Hungary

In the northwest, Lake Neusiedl nestles in a landscape interwoven with waterways and pastures. Here, one of Europe’s greatest natural spectacles occurs annually, when tens of thousands of migratory birds gather to breed and rest. Further south, mysterious moors and marshy meadows provide a home for rare carnivorous plants and clouds of delicate butterflies.

A similar diversity can be found in the warm thermal waters of Lake Hévíz, where colorful fish abound. However, these fish present a challenge for the park rangers, as many of them are of tropical origin and displace native species. The shores of Lake Balaton, or the “Hungarian Sea,” are also shaped by volcanoes: impressive basalt columns rise from the forests of the northern shore, where the Mediterranean-like Tihany Peninsula juts prominently into the lake. Here, rare European ground squirrels make their home. These rodents live in close proximity to a historic Benedictine abbey from the 11th century. This juxtaposition of centuries-old history and extraordinary nature continues even beneath the streets of the capital, Budapest, where tiny amphipods thrive in the warm waters of a vast flooded cave.

Episodic Breakdown

Episode 1: Water and Volcanoes
Episode 1: The Plains