Tapada Nacional de Mafra
The royal complex in and around Mafra includes 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) purchased in 1744 by João V, who then enclosed the land with a 21-km (13-mile) stone wall in order to hunt at leisure. Two-thirds of this area is now the protected National Hunting Grounds of Mafra, a forest teeming with indigenous species: around 30 mammals, from fallow and roe deer to tiny shrews, 70 kinds of bird, and more than 20 different amphibians and reptiles, along with various macrofungi and 100 or so other types of plant. For most of the year visitors may simply walk (or rent a bike) along one of the marked trails; at weekends and in summer various experiences are on offer, such as demonstrations with birds of prey, tours in an electric minibus or, on weekends, a miniature train. The entrance is a 10-minute drive from the palace at Mafra.
