Gemenc Floodplain Forest

Gemenc is one of the largest surviving floodplain forests in Europe, a strip of willow, poplar and oak along the Danube between Szekszard and Baja, protected as part of Danube-Drava National Park. River regulation in the nineteenth century cut the Danube's meanders off into oxbow lakes, and those dead arms are now the heart of the place: slow, silted, fringed with reed and full of fish, herons and black storks. Red deer here grow unusually large and the autumn rut is loud enough to hear from the water. Because the ground floods, roads are limited and access runs mainly along a narrow-gauge forest railway built for timber, or by boat when levels allow. Much of the interior is left alone.

The landscape

• Oxbow lakes - cut-off Danube meanders, still and reed-fringed, holding most of the wildlife.
• The forest railway - a narrow-gauge line from Porboly running deep into the floodplain woods.
• Red deer - a large population, most audible during the autumn rut.
• Riverine birds - herons, egrets, black storks and white-tailed eagles over the backwaters.

When to go

September and October are the strongest months, with the deer rut and lower water. Late spring is green and busy with breeding birds but often partly flooded. Summer is hot and heavy with insects. Railway services run to a seasonal timetable with few departures a day, and high water can suspend routes at short notice, so confirm before travelling.

Things to know

Mosquitoes are the defining problem here from late spring to early autumn, and repellent is not optional. Flooding closes tracks and cancels boat trips with little warning, sometimes for weeks. Independent access is limited, so most of a visit runs on someone else's timetable. Wildlife is heard more than seen, and casual visitors often come away with nothing but forest and water.

Nearby

Baja on the Danube lies south, with Szekszard and its wine hills to the north-west.