Bugac Puszta

Bugac is the part of the Kiskunsag sand country that has been shown to visitors longest, and it is where the herding tradition of the plain is kept up in visible form. Behind the entrance the ground is sandy grassland dotted with juniper and stands of poplar, cut by sandy tracks that you walk or cover by horse-drawn carriage. A herder museum under a round roof explains the tools and life of the csikos, and there are enclosures of grey cattle, racka sheep, buffalo and the local horses. The set-piece is a riding display of trick horsemanship, staged daily in season. Away from the show ground, marked routes take you into quieter juniper woodland where the sand and the wind do the talking.

The landscape

• Juniper and poplar woodland - sand-rooted scrub crossed by soft tracks, quiet once you leave the entrance.
• The herder museum - a round building covering the tools, dress and working life of plains herdsmen.
• Grazing breeds - grey cattle, spiral-horned racka sheep, buffalo and Nonius horses in enclosures.
• The horsemanship display - a staged riding show that runs daily during the season.

When to go

May, June and September are the comfortable months, warm without the flat glare of high summer. The riding show runs on a fixed daily schedule in season and stops outside it, so check dates before driving out. Morning is cooler and the light is better across the grass. Weekdays see fewer coach groups than weekends in July and August.

Good to know

The horse show is a tourist performance rather than working practice, staged for the timetable and the ticket. Everything is priced separately, so a short visit adds up. There is no shade, the sand throws heat back at you, and the tracks turn to dust behind every carriage. In peak summer it can be coach group after coach group, and the animal enclosures are small.

Nearby

Kecskemet lies to the north, with the alkaline lakes and dune units of Kiskunsag National Park spread around.