Top 8 tips for Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali, Indonesia
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The Sacred Monkey Forest Ubud
Arguably the most thrilling (and most terrifying) experience you will have during your entire Bali trip. Upon arrival at the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, you are presented with warning signs about the monkeys reading things like, “Do not panic”, “Do not run”, and "Do not look the monkeys in the eyes”. Nope, not joking.
Needless to say, you should definitely make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before visiting the Ubud monkey forest.
Don’t misconstrue my words here, though— the Ubud Monkey Forest is seriously a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would highly recommend adding to your list of things to do in Bali.
However, I should caution you about a few things. Remember that these monkeys are wild animals, not pets, and you must be mindful of the rules in place at the monkey forest. Therefore, I would suggest following a few best practices for a fun, yet SAFE visit to the Bali monkey forest.
Feel free to skip to any specific section using the links below!
Table of Contents
1. Yes, there is an entrance fee to the Monkey Forest
I figured I should get this one out of the way since its one of the most frequently asked questions about the monkey forest… yes, there is an entrance fee. But tickets are super cheap anddd the insanity of this place is 100% worth it.
Oh, and just a quick note for those wondering... the forest is open daily from 8:30 AM until 6 PM, and the ticketing service closes at 5:30 PM.
Ubud Monkey Forest Entrance Fee
As of November 2019, the Adult entrance fee for the Ubud Monkey Forest is IDR 80,000 (about $6 USD). The Child entrance fee for the monkey forest is IDR 60,000 (about $4.50 USD). You do not need to purchase tickets in advance. However, I highly suggest booking a tour! It makes the experience SO much more enjoyable. See next tip for more info.. :)
2. Book an Ubud Monkey Forest Tour
So you have a few different options here. You could opt for something with less activities involved, but I highly suggest going all out and doing one of the “Best of Ubud” style tours. These not only include your Monkey forest visit.. they give you the whole shabang, providing you with an out-of-this-world Bali experience that you can’t help but rave home about.
I highly recommend any of the following 5-star rated tours:
3. Prepare yourself for tons of monkeys
I had to throw this one in there… just so you know what you’re getting yourself into. There are more than 700 monkeys, split into several groups. You can find monkeys in the following areas:
Cremation Temple
Central Point
East part of the main temple
North East area
Main Temple
New Forest area
Nothing to be toooo concerned about! You’ll see them all over but they’ll really just be minding their own business (as long as you follow the tips in this article, of course).
4. Do not bring food with you into the monkey forest
One of the most important tips to follow: do not bring outside food with you into the Ubud monkey forest. Check any and all pockets/bags for food before entering the temple. The monkeys will smell it immediately, even if you think its completely out of reach/secure in your bag. They are SUPER persistent about retrieving something once they’re fixated on it. It’s best to just leave the snacks behind— trust me, you’ll thank me later.
5. Do not feed bananas to the Bali monkeys!
On the food note, there will be a woman sitting at a table selling bananas, who you will see upon arrival. Seriously, just don’t buy the bananas. There are a countless number of horror stories involving food and feeding bananas to the monkeys (come on- no one wants to run the risk of getting monkey rabies!).
However, as long as you resist the urge to buy bananas or bring in food (like the responsible traveler I know you are), you will be just fine!
6. Don’t touch the Bali monkeys- don’t even look at them!
You might think I’m joking, but I’m definitely not. There’s literally a sign that says, “don’t look at the monkeys in the eyes” as you enter the forest. I wish I still had that photo…
Anyway, so I looked at a monkey in the eyes purely on accident while getting a close-up shot on my camera (I was using my prime lens which doesn’t have a zoom.. so ya gotta get up close & personal). Needless to say, I overstayed my welcome with the monkey… and he did NOT want to be my friend. There was some hissing, crouching, teeth baring andddd my friend and I were nearly attacked (but for real this was 100% my fault so don’t misconstrue what I’m sayin’ here).
Fortunately, the monkey got distracted with something in the distance and ran off before anything drastic could happen.
BUT serious top tip— you should 100% avoid eye contact with the monkeys, and you should definitely avoid any physical contact with the monkeys. While most of the monkeys in the Ubud temple are tame and comfortable with human interaction, you should still never touch the monkeys in any circumstance. They can become aggressive and territorial out of nowhere… and you don’t want to be around long enough for this to go down.
7. The Monkey Forest is their home, not yours
One very important thing people tend to lose sight of throughout all the Monkey Forest shenanigans— this is THEIR home… not yours.
I mean, trust me— I get it. In the moment, I lost sight of that too. This place is kind of a mad house and its easy to get frustrated with the monkeys if something goes wrong (ie. they take your stuff). But lets just rewind for a second and remember; this isn’t your territory. Andddd they are innocent creatures, after all (ok maybe not completely innocent but they really don’t know any better).
8. Hold onto your belongings in the monkey forest!
Alright, completely serious about this one. If the monkeys grab onto something important, then either say ‘bye forever’ to it or remain calm and hang on tight.
My best friend, Sol, nearly had to say goodbye to her small purse with all of her important travel documents. I’m talkin’ passport, credit cards & cash, ID— you name it.
So basically… Sol was kneeling down, admiring how adorable one of the monkey was, when it suddenly ran towards her in full speed and attempted to snatch her bag. Maybe not so cute after all. :)
She held on tightly, but suddenly a second monkey joined in on the action (go figure). She literally had one monkey on top of her head, yanking her hair.. while the other monkey started a game of tug-of-war (aka tug-Sol’s-purse).
Fortunately, growing up in Costa Rica with plenty of wildlife to go around, she knew that she needed to stay calm. She held onto the purse securely, put her head down and stayed quiet throughout the whole *bizarre* affair.
As this was unfolding, I was of course screaming uncontrollably and acting anything but calm. But luckily the monkeys eventually got bored and found something new to distract them. Needless to say, it was probably best that the monkeys jumped on her instead of me- I probably would have landed in the hospital with tons of monkey bites due to my irrational behavior. :)
Final thoughts & best Monkey Forest Ubud tips:
Hopefully this post doesn’t scare you away from visiting the monkey forest (no seriously— it is SO worth it). Just remember….
Do not bring food in with you, and don’t buy bananas from the banana lady at the monkey forest entrance. :)
Do not look the monkeys in the eyes, seriously. I did this purely on accident while getting a close-up shot on my camera, and my friend and I were nearly attacked. Luckily the monkey spotted something in the distance and ran off before anything drastic happened, but that really wouldn’t have been too fun.
Hold onto your phone for dear life :) and place it somewhere secure when you aren’t taking all those snazzy photos for your Instagram stories! The monkeys will try and grab anything and everything they can- especially phones.
I would highly suggest leaving anything loose or small at home if you can. If you do bring something loose (lookin’ at my ‘tiny purse’ ladies), hold onto it securely.
In general, be smart about what you choose to bring into the Ubud monkey forest.
Again, while I highly suggest this crazy experience, just try to be smart about your visit to the Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest!
Have you visited the Ubud monkey forest? I would love to hear your thoughts on the experience below! If you are planning on visiting the Sacred Monkey Forest and have any questions for me about the experience, feel free to drop a comment below and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Hi there! I’m Fallon. A Florida native who, after receiving my masters degree in the U.K., decided to nix the 9-5 path in search of something more. Now, I run my graphic and web design business straight from my laptop, all while traveling the world. I’ve now traveled to over 25 countries and have knocked some pretty big adventures off my bucket list… and I’m just getting started. Follow along my journey as I present tips, guides and resources on solo female travel, photography, videography, entrepreneurship & the crazy lifestyle of a digital nomad.
