On 06/26/2021 we went to visit Mafra National Park, which is less than 1 hour from Cascais and still within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. We were prohibited from leaving the AML because of a government decree to try to contain Covid-19 cases, so we canceled our trip to the Dinosaur Park and went to see animals that still exist. 🙂

Booking the tour

Following a friend's recommendation, I called them around 9:30 am to reserve our seats at tour by electric car and chose the 11:30 am time slot, as the attendant said it was the most interesting time to see the animals.

We arrived just in time tour, but luckily the parking lot was next to the ticket office. I ran to make the payment (12 euros per adult and 5 euros for Patrick, who is 3 years old) and with the tickets in hand, I went back to the parking lot to finally go on the tour.

If you want to know more about the tours in Tapada, visit their website. There are several hikes that look really cool!

The National Hunting Grounds of Mafra

Covered means a fenced and protected forest area where game is raised. It was created in 1747 during the reign of Dom João V to be a leisure and hunting area for the Royal Family, who were housed nearby in the magnificent Mafra Palace (we have already visited too and I told you everything here! ).

The TNM has a total area of 1200 hectares, but the visitable part is 800 hectares. There are several animals inside the space, the main ones being fallow deer, stags and wild boar, and luckily we were able to see all 3 species! It was exciting 🙂

If you want to know more about the history of Tapada and also about the species, buildings and activities, see this super complete website and also the TNM's own website.

The tour

PS. We went during the pandemic and everyone had to wear masks inside the electric car, but when we got out to see the animals more closely, we could take them off. Paddy (3 years old) and Ju (2 months old) didn't wear masks.

We booked the electric car tour and as we were the last ones, we ended up getting the seats at the back of the car. Our guide Bruno was a very friendly guy who happily spent the whole trip telling stories about the place and the animals that live there.

As the day was hot, Bruno warned us that it would be more difficult to see the animals, but after a lot of searching for the cats, we came across several Wild boars free, light and loose. How incredible to see and hear them so close!

Further ahead we saw the Fallow deer, which I honestly thought were deer. The guide explained to us that they are from the same family, but they are smaller, less shy and there are more of them in Tapada.

The animals

We passed by some dirty pools and saw turtles, frogs and butterflies, but nothing that caught our attention (including the little one's). Then we saw more wild boars and deer and unfortunately it was time to head back.

When we were halfway back, the guide stopped the car and started telling the story of Chico the deer, who is the Alpha deer of the region, but who was very shy and solitary (like all alphas). Then, it was a matter of minutes for the little deer to appear! What JOY!!!

He is actually much bigger than the animals we had seen before and has enormous horns that reflect his age. We took lots of photos and watched him with all his elegance, until he got fed up with us and left.

We continued our journey and to top it off, we saw a female deer and a baby deer, just like in the film Bambi!

Bruno said that a good time to visit Tapada is October, because that's when the male deer fight to determine who will be the alpha this time. I think that with the milder weather the other animals should also appear more, so we've already made a note here to come back one day.

Lunch in Mafra

After almost 2 hours of walking, we called the Portuguese restaurant Convent Cellar, with a good rating on TripAdvisor and an open balcony (after all, the pandemic is still going on) and we made a reservation for lunch. What a happy surprise! Nice atmosphere, impeccable service and the food….yummmmm

We ask Garlic Prawns input and Codfish in the Cellar (my husband and my mother-in-law) and Monkfish Curry with Prawns (me) of main courses. Absolutely delicious! I love monkfish, as well as shrimp and curry, so my dish seemed like it was made for me.

A great restaurant option in Mafra!