Tormafölde: Forest, Trails and Travel Planning

• The Vétyemi Forest area is within the boundaries of Tormafölde and has been under strict protection since 1976.
• The trees are more than 190 years old; the forest provides a habitat for birds, insects and rare mushroom species.
• The Vétyemi hike leads to the forest; its route runs mostly along forest roads and occasionally along marked hiking trails.
• Cycling on the renovated MAORT Road has been possible since summer 2024.

The Vétyemi forest area lies a few hundred metres from the MAORT Road. Its age and history of protection give the woodland a distinctive character: the trees are more than 190 years old, and the forest has been under strict protection since 1976. Its habitat is home to birds, insects and rare mushroom species. In Zala County, the Vétyemi old-growth beech forest is one of three forest areas included in the national forest reserve programme.

This makes the forest a tangible point of interest for a trip focused on woodland landscapes and nature conservation.

On Saturdays and Sundays, you can leave your car at Centrálé. From there, the rest area in the Vétyemi Forest is a 4–5 kilometre walk away. Check the local conditions before planning your route.

The Vétyemi hike leads to the Vétyemi old-growth beech forest within the boundaries of Tormafölde. Its route runs mostly along forest roads and occasionally along marked hiking trails. This route description helps you consider the hike as a focus in its own right, separate from the opportunity to cycle on the MAORT Road.

Cycling on the renovated MAORT Road has been possible since summer 2024. If you plan your trip around the activities on offer, you can consider this cycling opportunity alongside the Vétyemi hike, without combining the two experiences into a single route.

The Vétyemi hike was an annual event held in October in 2025. It also notes that the hike was organised privately and on a non-profit basis, and that it had been free from the outset. In 2025, it was organised privately and on a non-profit basis and had been free from the outset. If you plan to attend a future edition, check its date and organisation in advance.

By October 2025, a nearly ten-metre-high steel observation tower and a producers’ market had already been built and opened in Tormafölde.

The wider destination of Zala offers other themes that give a trip a different focus from the Vétyemi Forest. The Zalai Wine Region developed on the slopes and plateaus of the Zalai Hills and on the northwestern slopes of the Keszthely Mountains; it comprises two wine-growing districts and 38 settlements. Kis-Balaton is Zala’s largest body of water, is under strict protection and covers 14,745 hectares. It is also the setting for István Fekete’s classic novels Tüskevár and Téli berek.

If you are looking for a hotel, first consider whether your trip is focused mainly on Tormafölde and its forest and trail experiences, or whether Zala as a wider destination, with other regional highlights, is the main focus. Discover more destinations: Lenti, Kerkateskánd, Kerkakutas, Csesztreg, Szentgyörgyvölgy, Nemesnép, Kerkafalva, Ortaháza.

When does the Vétyemi hike take place?

The Vétyemi hike was an annual event held in October in 2025. For a future edition, check the specific date and organisation in advance.

How long is the walk from Centrálé?

On Saturdays and Sundays, you can leave your car at Centrálé. From there, a 4–5 kilometre walk leads to the rest area in the Vétyemi Forest. Confirm the local conditions.

Is cycling possible on the MAORT Road?

Cycling on the renovated MAORT Road has been possible since summer 2024.

For the wider travel overview: Lenti.