The Ubud Monkey Forest is a sacred forest located in Ubud, Bali and is home to about 700 long-tailed furry friends – i.e monkeys. To be more exact, these monkeys belongs to the macaques species. Adorned with an adorable, cheeky and all innocent look on their faces, these local primates all too easily attract anyone’s like and attention – especially when they come looking for it.

Uncaged and free to roam around their natural habitat, these monkeys have sub-divided themselves into relatively four distinct clan groups, each with their own territory. As they always hang-out only with their own gang, they do not mingle with monkeys from other groups. Behaving like a little devil, they will end up fighting if or when they tried to mingle with the other gang members.

These cute little devils are not as simple as you may think. They have a good sense of smell and vampire-like teeth. They can be fierce and aggressive too if provoked or challenged. 

But don’t let their behaviour discourage you from visiting this interestingly fun-filled place. All you need is just a little precaution. For me, I had a great and memorable time here.

The entrance ticket costs IDR 50.000 and can be purchased at the entrance upon arrival.

You will be engulfed in a total relaxing atmosphere as soon as you set foot into this nature reserve. Surrounded by alluring pristine tropical green, the distinctive smell of the humid damp earth combined with old fallen leaves set forth a calming touch in the midst of curiosity of this mysterious escapade.

You will be greeted by many of the cheeky devil friends sitting here and there in the forest area and even sometimes along the path; just doing about their ‘monkey’ business and living their daily lives. It is interesting to personally observe their behaviour closely as you will find them exhibiting certain resemblance to human behaviour.

So long as you don’t disturb them, they won’t even give a care about you, leaving you alone to take pictures of them. Or maybe, they are already so used to being little celebrity like creatures to us humans.

Situated inside this Monkey Forest are three Hindu temples and a cremation site. You can also find many huge intricately carved sculptures too. As Ubud is a centre for local heritage and traditional arts and crafts, these sculptures clearly define the level of craftsmanship of the art talents here.

This was one of my best experiences in Ubud. This cheeky devil, even after finishing its banana, refused to get off me and decided to sit like a queen on my shoulder while even resting its hand on my head! How annoyingly cute!

“Try this only if you have a tour guide or the forest caretaker with you.”

I could say I was kind of lucky as this monkey was gentle and well-behaved. All it did was sit on my shoulder and instead of snatching the banana, it gently peeled the banana skin away and took out the fruit and ate. Very adorable and tame I must say! 

Here are some things to take note before visiting the Ubud Monkey Forest:

1. Do not bring any food into the forest.
2. Do not keep any food (not even sweets) in your pockets or bags. Otherwise the little devils will help liberate them from you.
3. Keep your bottled water and valuable belongings in your bag.
4. Do not use flash function on your cameras while taking pictures.
5. Do not make eye contact with the monkeys. This may seem provocative for them.
6. Do not approach or encourage the monkeys to climb upon you. Or its not just climbing they would do on you.
7. Do not wear big, shining accessories and be careful of your glasses and sunglasses. The little devils may take their fashion forward from you. 

Always be alert of your surrounding and walk calmly. This is an enthralling forest. So enjoy and have a good experience for yourself. Cheers.

Ubud Monkey Forest
Address: Jalan Monkey Forest Padangtegal Ubud Gianyar Bali 80571
Contact: +62-361-971-304
Opening Hours: 08:30 to 18:00 Daily
Website: https://www.monkeyforestubud.com