Sangeh

General Info

• Ticket price: IDR 30,000 (IDR 15,000 Domestic or visa Kitas)

• Parking fee: IDR 5,000 / scooter

• Suitable for kids: ✅

• Number of monkeys: 600

• Popularity: 🧡🧡🧡🤍🤍

• Difficulty: Easy

Sangeh Monkey Forest is one of the three monkey forests in Bali. Covering an area of about 10 hectares, you will find a dense forest of deciduous trees (Dipterocarpus hasseltii) that provide a cozy habitat for approximately 600 grey long-tailed macaques (Macaca faciculari). Among others, the 17th-century Hindu temple Bukit Sari with its dominant nine-story roof of the main shrine, is located within the forest.

This monkey forest is located in Sangeh village of Abiansemal district, about 35 minutes drive from Ubud. GPS coordinates can be found here. You will reach the spacious parking area through the main gate. A ticket office is on the right-hand side immediately after the entrance to purchase tickets. The entrance fee is IDR 30,000 (USD 2)/person and IDR 5,000 (USD 0.3) for scooter parking.

The left side of the parking lot is lined with stalls selling snacks and small handicrafts. You can also buy a small bag of peanuts for IDR 5,000 (USD 0.3) to use as a treat for the monkeys. At the end of the car park on the left, you will find toilets for a voluntary fee.

You can't miss the entrance to the forest itself; it's just past the ticket office on the right. Once you enter the grounds, a grassy area with paths and statues will open up. Here you can sit down and feed the monkeys, who love to come here to take nuts from the tourists. If you continue past the statues, you will enter the forest, and a view of the temple will open up for you. In front of the temple on the left side is a pool for the monkeys, who often swim here and even jump into it from the temple walls.

As you explore the forest, you will probably be joined by a local guide - an employee of the monkey forest. He will be happy to help you get a good quality selfie if you wish and, if necessary, scare away a monkey hungry for your nuts. The guides were always very friendly to us, and we gave them a tip at the end of the walk.

The monkeys in the forest were calm and not aggressive. Our one-year-old daughter hand-fed them with absolutely no problems. If you squat or sit down, you might get a monkey jumping on your back by the neck. But no need to worry, they won't do anything to you.

⚠️ Warning: do not touch the monkeys, even if they jump on you. If you want the monkey to go away, keep walking. It is also not recommended to show your teeth to the monkeys - this is seen as a gesture of aggression among the monkeys.

It's worth noting that the forest has barrierless access, so it's possible to take a trip there with a person in a wheelchair.

The place is recommended to visit. A peaceful walk in the shade under the tall trees in the company of monkey companions will make your day pleasant.

Pros

+ Pleasant, quiet walk among the monkeys

+ Friendly guides

+ Barrierless access

Cons

- Some might miss the higher quality restaurant

- Restrooms need renovation

- Parking fee should be included in the ticket price