In brief: Even in suboptimal conditions, we spied many deer and birds in the wild at Mafra’s Deer Park, a splendid forest haven.
The 833 hectares of Tapada de Mafra, ringed by a 21 kilometer (13 mile) stone wall, offer a royal treat for the public. Not surprisingly…for the 18th century king, Dom Joao V – John the Magnanimous or John the Sun King – lavished riches drawn from Brazil on his royal palace at Mafra and dedicated this huge swath of forested land to hunting (tapada) and other royal diversions. This privilege solely for the kings and court lasted into the 20th century.
For us commoners, this part of the Mafra World Heritage Site now offers four different walking trails through the terrain, from 5 to 9 kilometers, with climbs up to 125 meters (nearly 400 feet). At times, one can spot various forms of wildlife – notably fallow and red deer, wild boar, and 60 or so different bird species. Or just savor the diverse landscape, like this hilly terrain along the top of our trail, at about 150 meters above sea level.
The deer and boar are accustomed to the presence of people and often appear nearby. We visited during the current drought, which seemed to push them toward distant water and food sources. Yet we still managed to sight dozens of deer, mostly as they ambled away from us. The boar will have to wait patiently for us till next time.
We saw a few deer speeding along the valley of the park, but this backlit group of a dozen bachelors hung out at a watering and feeding station atop one of the highest ridges. We hoped they would dawdle longer, but even at a distance our approach induced them to ease away and disappear into the woods.
Our bachelor group walks away from us.
This kestrel hung about for a long time, but would not tolerate a closer approach even while he studied the landscape for food. Still, we managed to catch this long-distance photo.
Back in the valley, this was one of a group of deer that was moving through a grassy field. They then showed us only their tails while walking placidly down the road before crossing to a more secluded area.
The ridge line near the high point of the park where we found the bachelor group.
A beautiful afternoon in the woods, a vigorous walk, sightings of deer and birds…what’s not to enjoy.
(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)
