bigtravelbuzzExperience the beauty and serenity of Ubud Monkey Forest. His one of the best activities in Ubud. A natural oasis sacred to the Balinese, filled with stunning temples, tranquil rivers, ancient trees and hundreds of cheeky monkeys. Monkeys roam freely here. Take this great opportunity to see happy animals in their natural habitat. Here is a complete guide to visiting Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali.
Story of Ubud Monkey Forest
Ubud Monkey Forest is founded and protected according to ancient Hindu principles. These principles are intended to enable people to live in harmony with their environment and nature. It’s a vital sanctuary for about 700 monkeys, but it also has important spiritual significance for locals.
In addition, important conservation and research programs are in place for animals, forests and rare plants in protected areas.
Monkey Forest Experience
Monkeys
Hundreds of Barrier Gibbons live in Ubud His Monkey Forest and live together in different groups. The probability of meeting a baby monkey is also high! Monkeys live here voluntarily as there are no restrictions, barriers or fences.
Ubud Monkey Forest is a beautiful natural paradise and unique experience for animals and humans.
Feeding Monkeys
Tasty foods such as sweet potatoes, bananas, coconuts and papaya leaves are fed to the monkey three times a day by reserve staff. Tourists could feed the monkeys bananas, but this has now been discontinued. This was done to protect the health of the monkeys and prevent them from pouncing on tourists for food.
Woods
Ubud Monkey Forest is a huge forest with about 30.8 hectares! So it takes about 1.5 to he 2 hours to hike the monkey forest, enjoy the nature and observe the monkeys. The forest canopy also provides cool temperatures and shade from the hot Balinese sun.
Ubud Monkey Forest is home to over 100 species of trees, many of which are considered sacred. For this reason, locals often make prayers and offerings to tree spirits. It’s important to remember that not only the ancient temples, but the entire forest that surrounds them is sacred!
Temple
There are also three temples in the forest. This creates a “jungle book” style setting with all the monkeys flying around an ancient temple surrounded by hanging trees and roots.
Useful information:You cannot enter the temple as it is sacred and intended only for the prayer community.
Opening hours
Ubud Monkey Forest is open daily from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Please note that ticket purchases close at 5:30pm.
Tickets: Adult ticket price is IDR 80,000. (~$5.5) Child tickets are IDR 60,000.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit is in the morning when it is very calm and quiet. However, the best time to take pictures is around 5pm when the light flickers in the forest.
How to reach Ubud Monkey Forest
The Monkey Forest is located on the outskirts of Ubud village. (Place) Enter from the main gate at the end of Monkey Forest Road. Ubud Monkey Forest is a 1.5 hour drive from the international airport in South Bali. There are several ways to reach the Monkey Forest.
- Shuttle Bus – Free shuttle bus to/from Ubud center every 15 minutes!
- Stroll – Mori is just a 15 minute walk from the center of Ubud.
- Motorcycle – You can park in the sanctuary for a small fee.
- Taxi – For example, “Grab” taxis similar to Uber. Alternatively, if you are arriving to the island from afar, you can hire a taxi driver.
How much Ubud Monkey Forest is safe?
Monkeys are cheeky and friendly. However, it is good to remember that they are unpredictable. They often associate tourists with food, so they will come very close to you or even hop on over to see if you have food.If this happens, don’t panic. Calmly get up and slowly leave. Don’t get afraid of being bitten. Monkeys are naturally friendly and will only bite when they sense danger or threat. As a rule of thumb, monkeys should never look you in the eye or show you their teeth.
Security Guidelines
Ubud Monkey Forest asks visitors to follow the following guidelines when visiting monkeys in the forest: At the entrance you will find the following guidelines:
- Don’t panic or run away – if a monkey pounces on you, stay calm. Otherwise, you may scare the monkeys.
- Don’t look the monkey in the eye – Monkeys can feel threatened by this.
- Please do not take food or feed the monkeys- The monkey will sniff everything you have and try to take it away from you. And feeding leads to aggressive behavior, with monkeys attacking tourists for food. Eating anything other than your normal diet is also unhealthy.
- Please do not touch or disturb the monkeys – It can startle monkeys and lead to attacks. Naturally, mothers are very protective of their babies, so be extra careful around them.
- Be careful with your personal belongings – Be sure to remove jewelry, sunglasses, etc., as the monkeys may be playing. Make sure the bag is properly zipped or strapped across your body.
- Take care of children – If you have children, be sure to explain the rules of Ubud Monkey Forest so they understand how to treat monkeys with respect.
- Please do not bring plastic or paper bags – Monkeys may want to play when they see a bag. Additionally, Ubud Monkey Forest does not allow plastics into the sanctuary to avoid littering and damage to nature.
Rabies
Ubud Monkey Forest veterinarians are constantly monitoring the health of the monkeys and so far there have been no cases of rabies. If you do get bitten, seek help at your local first aid center. A qualified nurse can help.