best-known and most popular natural sights of the Mecsek region is the Cave of Abaliget. It became really known through continual research. It can be comfortably viewed on foot, its main branch being 466 m. The three side branches are not easily accessible on foot. Today, the cave is still changing, even though this cannot be seen with the naked eye. This change is brought along by the stream that runs along the whole length of the cave. Its climate is ideal for people suffering from respiratory, allergic or asthmatic ailments. The cave can be visited with a tour guide and the tour leaves every hour. The last tour leaves an hour prior to closing time. 

Opening times:
15th of March – 15th of October: daily 9.00-18.00
16th  of October – 14th of March: daily 10.00-15.00
The last tour leaves an hour prior to closing time.

Entrance fee:
Adults: 950 Ft; students and pensioners: HUF 750
Combined ticket: adults: HUF 1100, students and pensioners: HUF 850/person
Family ticket: HUF 3700 (2 adults and 3 or more kids)
To avoid congestion it is required for groups to book in advance!
                           
Information:
7678 Abaliget, Tel.: +36 72/498-766

Bat museum – Abaliget
The Bat Museum of Abaliget is a unique place to thematically present the seemingly mysterious and not very well-known world of the bats. We can see the various habitats of the bats presented in spectacular and realistic settings. We can also learn about the history of bat research, the tools used for this, the main habitats of bats in Hungary and their migration routes.
Opening times:
15th of March – 15th of October: daily 9.00-18.00
16th of October – 14th of March: daily 10.00-15.00

Entrance fee:
Adults: HUF 300; students and pensioners: HUF 200
Combined ticket: adults: HUF 1100, students and pensioners: HUF 850/person
Family ticket: HUF 3700 (2 adults and 3 or more kids)

Bat learning track
Following the visit to the Cave and the Bat Museum, a professionally guided tour along the Bat learning track would complement your programme perfectly. You can also take this tour individually with the help of a guidebook, purchasable at the Cave’s cashier desk. The learning track is located in the Western part of the Mecsek Hill range in the protected Abaliget Cave area. Taking this route, you will not only learn about the obvious, but also about the natural geography of the area, its wild-life, past and present management and last but not least, the scenery.

There are three different length routes at your disposal: 
- Big round (13 stations), 5 km, 3 hours
- Medium round (7 stations), 3 km, 2 hours
- Small round (5 stations), 2 km, 1 hour.

Educational programmes in Abaliget
(15th of October – 15th of March)
The Directorate of the Danube-Dráva National Park not only protects natural gems but also emphasises view-forming and educational activities.
For years now have the Cave of Abaliget and the Bat Museum made high-quality professionally guided tours available to the visitors. In the winter period we welcome kindergartens and schools with supplementary work-shops. The aim of these programmes is that, through individual and group tasks, the youngsters will understand the mysteries surrounding the life of bats and the secrets of the Cave of Abaliget, they will acquire insight into the wonders of nature and above all, that they can develop themselves through various situational and interactive programmes.
Our intent is to create a programme package that can complement the school curriculum and with which you can make teaching more colourful.
We planned these work-shops for three different age groups. We would like to mix up knowledge gained about environment protection, the cave’s habitat and the bats, with themes that touch upon the age groups. Telling tales to the smallest kids, organising presentations for the older ones, and self-knowledge and personality development for the young adults.

For toddlers: 4-10 years of age
The programme: Gnome tour
This programme is interspersed with fabulous elements, thus offering the magic of the caves to the kids. The participants get to know the formation of the caves and the hidden underground world, all with the help of Mr. Bat and a cute little gnome.
Number of participants: min. 10 people - max. 40 people, Duration: appr. 60 minutes
Price: HUF 700/child, 900 Ft/adult, for every 20th child, 1 accompanying adult free of charge.

B programme: Fairy Tale Museum
Csupafül (Allears), the bat, tells his tale. However, this is not an ordinary reading of tales; the kids become active participants of the adventure through puppets and pictures. The programme takes place in the Bat Museum of Abaliget.
Number of participants: min. 10 people - max. 30 people, Duration: appr. 60 minutes.
Price: HUF 350/person

For the bigger kids:  10-18 years of age (adjusted to age groups)
A programme: Cave roaming
Bring along your torch and your courage, discover the secrets of the cave and get to know complete and utter darkness! This special occasion enables everyone to discover the dripstone shapes, in the dark, with their own flash-lights. In the meantime, the tour guide will tell you all there is to know about the caves.
Number of participants: min. 10 people - max. 40 people, Duration: appr. 60 minutes
Price: HUF 700/child, HUF 900/adult, for every 20th child, 1 accompanying adult free of charge.
 
B programme: Natural Self-development
Vicious circle:  Our world is full of cause and causality connections. To shed light on these connections is not always that easy. The game is about the most important matters in the lives of young people; learning, work-place, cost of living and how these are connected with environment protection.
Journey into a new world:  Over-crowding of the Earth has led to a crisis situation. The kids will be the first settlers on the new planet. They have to decide what to bring along with them and what not. View-forming activity on what is important and what is not.
Chameleon: A role-play in which kids have to solve funny situations in different ambiances and styles.
Number of participants: min. 10 people - max. 20 people, Duration: appr. 60 minutes
Price: HUF 350/child

C programme: Bat research
Experiencing bats at first hand. Interactive museum research where we can learn all there is to know about bats. The tasks are put together in such a way that they help the development of creativity, problem-solving and presentation skills. The tasks also strongly inspire to work as a team.
Number of participants: min. 10 people - max. 20 people, Duration: appr. 60 minutes
Price: HUF 350/child

Active participation of the youngsters during the programmes is essential. In case of larger groups, the group can be split up into smaller groups. To take part in these programmes, advance booking is necessary, so please contact us! For information and times please contact:
Directorate of the Danube-Dráva National Park
7625 Pécs, 9 Tettye square tér
Katalin Ferenczi instructor and programmes organiser
Tel: +36 72/517-222, +36 30/326-9459, Fax: +36 72/517-229
E-mail: ferenczik@ddnp.kvvm.hu

Adventurous cave tour in Orfű
The Mészégető Springs Cave in Orfű is a home to many active various sized streams. The solution cavities and waterfalls make it unique. Characteristic is the black coating over the rock. For a fee, the „wild” cave can be visited with a guide. Advance booking is required. The tour’s length is 400 meter. All necessary equipment is provided for by the Directorate of the Danube-Dráva National Park. The cave’s average width is 1 meter, its height ranges between 1,5 and 3 meter. Because its entrance is low, only 60 cm, we have to crawl on our hands and knees to get to the first 2 meter wide, 1 ½ meter high cavern. You will soon forget about your difficulties when you see the waterfalls, stone blades, cauldrons, Karrens, small and large dripstones and scallops.

Conditions for participation
Minimum age for the participation of the cave tour is 14 years. Between 14 and 18 years, written permission from the parents is required. The participants are guided by an expertly trained guide. The tours take place on: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon. Participation fee: HUF 5300/person. Price includes tour guiding, overalls, hat, head lamp and insurance fee.
Number of participants: minimum 4, maximum 8 people.
Homepage: http://barlangtura.extra.hu

Jakab Hill
The Jakab Hill rises over Kővágószőlős and received its nature conservation status due to its geological and culture-historical assets. The hill is made up of a gravel conglomerate and red sand stone, the nicest example of which can be studied at the Babás and the Zsongor rock formations. The view from here is breath-taking. It is also worth having a look at the early Iron Age earthwork fortress, which is the second largest of Europe, and the surrounding grave mounds. Another sight worth visiting is the ruins of the 13th century Paulite cloister. The area can be visited freely. A geological and culture-historical learning track awaits hikers. 

Learning tracks in Mecsek
Vár-völgyi Geological learning track, Óbányai Pro Silva learning track, Abaliget Bat learning track, Orfű Vízfő learning track, Kismély Valley Pro Silva learning track, Kis-rét learning track, Squirrel learning track, Rotary Learning track, Tubes-Misina-Flóra learning track, Jakab Hill learning track and the Sikonda learning track.

Professional guides for all areas or for the learning tracks can be requested.
Price: groups up to 20 people HUF 8500/1-4 hours, HUF 17000/5-8 hours,
Above 20 people HUF 425/person/1-4 hours, HUF 850/person/5-8 hours

Upon request, our colleagues can visit kindergartens, schools, clubs and other educational facilities for presentations, work-shops and projections in order to aid people in forming a nature protection approach and active attitudes. 
Price: HUF 800/occasion.

Accommodation
The building of the Abaliget Bat Museum boasts an all mod cons apartment with a twin room and a room with 5 beds, a fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, TV, video and private parking.
7678 Abaliget, Denevérmúzeum (Bat Museum)
Price:  adult: 1st night: 3200 Ft/person, from 2nd night: 2500 Ft/person/night   
Children from 3 years old: 1st night: 2200 Ft/person, from 2nd night: 1700 Ft/person/night       
VILLÁNY HILLS
Szársomlyó Nature Protection area
The hill has been under protection since 1944 being the only domestic habitat for the Hungarian kikerics (its Latin name Colchicum hungaricum JANKA). In 1991, the north and south side came under protection as well. Today, it can only be visited with a guide. There are guided tours leaving from the Statue Park every Wednesday to Sunday at 10 a.m. However, in case of advance appointment with the Directorate of the Danube-Dráva National Park, the unique treasures of Szársomlyó can also be visited at ulterior times. It is worth having a look at the unparalleled view from its peak (442m). There are over 70 protected plant species to be found here, the best-known botanical rarity possibly being the Hungarian kikerics which used to ornament the back of the old 2-forint coin.
Professional guides can be requested for Szársomlyó and the Villány Templom (Church) Hill learning track:

Guaranteed tours on Szársomlyó:
Apart from Monday and Tuesday, daily at 10 a.m., leaving from the Statue Park.
Until 18 years of age: 350 Ft/person
Adults: HUF 700/person