Badoca Safari Park

Badoca Safari Park covers 90 hectares of countryside near Vila Nova de Santo André, between the Alentejo plains and the sea, a little over an hour’s drive from Lisbon. The park says it keeps about 600 animals of more than 80 species. The big draw is the safari, where a tractor pulls trailers of visitors through large enclosures of African and Asian grazing animals. Around it is a full day of smaller things on foot: lemurs, baboons and mandrills on islands, meerkats, kangaroos, a farm, a reptile talk and a show with free-flying birds of prey.

For families on the Alentejo coast, or driving down to it, it is the nearest thing Portugal has to a day on safari.

The safari lasts about 45 minutes. A tractor tows trailers that hold up to 60 people along set tracks through the savannah enclosures, and a guide talks about the animals on the way. The species list on the park’s safari page includes giraffes, plains zebras, blue wildebeest, scimitar oryx, eland, kudu, waterbuck, sable antelope, ostriches, Congo buffalo, Asian water buffalo, Barbary sheep and blackbuck.

The trailer stays on its route, so Badoca is clear that it can’t promise every animal will be seen or come close. Animals that want shade on a hot afternoon will find it. Your safari slot is fixed at the ticket office when you arrive, because times change with how busy the day is. Staff there help you plan the day so the safari, the shows and the extras fit together.

The rest of the park is walked, and your entry ticket covers all of it.

• Madagascar island. Ring-tailed lemurs and red-bellied lemurs, which only live wild in Madagascar. The keepers’ feeding session, about 15 minutes, runs twice a day. Badoca says it is the only zoo in Portugal that keeps red-bellied lemurs.
• Primate islands. Three islands of about 1,600 square metres each hold sacred baboons and mandrills. The keepers hide seeds and honey inside logs with holes, so the monkeys use sticks to fish the food out, much as wild primates raid beehives and termite mounds.
• Walking trail. Meerkats, Bennett’s wallabies, warthogs, porcupines, coatis, a dwarf crocodile, parrots and tortoises, plus a tropical forest area with macaws and an exotic bird garden.
• The Quintinha (little farm). Shetland ponies, dwarf goats and sheep, pheasants and hens.

Along the trail there are play areas with swings and slides, hiding places for children and a wooden giraffe to climb on, which helps with toddlers who need a break from looking at animals.

The bird of prey presentation lasts about 30 minutes and runs twice a day. A trainer flies eagles, owls and vultures, and explains how an animal’s body fits its way of life: hunters are built differently from scavengers. Walking birds such as the hornbill and the seriema join in, and the show acts out hunting scenes. Birds listed for the show include an American bald eagle, Harris’s hawks, a griffon vulture, a Eurasian eagle-owl and a marabou stork.

From April to October there is also a 30-minute reptile presentation, twice a day, with tortoises, iguanas, lizards and snakes (a royal python and a reticulated python are on the list). It explains why reptiles bask in the sun and hide in the shade: they can’t control their own body temperature.

Both shows can be cancelled for weather or animal reasons, and Badoca doesn’t refund tickets when that happens.

• African Rafting (€4.90): about 10 minutes in an inflatable boat for nine people along 500 metres of rough water through an African-themed setting. You may get wet. Children must be at least 90 cm tall, and anyone under 1.30 m rides with an adult. Not advised for pregnant women or people with back problems.
• Lemur interaction (€15.90): about 15 minutes with a keeper among the lemurs, joining in a feeding session. From age 4, and children aged 4 to 10 need an adult with them. Places are limited.
• VIP experiences (same price for adults and children, under-4s free on the jeep safaris): a private jeep safari with a keeper for 1 hour 30 minutes (€99), which can leave the tractor’s tracks and get closer; a Giraffe Encounter that spends about 80% of the time with the giraffes (€105 on the prices page); versions of the VIP safari with a picnic, breakfast or dinner (€124 to €164); and a falconry experience of up to 45 minutes (€49), where children up to 10 must be with an adult. Book VIP experiences by email in advance.

Badoca also has a glamping site inside the park, the Safari Glamping Experience, for up to 30 guests, with breakfast and park entry on check-in and check-out days. Under-3s stay free. Check the website for current prices.

Toddlers get in free and tend to enjoy the trailer ride, the farm animals and the play areas more than the talks. Children of 4 to 10 are the park’s core audience: the lemur feeding and the bird show hold their attention, and the rafting is a treat once they reach 90 cm. Older children and teenagers will get more from the keepers’ explanations about conservation and breeding programmes, and are the ones most likely to want the paid falconry or giraffe sessions.

When checked in September 2026, entry cost €24 for adults, €18.50 for children aged 4 to 10 and €19.90 for over-65s. Under-4s go free, and staff may ask to see a child’s ID card to check age. People with a disability of 50% or more get half-price entry at the ticket office on showing their certificate. Discounts only apply at the ticket office on the day and can’t be combined with online tickets.

You don’t need to book. Buying online saves the queue for paying, but you still go to the ticket office to validate tickets and get your safari time. Tickets can’t be refunded or changed.

The park opens every day except 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, from 9:30. It closes at 16:30 in winter, 17:00 in spring and October and 18:00 in summer, and the ticket office shuts 90 minutes earlier. In winter that means arriving by 15:00. Weekends are busiest, so the park suggests a weekday if you want fewer people.

Almost everything is outdoors in the Alentejo sun, which is fierce in July and August. Bring hats, water and sun cream, and try to get an early safari slot. Wear comfortable shoes, since the walking trail covers a lot of ground.

The self-service restaurant, with a terrace looking over the savannah, is only open from 12:00 to 15:00, with a daily soup, meat, fish and vegetarian dish. The picnic-area kiosk sells sandwiches, pizza, juice, snacks and ice creams, and you can eat your own food at signed picnic spots. No pets or guide dogs are allowed, because some animals react badly to dogs.

Badoca’s website doesn’t describe step-free routes or buggy access, so if you’re relying on a wheelchair or a heavy buggy, ring the park first on 269 708 850.

The park is close to the beaches of the Alentejo coast. Praia da Costa de Santo André has a lagoon on one side and the Atlantic on the other, and São Torpes is a long beach just south of Sines. Science-minded families can pair Badoca with the old mine at Centro Ciência Viva do Lousal, inland near Grândola. For the other big animal day out in the south, see Zoomarine in the Algarve.

How long does the Badoca safari take?

The tractor safari takes about 45 minutes. With the shows, the lemurs and the walking trail, plan on a full day, which the ticket covers.

Do you need to book Badoca in advance?

No. You can buy tickets on the day or online, but either way you go to the ticket office to confirm your safari time. VIP experiences need booking by email beforehand.

Is Badoca good for toddlers?

Yes, with some planning. Under-4s go free, the trailer ride suits small children, and the walking trail has a farm and play areas. The heat and the distances are the main challenge, so bring a sun hat and take breaks.

Can you bring a picnic to Badoca?

Yes. There are signed picnic spots and a picnic area with a kiosk. The restaurant only serves lunch from 12:00 to 15:00.

Can you take the dog?

No. Pets and guide dogs are not allowed anywhere in the park.