Geotour: what makes it different? Why is it interesting?

How to make rocks talk...

Maybe you are also a hiker. You like hiking in nature, have a rest in a cool forest, drink the sweet water of a spring. Perhaps you are attracted by hiking trails not only because you can relax and take some nice exercise, but you also intend to get acquainted with the natural heritage. You might have already bought a botanical guide or a binocular to observe the birds.
Have you ever thought about how the mountains, a wild gorge or bizarre cliffs that you can see on the way were developed? Why are some of the rock types white, others dark grey? Why are there so many kinds of pebbles in a creek’s bed? And where are they from? When did dinosaurs live in the Bakony Hills? Did they really have smaller bodies, than their relatives? Is it possible that the volcanoes at Balaton Uplands will erupt again?
If you have already asked yourself these or similar questions, or you have discussed such topics with your friends during a hiking tour, but you have not received the (right) answer, you can not conquer your destiny any more: sooner or later you will join one of our guided geotours! Then another one. Then another one. After that, step by step, you will become a getourist. Forget the boring Geography lessons, the superficial documentaries and get acquainted with our geological heritage with the help of our approved geotour-guides!

During a guided geotour you will learn about the geological history of the area, its typical rock types and fossils. Your guide tells you about the natural processes that created the landscape, the development of limestone or dolomite, the birth of the first volcanoes at Balaton Uplands and the legendary basalt organs.
Thanks to the holistic approach that is typical of Geoparks, geotours are not only about rocks and geological or geomorphologic processes but during the tour you can also get acquainted with biological, archaeological and ethnographic points of interest, thanks to the relevant subjects your guide studied during the geotours-guide training course.

Please note that if you are guided by a premium geotour-guide whose name is indicated by a (P!) in our list of guides (this part is yet under development), then you are entitled to buy a discounted ticket at the visitor site or centre of the given region (managed by the leader organisation of the Geopark) during the guided geotour.

We will publish the introductions of the English or German speaking geotour-guides as they are ready for publication. Until then in case you would like to order a guided geotour in English or German, please contact the Geopark Group.

Below you can see a map of the Geopark where the geographical areas of the 9 geotour-guide training courses that have taken place so far are indicated. A guide who successfully passes a training course, and made a contract with the management organisation of our Geopark, is entitled to guide geotours on that certain geographical area. The red line is the border of the Bakony–Balaton Geopark, Lake Balaton can be seen at the southern border of the Geopark.