Hungary Carpathians
Only a small portion of the Carpathians lie within Hungary. Furthermore, Hungary is part of a block of countries in Europe with small populations of the big predators, which combined with their fondness for hunting is one of the reason that wildlife has had such a problem repopulating western europe.
Having said that, wolves were seen to return back in 2016, and currently have a population of around 250 within the countries borders. Indeed, given Slovakia has healthy populations of all three big predators, it is not surprising that all three predators are also found in the North – where the Carpathians are found.
As with other countries on the list, tourists visiting with the hope of seeing these animals can make a big difference to their future prospects.
This is another country on the list, for which visits can make a big difference. The forests of the Hungarian Carpathians were marked for logging by the government, and permission was given to a logging company- owned and run by the government. Thankfully, the WWF mounted a successful to block this foolish shortsighted move, alongside a coalition of 180 other conservation organisations as well as a petition signed by more than 5,000 people (in just four days) with support from more than 7 million given before it was closed.
According to WWF surveys, at that time there were about 10 lynx and “dozens” of wolves. There are still 2 million hectares of forests in Hungary, so with recognition of the benefit that can be bought to local populations, we could make a big difference to the future viability of these natural forests in central Europe.
Below is a map of places to stay. We hope to add more. Do play with the map as I have tried to show the whole of the wild region of Northern Hungary, zooming in will reveal more places to stay.