What’s a trip to Bali without visiting the famous Monkey Forest Sanctuary? 

Millions of people flock to Bali, Indonesia every year all looking for a difference experience. Whether you are coming to surf, zen out, hike volcanoes or just experience Bali you’ll want to add seeing the Monkey Forest to you list.  

If you have never heard of the Monkey Forest, it is a sanctuary located in Ubud which is in Northern Bali, about an 1 1/2 hours from the Denpasar airport. The mission of the Monkey Forest is to honor the Hindu Principle of Tri Hata Karana. It’s meant to unite us with the three goals which are peaceful relationships between humans and humans, humans and the natural environment and humans and The Supreme God.  The forest is meant to unite humans with the natural environment and one another. At the same time, it acts a sanctuary to protect monkeys and educate the public.

Visiting the Monkey Forest is not an expensive experience it is 50,000 rupiah per adult or $3.79 USD. This fee does go towards the maintenance and upkeep. You can also purchase food to feed the monkeys, this ranges between 5,000 and 10,000 rupiah.

Now when visiting the Monkey Forest it is very important to remember a few key things.

1st – Do not look at the monkeys directly in the eyes or smile (show teeth) as it’s perceived as a sign of aggression

2nd – Keep all loose articles (glasses, cell phones, cameras, etc) securely on your body or zipped in a backpack but keep it deep in your backpack or purse

3rd – Do not take ANYTHING that smells like food, such as actual food, lotion, gum, chapstick or water. Monkeys are like sharks with blood in the water and they will smell it a mile away. Monkeys here will attack people to get whatever goodies they think you have hiding away in your pack. I saw a monkey open a guy’s backpack and steal a banana and run off.

4th – Do not feed them, you will see plenty of people selling food. Once a monkey thinks you have food it’s very hard to get them to go away and they can be persistent.

5th – If a monkey does steal something from you let them have it unless it’s very important. I saw a monkey steal an admission ticket from someone. She tried to grab it back it bared its teeth and starting snapping at her. Not worth it at all unless its something you can’t live without. Rabies is a real thing, and you don’t want to end up in the hospital getting rabies shots. 

6th – HAVE FUN, most importantly have fun it’s an amazing place to visit and a great experience.

Beside the monkeys, the grounds themselves are gorgeous. They have cute swing sets and amazing buildings all over. You can spend a good hour exploring and you will be plenty occupied. 

Overall, it is a must visit place, especially if you are staying in Ubud. Drop a comment below if you have ever visited the Monkey Forest!