Summer provides an unmissable opportunity to try adrenalin-boosting water sports, whether it’s SUP, wakeboarding or jet skiing, among many others. You can even learn how to surf and wakesurf! Broken down sport by sport, here are some top tips for getting involved in fun activity while the weather's warm and the water's lovely, all in Budapest or within easy reach.
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Jet Park Fundy Lake
Just beyond the south-eastern corner of Budapest, Fundy Lake encompasses a Jet Park where you can try out both seated and standing versions of jet skiing. Staff provide proper training before letting them hop on these high-performance machines. After the necessary precautions, you can race along two courses marked by buoys across an eight-hectare water surface. In addition to jet skiing, you can also try the adrenalin-boosting flyboard or the more chill SUP on the lake. More details
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Béke Csónakház
The Béke
Csónakház on Római-part is one of the most popular
places to rent out kayaks and canoes. In both cases, you can choose between a
number of single and multi-person boats with a capacity of up to eight people.
Everyone is welcome from amateurs to professional athletes, with lifejackets
and other mandatory equipment provided free of charge. More details
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Kolonics György Centre
Named
after the Olympic sportsman who trained here, the Kolonics
György Centre on Csepel island offers several types of
kayaks and canoes. Apart from touring models, single and double touring boats
and sea kayaks, the centre also offers ten- and 20-person dragon boats, which
might serve as part of a great team-building experience. A hotel and gym also
feature in the complex. The riverside promenade here is a pleasant stroll in itself. More
details
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SUP Budapest
In
recent years, the popularity of stand-up paddle, SUP for short, has skyrocketed
in Hungary, which can be largely attributed to the team at SUP Budapest. They host regular tours in and around the capital, kicking
off at Római-part. Participants can admire the city at dawn while gliding down
the Danube, feel closer to nature on the tours with Lupa-sziget as the
destination, or watch shooting stars while rowing towards Egyfás-sziget.
More details
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SUP the Lifestyle
Organising
SUP tours is the main activity at SUP The
Lifestyle, offering both sunrise and sunset sessions. You can glide down the river while gazing at Parliament, or admiring an idyllic view outside town, on a
more secluded section of the Danube. The team pay special attention to training
sessions, teaching from the basics all the way to making you familiar with
advanced technical skills. More details
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Pala Surf Camp
Capital of a country without a sea, let alone an ocean,
Budapest can nevertheless offer tuition in that most maritime of sports
– surfing. Revered lido Palatinus on
Margaret Island runs the Pala Surf Camp, offering instruction to complete beginners over
three days. Language barriers shouldn’t be a problem – not compared with
staying afloat. After the three days, you should be able to stand on the board and move to
the rhythm of the waves. Practising, getting used to the board and the power of
the water, and meeting like-minded people – all in all, this is a great summer
activity. Even in such a controlled, concrete environment, it is quite
surprising to feel the waves – making you wonder how the Beach Boys did it. More details
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Lake Rukkel Waterpark
South
of Budapest at Dunavarsány, Lake Rukkel Waterpark is a great place to swim, top up your tan and try out
its five-column wakeboard park. Beginners are welcome in the morning, as the course
operates at a slower pace between 9am-11am, while the afternoon is more suited
to experienced wakeboarders. Formed by gravel mining, the lake also offers
eight water slides as well as diving towers to jump off. More details
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Lupa Wake
Lupa Beach in Budakalász, some 15 minutes
from Budapest by car or HÉV train, entices visitors with all kinds
of water sports. The 260-metre long wakeboard course was designed for those with no
previous experience in the sport, the slower, five-column one best for
intermediate wakeboarders, while the six-column facility, enhanced with 20
extra features, is best suited for the real pros. The team at Lupa Wake offers
individual coaching, as well as a summer camp and day care for little ones. More details
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Omszk Wakeboard Centre
Another
must-visit for the lovers of wakeboarding is Omszk Lake, near Lupa Beach (see above), offering an all-round
summer experience with wake parks for both beginners and advanced riders,
as well as children’s summer camps. In addition to student and small-group
lessons, those who prefer a more solitary experience can enjoy gliding in
private on the lake as well, before opening hours. For a more relaxed activity,
SUP can also be tried out at the complex. More details
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Ballast Surf Club
Twice world wakeboard champion Sebasztián Szóláth and his friend, Márton Gulyás, practise and promote the art of wakesurfing at the Ballast Surf Club on Népsziget, a
wild island getaway in north Pest. Unlike a wakeboard, in wakesurfing there are no bindings on your feet and you go at a much slower pace. You're much freer sooner to feel that sense of elation of being close to the water. It’s the sensation of surfing without having to wait for the waves, and the sport is
significantly less dependent on the
weather. Wakesurfing does not require any special
training other than being able to swim and, of
course, to be reasonably fit. If you’ve surfed or snowboarded before, it’ll be much easier. A few tries and a detailed explanation, and the guys will be cheering you on. More
details
