Szalajka Valley and the Veil Waterfall

The Szalajka stream rises from karst springs on the flank of the Bukk plateau and runs down a narrow wooded valley to Szilvasvarad. Partway along, the water spreads over a bank of travertine, limestone it has deposited itself, and falls in a wide, shallow sheet rather than a single plunge, which is where the name Veil Waterfall comes from. It is a few metres high at most, and the interest is in the form rather than the drop. The valley floor carries a narrow-gauge forest railway, once for timber and now for visitors, plus trout ponds fed by the same spring water and an open-air forestry museum. Above the falls the path continues up towards the Istallos-ko cave.

The landscape

• The Veil Waterfall - a wide thin sheet of water over self-built travertine steps.
• The forest railway - a narrow-gauge line running the length of the valley from Szilvasvarad.
• Trout ponds and springs - clear spring-fed pools along the valley floor.
• The path to Istallos-ko cave - a climb above the falls to the cave used by prehistoric people.

When to go

Spring, especially April and May, gives the strongest flow after snowmelt and rain. Autumn adds colour to the beech woods. Avoid the middle of a dry August, when the falls thin to a trickle. Weekdays are far better than weekends, when the railway queues stretch and the valley path becomes a slow procession. First train of the day is quietest.

What to expect

The waterfall is small, and visitors arriving with a big cascade in mind are routinely let down. The lower valley is effectively a promenade lined with food stalls, langos stands and souvenir huts, which does not match the national park framing. Railway tickets sell out on summer weekends and the return wait can be long. Flow drops sharply in dry summers.

Nearby

Szilvasvarad and its Lipizzaner stud are at the valley mouth, with Eger and the Bukk plateau close by.