„Wake up Lovers, it is time to start the journey!
Let us kiss the ground and flow like a river towards the ocean.
Only love can lead the way.”
Rumi

Integral Sightseeing Tour with the Integral Community

A magical mystery tour in Budapest and Hungary

May 29–31

Budapest, a Must-See Gem of Europe

The Hungarian capital deserves to be called a city with a living history. A true gem of a city in the EU, Budapest has it all: from tribal red to medieval blue, from modern orange to postmodern green, it has a rich and thick memetic layer of history and culture. As a spa city, Budapest is more than the sum of its bathing facilities, as it offers a unique blend of Roman, Turkish and European bathing cultures. Budapest is no longer limited to restaurants, outdoor terraces and coffee houses, but features a cuisine consisting of a blend of traditional Hungarian flavours and the latest dining trends. Budapest is also a peaceful meeting point of religions and cultures, a coexistence of the spiritual heritage of East and West. It’s is a melting pot of wide-ranging subcultures, making it worth a visit—a familiar and safe metropolis with a human face that also offers a wealth of novelties, experiences and surprises for open-minded visitors.

Joining the caravan: Taking an outward journey with the right guidance is also taking an inward journey at the same time. Roaming the land through the culture and the nature while experiencing the spirit of deep Central Europe. This is a voyage of ease and depth, balancing on the threshold of the secular and the sacred.

Escape the routine: Traveling to a distant land and having like-minded people share their culture with you is a true gift. You need to see it, smell it, taste it, touch it. Then it becomes part of you. That’s how you embody global consciousness. You will feel like Alice in Wonderland on this historic, cultural and memetic journey designed to be fun but with integral consciousness: it totally beats everyday tourism!

Wonder and Awe: Stepping inside another reality is where it gets magical. You will enter into a culture with historic depth and richness in its every fiber, from purple to teal. You will embark on a communal holiday journey infused with integral consciousness. What does it mean to be integral in a country with more than a thousand years of memetic depth – from purple through red, amber, orange, green, to teal – and an unbroken history line? Our external route will also be a journey up the internal ladder. We will show you the land, the culture and the spirit of Hungary.

THREE REASONS TO COME

  1. Travel with your tribe: you will be with your chosen, shared-value community, fantastic integral people with an openness to connect. The bus has a genuinely home-tribe feel. You are on the right caravan.
  2. Experience „integral journeying” with the double guide format developed by Bence. This format allows you to learn the salient facts that every tourist wants to know with an additional focus on communal and individual interiors.
  3. Let local integralists show you their land it makes all the difference. You are not an outsider anymore. You are invited to be an insider, and so you transcend formal tourism.

Meet the Team

Bence Gánti
Community Guide

Bence, director of the IEC and the Integral Academy, has two decades of experience guiding individuals and groups psycho-spiritually. Bence has himself travelled throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Jeff Salzman of the Daily Evolver, a participant in the first community bus tour wrote: Bence leads from both the heart and the head. He is as comfortable talking theory as he is directing a large group process, or leading a drumming circle in the woods. It is never about gaining attention for himself, rather it is about creating a richer experience for the participant.

István Zsolt Barát
Spiritual Guide

István is the founder and leader of the Hungarian Four Elements School (2008) and the Fire Elementer Skole (2013) in Norway, he has been holding song circles for 15 years and has made four music albums as a composer, lyricist and performer. Honorary member, master of ceremonies, advisor of the Norwegian Shamanic Association.

Nóra Csepregi
Tour manager

Nóra Csepregi, student of Integral Academy, organizes events in Hungary and other European countries.

MONDAY

Bus pick-up at Hotel Azur’s reception at 9:00 am

The Community Bus Experience
9:00–10:30

During a 1-hour bus ride to the capital of Hungary you'll have a chance to learn about Hungarian and European realities that you usually don't get through news and guide books. Learn in-person from IEC's director and Integral Academy's founder Bence Gánti and also listen to local stories with an integral narrative about life and the experience of living in Central Europe and in the EU today.

Andrássy Avenue & Heroes’ Square the Face of 19th Century Europe
10:30–11:45

Andrássy Avenue and its historical environs were added to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in 2002. Belonging to the site are the buildings of the whole length of the avenue, including the Hungarian State Opera, the Millennium Underground, Heroes' Square, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Art Gallery and the Millennium Monument. The city park has its own hidden treasures such as The House of Music and designed by Japanese star architect Sou Fujimoto building and the new building of the Museum of Etnography.

Lunch at Harapós Mókus Restaurant
12:15–14:00

St. Stephens's Basilica - Budapest's largest church
14:30–15:30

The basilica is one of the most frequently photographed Hungarian tourist attractions and hides thousands of secrets. It was built for 54 years; 3 famous architects left their mark on the building. Pilgrims were travelling to the relic guarded in the Holy Right Abbey for centuries. The journey of the Holy Right started in the 15th century.

House of Parliament
15:45–16:45

Hungary's most iconic building is the magnificent House of Parliament. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987 as part of the Banks of the Danube. There are 365 towers of varying sizes, one for each day of the year, rise from the Hungarian Parliament. Let's make sure the counting was right while having a nice walk around.

Visit the Buda Castle
17:00–19:00

Buda’s Castle District is rich in historic sights and attractions like the Royal Palace, the Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion, medieval houses, interesting museums, charming crooked streets following the shape of the hill, as well as some good cafés and restaurants. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Besides the monuments, you get a breathtaking panorama of the Danube with the Chain Bridge and the Pest side of the city on the opposite side of the river.

Dinner at Fenyőgyöngye
19:30–21:00

Bus to hotel

TUESDAY

Pick-up at the hotel reception at 8

The Community Bus Experience
8:00–9:30

Let's head to northeast and discover the hidden sights of Palócföld and Cserhát Mountain.

Grabensia - the largest singing bowl in the world
9:40–11:40

Get to know SAMSARA, the world’s largest Tibetan singing bowl, as listed in the Guiness Book of World Records! That is so big that we will sit in it, at one time 12 people can sit in the bowl while it is singing! This treat will give us a gentle meditative state experience, like no other.

Lunch
11:50–12:50

The Hungarian Traditions Experience: Visit a Traditional Village with Live Music, Dance, Food and Handicrafts
13:00–15:00

The valley of the Hollókő creek is hiding in itself an exciting heritage. Since 1987, the 67 protected and fairytale like houses of the Old Village are registered by the UNESCO. Moreover, this was the first village in the world winning this title. Here you can try on the traditional Palóc costumes. Don’t just try on these costumes but learn a bit of Hungarian Folk Dance during our private folk dance lesson with live music.

Hike to "Hand of Fate" lookout
15:15–16:15

The Hand of Fate lookout is a hand-shape masterpiece made from wood. The God-human hand is a symbol of creation. Yes, we will be literally held by the Hand of Fate. Besides being a fun place to be, you can also make your wish here, in our small ceremony that will be held up here.

Ancient Hungarian traditions, healing power of Shamanic drum circle
16:30–19:00

István Zsolt Barát is a researcher of ancient wisdom, singer-musician, songwriter, poet. He researches Hungarian traditions all over the Carpathian basin, and later also investigates Asian nomadic cultures. He will bring us back to the origin of the Hungarians and tell us about the ancient and modern Hungarian shamanism. Let's learn what "Táltos" means!

Dinner
19:00–20:00

Relaxing community evening
20:00–

Farkaskútvölgy offers not just a picturesque view and spiritual energy but also a unique accommodation close to nature. Jump into the lovely little lake or have a relaxing time in the sauna and hot tub.

WEDNESDAY

Pick-up at the hotel reception at 8

The Community Bus Experience
8:00–9:30

Today we will visit the Danube Bend area of Hungary, a scenic, mountainous terrain where Europe’s largest river (the Danube) has its biggest change of direction on the continent, turning from west to east to south. Besides connecting with the river in this lovely natural setting, we will visit the sacred mountains of Pilis to meditate and sense this power place, followed by a visit to the most famous medieval castle in Hungary.

Visiting the Visegrád Castle
9:45–11:15

Visegrád is a small medieval town on the shore of the Danube, in the heart of the Danube Bend region, famous for the remains of the Early Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus and the medieval citadel on top of the mountain above Visegrád town, called "Visegrádi Vár", the Visegrad Castle. The castle is not only the main defining element of the Danube Bend scenery, but also a cultural-historical experience, one of the must-sees of Hungary. It also offers breathtaking views of the whole Danube Bend area.

Lunch at the Medieval Renaissance Restaurant with Fun Costumes
11:30–13:00

A warm atmosphere with a medieval style lunch from the region installed in the Renaissance Restaurant, all coming from the era of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. It is a fun place to be and eat just like being on a film set!

Connect with the Danube
13:15–13:45

We will stop at the Danube River and contemplate in silence for a few minutes, feeling the water and its natural surroundings. Here we will connect with the river outside of the built city context, in its original, natural form.

The Sacred Site of Dobogókő - Mountaintop View, Forest Walk and Quiet Meditation
14:30–16:00

Dobogókő is both a hiking destination and an outstanding spiritual energy center of Hungary situated in the Pilis Mountains. Not only do Hungarian spiritual practitioners come here, but also yogis, lamas, and shamans visit the site regularly from all parts of the world, offering ceremonies and retreats. We will have a refreshing walk in the lush forest, stopping for a meditation where you can immerse yourself in nature, in deep silence, and in the intense bioenergy field.

Bus ride back to Budapest
16:00–17:00

Closing Ceremony in the Garden of Philosophers on Gellért Hill
17:00–18:00

We will conclude our journey in the Garden of Philosophers statue park on Gellért Hill in Budapest, where at the feet of Ghandi, Buddha, Christ and Lao-Tzu, surrounded by greenery and singing birds, we will join in a short closing circle and farewell, ending our crazy and beautiful journey of IEC 2023.

Register for the tour here by bying the ticket

Only Tour – IEC2023

The Magical Mystery Tour is a 3-day, 4-quadrant event filled with unexpected and delightful twists and turns through the beautiful landscape of Hungary. You will experience a “stages of consciousness” tour as you journey through magenta, red, amber, orange, green, and teal layers of European and Hungarian culture, and local integralists will share with you their individual and collective interiors, their stories and sagas. Bence Gánti, master tour guide, will introduce you to places and people you most certainly would not have found any other way, and a professional tour guide will fill in the historical details of the cultural and spiritual sites you visit. Traveling with you on the bus will be 65 conference participants, including keynote speakers, and there will be many opportunities for building community with your fellow journeyers—sharing traditional meals, relaxing in the spa, chatting on the bus—as well as opportunities to sink into a peaceful, pleasant space of your own while looking out the window or slipping away with your camera to catch a gold-rose Hungarian sunset. This tour has it all.

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