The River Tisza, fair-coloured from billions of sand grains, enters Hungarian territory at the town of Tiszabecs, heads northwest for a while, makes a tight bend at Záhony and sets out for the Puszta. Flanked all the way by flood plain gallery forests and willow thickets, its cut off bends are the birthplaces of ox-bow lakes with rich flora and fauna. The almost pristine beauty of nature van be encountered along the rivers Szamos, Túr or Kraszna all flowing into the Tisza. The sluggish, rolling waters of the River Hortobágy are lined by emerald reed beds, whose stillness is broken by the calls of water-birds and the croaking of frogs. The Puszta is a true wetland paradise harbouring more than nine hundred lakes of different types: alkaline lakes, artificial fish ponds and natural ox-bows. The 90 km2 Lake Tisza, often called the Balaton of the Puszta, is a recent creation of man, thus transformin the landscape. The protected area of the Bátorliget bog harbours botanical and zoological rarities surviving from postglacial times. It took thousands of years for the wind to deposit the elong-ated sand-hills so characteristic of the northeastern part of the Great Plain, the Nyírség, though the multitude of the region's apple orchards gives credit to the handiwork of today's man.

The Tisza, once meandered slowly across the almost level plain. But the tributaries carrying abundant water from the mountains, and the sudden rains often caused the river to overflow its banks, inundating vast areas. During the 19th century the river was regulated; long loops were cut out to give a straighter course that was 450 kilometres shorter. Large protected arterial areas were created behind the extensive system of dikes. There are few such romantic areas in Europe, untouched by the hazards of civilisation but which can be explored without any danger. Landscape protection areas conserve the flora and fauna that has survived here, as well as around the alkaline lakes and in the forests growing on sandy areas.

Lake Tisza

Smooth waters, huge bays, backwaters and islands, a rich fish and game stock - this is Lake Tisza, the country's second largest body of water (127 km2). The shoreline of approximately 80 km is lined with recreation areas, swimming facilities. The expanses of shallow water, which warm up quickly, are ideal for swimming, the deeper parts for water sports including sailing, kayaking and wind surfing.

Uniquely in Europe, you can speed around by power boat and jet ski in the 14 km2 Abádszalók Bay in the southern corner of Lake Tisza. The largest beach with a water slide, a beach volleyball court and sports equipment rentals is also located in Abádszalók. The Doll Museum in the Village House, exhibiting over 250 dolls wearing the traditional folk costumes of the Carpathian Basin, is a fascinating experience.

Kisköre is a place with a number of beautiful parks, where the Village Museum is dedicated to the ethnography of the region, and the Headquarters of Water Management exhibits Avar Age memorabilia. Anglers and gourmets of delicious fish dishes flock to the fishing waters in Poroszló and Sarud during the catfish season in the spring and the pike season in autumn.