Gyomroi thermal lake used to be a beautiful natural lake fed by 12 springs.
During the communist era 1944-1989 it was used as a garbage dump, polluted and ruined.
The new mayor of the Gyomroi community decided to rake the lake clean, dig it deeper, unplug the springs and build up the area as a resort for the Hungarian people.
He built a beautiful ‘strand’ with nice beaches and a restaurant, new bathrooms, and a walkway all the way around the thermal lake and even added a few hiking trails.
On the far side of the lake he put in two zip-lines with wakeboard facilities, one launches off a dock, the other one lauches off a beach for kids and beginners to learn on.
Last month they had a tournament here, and people came from all over to take part.
Lake-boarding is wake-boarding on a zip-line instead of being towed behind a boat.
The thermal lake itself circulates 2400 litres of water per minute, leaving the green lake crystal clear.
Not only pretty, it’s full of fish! The natural inhabitants are found here too: frogs, snakes and ducks.
Daniel learns to lake-board on a adult size board. He is pretty focused as he learns something new.
Keep your knees bent and your arms straight! Pivot your hips to turn right and left. Feel your way once you get going, he is a natural.
He did so well on his first try, no one could believe it!
After this Daniel did another run on the smaller zip-line, where he went perfectly clear across the lake. Great job little man!
Alfonz gives it a go!
As soon as he got up he was already trying to do tricks!
Somethings never change, eh?
He’s in good shape, and it came quick for him! Looks like a pro already!
My turn, I totally loved it!
The next day I felt like my shoulders were ripped apart.
If we did this all the time, we would be in great shape!
Can not wait to do it again.
Gabor jumps in off the dock and lands it! Nice job!
Our dock is full of our new friends, chatting in between turns, having a wine spritzer or adjusting the music being played.
Here I tend to Angelina after a little too much sun, potato chips and lemon iced tea, her new favourite combination.
Nori takes her turn as we watch.
I take the kids to the far side of the lake for a swim. Where we were lake boarding, it was against the rules to swim too close, so the kids jumped off the dock in between our turns. We were there from 10:00am-7:00pm and the kids did not stop swimming except to snack.
We float around on inflatables and work on our tans.
They have steps that lead into the water for easy access with your kids, and a little floating restaurant with foldout lawn chairs for people to use. It looks like a well kept resort.
This side of the lake was full of kids and parents enjoying the last few days of their summer vacation before the kids go back to school. Many enjoy a ice-cream from the stand or roll out a picnic they brought along. You can hear kids laughing and splashing in the water. The sounds of summer are travelling across the water.
Alfonz is editing the videos to post tomorrow! Should be funny to see us learning. A few times, especially when you really got going, we would try to turn or jump and that is when we really wiped out good. A few times I flew 10 feet away from my board! It was almost as much fun to fall as it was to board!
I would recommend this experience to anyone. Daniel at 7 was the perfect age to learn, and Angelina was old enough to be pulled on a tube. There was something for everyone in our family on the lake and when you travel to Hungary with kids these day trips are a must.
You can rent out the whole Lake-boarding side of Lake Gyomroi from 10:00am- 8:00pm for 75,000 forint, or approximately $400 including tip. 10 of us went, so the cost was about $40 each. And that includes the equipment, lifejackets, and gear. They also have a BBQ for you to use, and tables, chairs, and suntanning beds while you wait your turn.
Csilla and Barbie made BBQ chicken for us!
Not a bad day at the lake Gyomroi in Hungary!
Check out the video! Alfonz just posted:)
How cool is that!!! I love that you don’t need a boat or kite. Maybe we can start that here…
I learned to wakeboard when I was in college. Never heard of doing it on a zip-line before. Looks like fun and probably a little easier to learn.
I remember wakeboarding behind a boat when I was younger and it was quite hard star ting up. But this looks great. And even without a kid old enough to do it, I’m tempted to go myself 🙂
Mark,
Considering our groups ages and how easily we learned, everyone should give it a try!
I don’t think Hungary has much of a PR department, sadly, because it really has so much to offer.
I had an opportunity to try lakeboarding in the Philippines, and I didn’t – but I really should have. Looks like great fun and a good way to spend a day in Hungary!
I have to admit that isn’t what I had expected for Hungary either, looks like a great day with the kids.
Hungary is on my list, perhaps on my next trip to Europe. Enjoyed your article – it looks like a great spot.
Comments are closed.