Fear and loathing at Lake Balaton

Cave tour with strong nerves

I would have not believed it if someone told me a few months ago, that I will be sliding on my stomach in a narrow hole 50 meters below the ground, I will sit in a bob, or I will be screaming like a baby when I make a big jump to try rope sliding. It's not that I can't stand adrenaline, because I'm more than happy to sail a catamaran, or climb a rock, but I'm not very good at imitating a nymphomaniac spider when every surface around me is slippery. Good news: I have survived everything, and now I'm starting to be familiar with exciting activities without breaking body parts.

It's scary to crawl around Csodabogyós cave 50 metres below the ground when the only source of light is your headlamp. The humidity level is higher than the towers of Dubai, the rocks are slippery, and you couldn't be more wrong if you thought you can take a nice walk in the spacious halls of the cave. This whole experience is more like an extreme escape show, in which you have to force yourself through narrow holes, and you don't believe when the caver guide says that a guy who is twice as big as you could finish the tour in one piece. All in all, after the first 20 minutes you'll regret coming here, and leaving this place in one piece will seem to be a miracle. In the end you'll enjoy it though. The cave tour with experienced cavers turns out to be fun after a while. If you do not belong to that 1 per cent who freak out, you'll find some parts of the tour quite enjoyable. Even though even school groups visit this place, you should consider whether your body and nerves can handle this trip before coming here. I still had pain in my muscles two days later.

Fear factor for kids

The adventure parks look like fun playgrounds at first sight. I can remember the old school playgrounds of my childhood and I know the (mostly) wooden equipments of today which are in compliance with EU regulations. Still, when there is a rope attached to your belt, you're standing on a height of the second floor of an average building, a very important thing pops into your mind: "How am I supposed to survive this?". Before I take the last step, I bless the Sherpa who took of the sandals from my foot, and gave me a pair of proper hiking boots. Zamárdi Kalandpark could be a real challenge for people like me with average body strength and a slight acrophobia. I had to force myself to complete the rope sliding course, but in the end I was quite proud of myself when I was standing on the safe ground once again.

I had no fear at all in the adventure park in Balatonboglár. Before my slide I thought that the bobsled is as fast as a Formula 1 car, but the ride was over before things could have turned dangerous. It's a great family program, but if you're more than 3 years old, you won't scream.

I trust the water

I have always liked water. Even though a catamaran can reach 30 kilometres per hour and the waves are hitting the boat every second, I'm not afraid onboard. Péter Szakács aka Szakipeti in Balatonföldvár even asked me to help him balance the catamaran's hull, and to be honest it felt great. If you're not prone to be seasick, try at least one water sport in your life. Those skillful enough can learn the basics of windsurfing in a couple of days. You can learn wakeboarding from professional instructors in Vonyarcvashegy and Balatonfüred for less than 10 000 HUF (34 EUR).
My bucket list is far from complete, because I want to try parachuting over Balaton, and it is possible at Siófok-Kiliti Reptér. If I perform the big jump, I'll tell all about the experience when you see this under your feet:

Are you interested in the tops of Lake Balaton? Do you want to see them on video?
You will find Csodabogyós cave right here:

You will find Zamárdi Kalandpark here: