Cheeky Monkeys: Our Visit to the Ubud Monkey Forest

By Tristan | October 28, 2026 | Destinations | Indonesia

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When my family asked what I was most excited to see in Ubud, Bali, my answer was clear: the Ubud Monkey Forest! How can one not be excited about a forest full of monkeys? And after a false start, the monkeys delivered.

We hired a guide for the day, and planned to start our morning with the monkeys. After picking us up bright and early, he drove us across Ubud to a strangely deserted Monkey Forest. That’s when we learned the monkeys’ gates don’t open for business until 9am. Apparently they are not early risers, although we did see several patrolling the parking lot at that early hour.

When we returned to try again in mid-afternoon, the monkeys were in full swing. After a hot day of sightseeing, we sat down for a refreshing gelato in the entrance lobby, only to see a monkey scamper by inside the building. The fences around the Monkey Forest appear to be more of a suggestion than a hard boundary.

Signs everywhere list the precautions: no direct eye contact, no feeding, and keep an eye on your belongings. Visitors are also told not to touch the monkeys or try to pick them up, and not to panic, run, or scream. These cheeky monkeys have no qualms about scampering off with anything that interests them. We watched one climb onto an unsuspecting tourist’s backpack; it took him a minute to realize he had an extra passenger! Several others were playing with water bottles and other booty from earlier pilfering. Our nine-year-old enjoyed seeing the monkeys, but had a couple anxious moments when monkeys ran at her, before they kept going past to munch on some corn that staff had laid out for them.

There were monkeys everywhere. The sanctuary shelters over a thousand long-tailed macaques, which are divided into seven groups, each with its own territory. While we anticipated the monkeys, what we didn’t expect was how pleasant the shaded grounds would be to walk through. The forest covers about 12.5 hectares (roughly 31 acres) and is home to temples and moss-covered statues as well as monkeys. There are three Hindu temples: Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, Pura Beji, and Pura Prajapati, built around the middle of the 14th century. Parts of the temples are off-limits to visitors because they are considered extremely sacred and used only for prayer.

We enjoyed our visit to Ubud’s Monkey Forest and made it through without the monkeys stealing any of our belongings… at least that we noticed.

If You Go – Ubud Monkey Forest Visitor Tips

• Hours: Open daily 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with last entry typically at 5:00 PM. Learn from us and don’t show up early!
• Tickets: IDR 130,000 per adult, IDR 100,000 for children. The entrance center has a cafe, toilets, ticket machines, and a cash desk.
• Best time: The first couple of hours after opening, 9 to 11am, are the quietest.
• Protect your stuff: Lockers are available at the entrance, and sunglasses, phones, water bottles, and jewelry should be zipped inside your bag.
• Ubud Monkey Forest website