Bali’s central city is home to over 600 monkeys in the Ubud Monkey Forest. Also known as the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, over 100,000 tourists visit its mischievous furry monkeys each year.
The 10-hectare grounds of Ubud Monkey Forest are hilly and heavily forested, making them an ideal habitat for the hundreds of crab-eating macaques or Balinese long-tailed monkeys on site. Visitors can watch the primates groom, mate and fight between groups, or even feed a furry friend a banana. The monkeys are so used to being fed, so they’ll often reach into tourists’ bags or pockets in search of a snack.
Despite being a nature reserve, the Ubud Monkey Forest is centrally located in Ubud, a popular city in central Bali. It is less than a 10-minute walk from the famed Yoga Barn Studio and less than a 20-minute walk from Ubud Palace. Visitors travelling from the busier Kuta Beach can rent a scooter and reach the sanctuary in about an hour.
In addition to the natural features of the park, the Ubud Monkey Forest houses three Hindu temples, all dating back to the mid-14th century. The Main Temple honours Shiva, the Beji Temple worships Gangga, and the Prajapati Temple honours Prajapati.