Ormánság excursion around a backwater

Itinerary

• From Szaporca we follow the S marking passing by the Ős-Dráva Visitor Center to the trail starting point.
• On the trail marked with S↺, we walk to the left until the fork, that is to the bridge (boardwalk path).
• At the beginning of the boardwalk section, we keep the direction (so we do not cross it), and from there we continue our hike on the K marking all the way to the Dráva embankment.
• Reaching for the second time the Dráva flood protection embankment, we turn right at the fork and continue on the S↺ marking until the boardwalk path crossing the backwater.
• From the bridge (which we do not cross), we follow the K marking straight ahead to the parking lot.
• From the visitor center parking lot, we follow the S marking back to Szaporca.

Detailed description of the hike

Seven cubits deep, seven cubits wide

We can reach the starting point of our Ormánság hike by car, but nearby Szaporca is accessible by bike from various directions, and there is also a bus service to the village. Starting south from the bus turnaround, following the S marking, after a 750-meter walk, we arrive at the bridge crossing the Fekete water. On its far side, the hiking routes cross each other, and looking west, we can see trees defining the landscape on the shore of the splendid Hétöles Lake. On the unmarked trail branching right, we walk about 250 meters to the lake, which is a small remnant of the backwater system. There is a resting place on the reed shore, and a floating stage is built on the lake. Legends are connected to the approximately half-hectare lake: it never dries out as it is fed from deep underground by a shepherd's well, and once a full wedding procession drowned in it with oxen and wagons. Its name naturally refers to its size. We return to the paved road, which leads straight to the visitor center, whose buildings are already recognizable from afar.

River-shaped landscape

The Ős-Dráva Visitor Center offers exhibitions all year round presenting the natural and cultural-historical values of the region, indigenous livestock, education, and various programs welcoming visitors. Staying on the S marking, we pass the central building, then turn right following the fence before the tourist accommodation, and after 200 meters, we reach the first board of the Ős-Dráva nature trail titled Ős-Dráva Program, which provides information about a model, complex rural development initiative affecting the region. We learn that 10-15 thousand years ago the waters of the Ős-Dráva traversed the area back and forth, and the remnants, the former oxbows, are still recognizable today. Turning left on the S↺ marked trail, we enter the lush forest. Among the intricate network of trees and shrubs appears an open water surface green with duckweed. The next board discusses the geography and ethnographic delimitation of Ormánság. The villages were settled on hills called ormók or ormányok rising above the waterlogged areas, which explains the name of the region. We continue walking on the narrow, herb-covered path, looking east we see a spacious meadow bordered by forest patches and pastures. We pass through a varied, scenic forest with some impressive poplar trees standing by the trail. At the next board, we arrive at the fork of the Ős-Dráva and Dráva wildlife nature trails.

The Dráva wildlife nature trail

The S↺ marking crosses the backwater here, leading through dense tall reeds on a boardwalk. Although we do not follow this route, it is worth a short detour for some photos. Our hike continues southward on the Dráva wildlife nature trail, following the K and ST markings straight ahead. After a short walk, we arrive at a clearing with log benches, a board exhibiting the wingspan of birds, and a (paid) lookout. The next information board stands at the base of a huge, beautiful, bifurcating trunk. From here, knowing the life of the otter, beaver, and horseflies, we can continue. It's as if we entered a primeval jungle, walking among gnarled, split trees, vines, and tangled bushes. We reach a boardwalk leading to a birdwatching spot, where we could spend hours. Leaving the hide, we turn onto a gravel, car-accessible road along the forest and meadow, or field boundary. We pass piers and resting and camping sites.

Arrival at the Dráva

After the resting place, we leave the forest lining the backwater shore and head straight to the embankment, which we cross along with the bicycle path running on it. The nature trail continues along the shore of the filled and marshy part of the Dráva floodplain and Szaporca backwater. Soon we reach the floodplain forest, where a wide path winds through pools. At one of the boards, a narrow path leads to the river. We learn about the regulation of the Dráva, its fish, and predatory birds. From the boardwalk, we can admire the flowing Dráva and the diverse floodplain forest along the river, except when nature intervenes (in the weeks following the September 2024 flood, the route was partly closed and underwater). The hiking trail turns north and after a short walk leads to the embankment with a barrier at the top. From here, we turn east onto the S↺ marking. South of it lies the forested, marshy Szaporca Lake, and on its northern side, pasture and grassland spread out. In autumn, the light purple, pretty but poisonous autumn crocus blooms on the grassy embankment.

Ormánsági forests

We walk about 800 meters along the embankment, then turn left northward and head back along the western side of the backwater, still following the S↺ markings – a small wooden board also indicates the direction to the visitor center. Forest is on the right, meadow on the left, and browsing satellite maps reveals traces of former channels. The nature trail board provides information about the surrounding forests: although drainage and the regulation of the Dráva have significantly changed the forests, Ormánság remains the richest lowland forest region in our country.

Continuing on a narrow path among the trees near the water, we reach a lookout, but only its destroyed fragments remain, ruined by flooding. We exit the forest and walk on a dirt road, seeing the Papuk mountain range in Croatia in the distance. From the bridge or rather the well-known boardwalk, we continue northwest along the K marking – thus we still do not cross the boardwalk. We walk along the boundary of forest and natural grassland until we enter a beautiful floodplain forest where pedunculate (Slavonian) oaks, elms, ashes, and poplars surround us. After a few hundred meters, we reach the fence of the visitor center's farmstead. We turn right and return to the start of the nature trail along the fence. Left onto the gravel road marked S, which takes us back to the village.