Just naturally – Kis-Balaton bike tour in the footsteps of wildlife

1. Route details
This 72 km long tour leads through area of Kis-Balaton.
Due to the length of the tour and the strong uphill section between Szentgyörgyvár and Hévíz it is a performance tour.
IMPORTANT! The route contains a fee section subject to fee! To cross the area of the Buffalo Reservation in Kápolnapuszta you have to buy a bike ticket.
The route partially leads through inhabited area, and mainly on asphalt roads (low-traffic and signed bike roads) and ca. the one-third of the route runs on gravel roads (water embankment).
The tour can be completed in two directions.
To complete the tour follow the bike signs blue A and B.
The recommended route to complete the tour follows Keszthely, Balatonszentgyörgy, Vörs, Kápolnapuszta, Balatonmagyaród, Hídvégpuszta, Zalavár, Zala embankment, Szentgyörgyvár, Alsópáhok, Hévíz and Keszthely. The starting point of the tour is the shore of Lake Balaton in Keszthely. We ride toward the southern shore on the Balaton Bike Route. Balatonszentgyörgy junction is the beginning of the blue A sign and the Zala embankment the blue B sign.
Road numbers on the tour: 10 (Balaton Bike Route), 125 (Balatonszentgyörgy – Buffalo reservation), 12 (Balatonmagyaród – Zala embankment, Sármellék), 123 (Zala embankment, Sármellék – Alsópáhok, Fő street), 121 (Alsópáhok, Fő street – Hévíz, Festetics Bath), 12 (Hévíz, Festetics Bath – Keszthely, West bypass road).
The tour is not easy all in all partly due to its length and also for the fact although the surface of the Kis-Balaton area is flat, the section between Szentgyörgyvár and Lake Hévíz is hilly, so the end of the tour contains some challenging sections.
Along the route there are several bike shelters and rest places (Nyugati Berek, Vörs, Vörsi piknikező, Sávoly, Sávoly-Égésberek, Bivalyrezervátum, Kányavár, Hídvégpuszta, Kis-Balaton, Zala-berek, Alsópáhok, Kerub Hévíz, Angolnás, Vadaskert, Pipáskert) and other places to stop and rest (Vörsi picnic place, Buffalo Reservation, Kányavár Island, Bird watch, Kis-Balaton House).
In the inhabited areas of the tour there are dining, food and other shopping facilities but water points and rest rooms are limited.
The tour is not recommended in rainy weather due to the water embankments where the surface is gravel (between Vörs and Kápolnapuszta, Zala embankment, the agricultural dirt road leading to the embankment in Szentgyörgyvár).

2. Difficulty factors in the tour
In this tour the most challenging factor is the length of the tour.
There are some challenging uphill in the last section of the tour (between Szentgyörgyvár and Hévíz).

3. Highlights of the tour
A rhythm of life too fast and spending too much time in the concrete jungle: it is becoming more and more important to return to nature. During this bicycle tour you will discover landscapes and sights that showcase the ubiquitous Mother Nature as well as Kis-Balaton with its incomparable wildlife in a fascinating way. The tour starts with the unforgettable experience of a bird ringing, and from Keszthely to the shore of Kis-Balaton there is an abundance of native plant and animal species to explore. During the tour it is possible to pet animals, watch birds, admire the beautiful view of Kis-Balaton from above and even to see the inhabitants of the buffalo reserve in Kápolnapuszta. Cycling can be complemented with a delicious meal and well-deserved rest, for the latter there are wellness possibilities for the whole family to explore and relax.