Mártély: Backwater and Floodplain Forest Nature Trail

Mártély offers practical starting points for planning a stay: the floodplain forest nature trail, the backwater, and opportunities to rent boats, bicycles and SUP boards. Two questions can help guide your choices: How much time would you like to allow for the route, and which rental activity interests you? This makes it easier to compare the different things Mártély has to offer.

Floodplain forest nature trail: distance and time

The floodplain forest nature trail in Mártély has eight stops, is 2,650 metres long and takes an average of 2 to 2.5 hours. The distance and average duration answer different planning questions: the distance indicates the length of the route, while the time estimate helps you gauge how long to allow for this activity. The eight stops provide another point of reference for the route. So when planning to walk the trail, take both the distance and average duration into account rather than estimating the time needed from the distance alone.

Rental options in the town and by the backwater

There are several places to rent boats in Mártély and along the shore. Bicycles can also be rented at several places in the town and by the shore. You can also rent SUP boards at the beach on the Mártély backwater. There are therefore different types of rental activities to choose from: boats and SUP boards for activities on the water, and bicycles as another option. Rental availability may change, so check in advance whether the option you want is available for your dates.

Backwater and protected area

The Mártély backwater is in the northern part of the Mártélyi Tájvédelmi Körzet (Mártély Landscape Protection Area). The protected area extends for about ten kilometres along the left bank of the Tisza. For geographical orientation, note that these details refer to different things: the northern location applies to the backwater, while the approximately ten kilometres describe the protected area's extent along the river.

A total of 245 bird species have been recorded in the Mártélyi Tájvédelmi Körzet, including 112 breeding species. These figures apply to the protected area as a whole, not just the backwater, and may change as surveys are updated. For nature enthusiasts, birdlife is a subject of interest in its own right, alongside the location of the backwater and the riverside landscape.

Csongrád: nature and culture in the wider region

Across the wider Csongrád destination, the landscape of Csongrád-Csanád is shaped by the Tisza and its oxbows, the Maros and Körös rivers, and numerous lakes and canals. The region is also rich in thermal and medicinal waters. Special plant and animal species around salt lakes and in sandy forests and Puszta areas are protected in nature reserves. The region’s natural setting therefore includes other protected habitats as well as rivers and backwaters.

The wider Csongrád destination also offers points of interest for anyone interested in history and culture. More than 200 listed buildings are recorded in Csongrád-Csanád. In Szeged, the Móra Ferenc Museum is housed in the Palace of Public Culture, built in the Neoclassical style in 1896. The museum’s exhibitions cover ethnography, natural history and art history relating to Szeged and its surroundings; the exhibition programme may change.

At the Ópusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park, the Rotunda houses the exhibition “Szer monostora és települése.” The park also includes an open-air ethnographic museum. Visiting the Feszty Panorama requires an appointment. The wider region thus offers concrete points of interest for those interested in history and culture, alongside nature and landscapes.

Discover more destinations: Székkutas, Hódmezővásárhely.

Go to the wider travel overview: Hódmezővásárhelyi.