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The best place to monkey around in the jungle town of Ubud is, of course, the Ubud Monkey Forest. If you’re a fan of our primate brethren, then boy is this the place for you!
17 things to know about the Ubud Monkey Forest
Here’s everything you need to know before visiting the Ubud Monkey Forest:
1. What exactly is the Ubud Monkey Forest?
The official name of this special place is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. It’s both a nature reserve and a sacred temple area. The campus is spread over 30 acres and is home to over 1,200 long-tailed macaques.
There are three temples within the sanctuary:
- Pura Dalem (honoring the god Shiva)
- Holy Water Temple (honoring the goddess Gangga)
- Cremation Temple (honoring the god Brahma Prajapati)
These temples are estimated to have been built in the 14th century. Visitors may admire them from the outside but are not allowed to enter the temples.
2. What’s it like at the Ubud Monkey Sanctuary?
Walking through the Ubud Monkey Forest along the old stone, being completely covered by trees feels otherworldly. If it weren’t for the plethora of tourists, I imagine it would be easy to feel like Tarzan (if he was raised by macaques instead of gorillas).
One of the sanctuary’s centerpieces is a sprawling banyan tree that’s over a century old. Sculptures dispersed throughout the grounds serve as artistic complements, symbolizing the forces that strengthen the the temples.
Occasionally the peace is disturbed by perturbed primates squabbling with each other, but this is normal behavior within their group hierarchies.
3. How much are tickets?
The Ubud Monkey Forest entrance fee is as follows:
- Adults: IDR 130,000 (~$7.31 USD)
- Kids: IDR 100,000 (~$5.62 USD)
You can buy ticket vouchers in advance here.
4. What are the hours?
The Ubud Monkey Forest is open daily from 9am-6pm, with the last entrance at 5pm.
5. Where is the Ubud Monkey Forest?
The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is located in the Padangtegal village of Ubud. From the Denpasar airport, it’s about a 1.5-2 hour drive.
The Ubud Monkey Sanctuary is nestled between many cafes, restaurants, shops, and other tourist comforts that are easy to walk to.
6. How can I get there?
The rideshare services Grab and Gojek are easy to summon from your phone. Single riders can even choose the option of riding on the back of a moped! I recommend getting an eSIM so you can reliably use rideshare apps without wifi. Traditional taxis are available as well, but price haggling may be required.
It’s also relatively inexpensive to reserve a private driver for the day in Bali. If you’d like to create your own personal Ubud hot-spot itinerary (including the Monkey Forest) with the luxury of being driven from place to place, this could be a great option.
7. Is it safe for kids?
I would say that yes, the Ubud Monkey Forest is safe for kids with some caveats.
For instance, I would strongly deter folks from bringing kids with poor impulse control. You know, the kids who actively run at pigeons and try to pet dogs without asking first.
If your children can be trusted to remain calm and not behave in a way that may provoke aggression from the monkeys (and perhaps from other visitors), I think they would absolutely love getting to see so many primates up close.
8. What’s the best time to visit?
If your priority is avoiding crowds, I’d recommend visiting close to opening time at 9am or late afternoon between 4-4:30pm. Note that visitors aren’t allowed to enter after 5pm.
I wouldn’t be concerned about monkeys not being active or visible. I had to go out of my way several times to avoid stepping on a macaque.
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9. How much time do you need there?
To comfortably meander the grounds, I think 1-2 hours is sufficient. As the sanctuary gets more crowded, you’ll be moving more slowly and gingerly.
10. How can I interact with the monkeys?
For the safety of yourself and the monkeys, staff asks you to abide by the following:
You may take pictures with the monkeys from a distance (emphasis on distance).
Do not seek out an unsupervised interaction with a monkey. While they’re used to people, they are still wild animals.
Don’t touch the monkeys.
Don’t make eye contact. It may be misinterpreted and provoke aggression.
Maintain some distance and move calmly.
If a monkey jumps on you, don’t panic and move slowly. It will likely disembark quickly. Stay calm and walk to a staff member for assistance if the monkey seems to find you comfortable. I witnessed one monkey choose a backpack-wearing gentleman to be the Luke Skywalker to his Yoda. The man was calm and pleasant, we onlookers were amused, and no one was hurt.
11. Can I feed the monkeys?
No, you may not feed the monkeys. Not even the cute tiny ones. While tragic for us humanitarians, rest assured the primates are already fed a healthy diet by staff 9 times a day.
12. What should I wear?
Unfortunately for those of us who like to be fashionable, the Ubud Monkey Forest is not the place to be flashy. I recommend wearing an outfit that’s comfortable, suitable for lots of walking, and temple-appropriate. By temple-appropriate, I mean covered shoulders, chests, and knees. Short sleeve shirts, long skirts, and pants are all okay! Good walking shoes are also a must.
No hats or sunglasses. The monkeys might decide your getup looks better on them. Keep those bad boys in your bag or one of the storage lockers in the lobby. If you choose to wear them, do so with caution.
No shiny jewelry. Nothing sparkly that lets others know you have a fun personality. It may attract unwanted attention or a burglary from above.
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13. What should I bring?
Bring a bag you can keep close to you that’s free of shiny accoutrements (ie. no bag charms or keychains). Preferably one that zips or has a tight drawstring.
14. What should I NOT bring?
As these amazing creatures are still wild animals, there’s a solid list of contraband to prevent harm towards you and the monkeys:
No food. You don’t want to entice a primate to give you the TSA treatment. You won’t be without food for long, as there’s a ton of options in town you can walk to. I recommend Zest for an excellent meal with a superb atmosphere.
An extension of the above: no plastic, especially plastic bags. It presents a danger to curious monkeys and I’m sure you wouldn’t be impressed walking through a forest spewed with trash.
Nothing shiny. This goes for jewelry, sunglasses, keychains, etc. Put those goodies securely in your bag.
The sanctuary specifically discourages anything small that resembles peanuts.
No kids’ toys. I imagine a colorful, possibly noise-making gadget would entertain a monkey as much if not more than your human little ones.
There are lockers in the entrance lobby for visitors to store belongings.
15. Can I take photos with the monkeys?
As mentioned above, you may take pictures “with” the monkeys from a distance. However, if that isn’t a satisfactory souvenir, there is one staff-managed photo op that might interest you…
…a monkey selfie.
After giving them your phone for the picture, a staff member will have you sit down and entice a nearby monkey onto your lap with snacks. They then perform some photographer wizardry whereby they hold a snack to the side of the camera lens, so that when the monkey reaches out to grab it, it gives the illusion that the monkey is taking the photo.
First they led the monkey to sitting in my lap, and it had the weight of a small child. Next the staff member had me hold my arm outstretched, beckoning my new friend to climb up for pose number two. I immediately regretted not performing more lateral raises in the gym, as my shoulder informed me it was holding a substantial amount of monkey.
You are instructed not to touch the macaque. I appreciated that the staff did not force the monkeys to interact, but they were clearly used to the bribery.
While certainly a unique photo, there are a few catches:
First, there is only a short window of time each day when the staff will take the monkey selfies. The time will be posted on a sign near the photo spot. If you have trouble finding it, ask any staff member and they’ll fill you in.
Second, you can only purchase a selfie voucher during this specified time. Upon payment, you’ll be given a wristband from a designated staff member in the photo area. I assume they limit the number of photos to protect the monkeys. Note you may still have to wait in line for a while before you get your picture taken.
Third, the monkey selfie is IDR 50,000 (~$2.80 USD) and can only be paid for with cash. Make sure you bring cash with you if this is a must-do experience.
When the staff member returned my phone to me, it had precisely one million pictures on it. Among the plethora of options, it was easy to pick out a few where all the photo elements aligned to create a bemusing image.
16. Is there entertainment?
Yes!
If you visit the Ubud Monkey Forest on a weekend, you have the opportunity to take in a cultural performance while you rest from walking around. No monkeys are involved in these performances.
Lubdaka Dance
This is a traditional Balinese dance telling the story of Lubdaka in the Mahabharata epic. The titular character is a fisherman who faces trials and tribulations, underscoring the theme of fighting the forces of evil.
Performances: Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 4pm.
Frog Dance (Tari Katak)
As the name suggests, the choreography is reminiscent of the movement of frogs. However, the narrative of the dance is inspired by a story of sacrifice and remaining steadfast during difficult times.
Performances: Sundays at 11am and 4pm.
Ngaben
While an infrequent occurrence, this is so unique that I must mention it.
The Ngaben is an event that only takes place at the sanctuary every 5 years. It’s a mass cremation ceremony of all the corpses that have been buried (temporarily) in the sanctuary grounds’ cemetery since the previous Ngaben. It’s a celebratory Hindu tradition akin to a parade. Visitors are invited to observe but not participate.
The people cremated in this particular Ngaben were locals from the Padangtegal village.
17. What hotels are nearby?
If you’re in need of accommodation, here are some options nearby:
Overall Ubud Monkey Forest review:
I had heard from the locals that the monkeys in the Ubud sanctuary were much more amiable than the ones in Uluwatu. While I can’t speak to the latter, I had a positive experience with the monkeys here.
I was only nervous once or twice when a narrow stairway required me to walk by a monkey at a distance too close for my comfort. The monkeys never cared about me at all, though. I was worried I’d accidentally antagonize one of them, but the only times they were perturbed was by each other.
While the Ubud Monkey Forest can get crowded during midday, this is a special experience that I enjoyed very much. I encourage you to visit if you’d like to see some macaques up close!
Check it out if:
- You love monkeys and value their welfare.
- You enjoy being immersed in nature.
- Tarzan is your favorite Disney movie.
- You’d love to see a traditional Balinese dance performance.
Skip if:
- Monkeys terrify you.
- You know your kids would charge at the monkeys and try to touch them.
- You can’t stand crowds.
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