Ubud Monkey Forest

Ubud Monkey Forest - the most important information

Mandala Suci Wenara Wana, or well known as Ubud Monkey Forest, is the sanctuary and natural habitat of the Balinese long-tailed macaque. It is located at Padangtegal Ubud, Bali. Sacred Monkey Forest Ubud is a famous tourist attraction in Ubud. Every month around 10,000–15,000 visitors come to Monkey Forest Ubud. The forest is owned by the Padangtegal community and is managed by Mandala Suci Wenara Wana Management. The purpose of the management is to keep sacred the place and promote the Monkey Forest Ubud as an international tourist destination.

What to see in the Ubud Monkey Forest?

The Monkey Forest lies within the village of Padangtegal, which owns it. The village's residents view the Monkey Forest as an important spiritual, economic, educational, and conservation center for the village. Here you can spot different things such as:

About 1049 monkeys live in this sanctuary. They are divided into 6 groups, namely in front of the main temple group, a forest conservation group, central point group, eastern group, Michelin group, and cemeteries group. We also divide the monkeys by age: 63 adult male, 34 Sub-adult male, 219 Adult female, 29 Sub-adult female, 167 juveniles 1 (2-3 year), 118 juveniles 2 (1-2 year), 63 Infant old (5-12 month) and 56 infants.
The Ubud Monkey Forest contains a fenced enclosure for a small herd of Timor rusa, a type of deer native to the island of Timor. Visitors can view the deer enclosure.
The Monkey Forest Ubud has 186 species of plants and trees in 12,5 hectares of forest. The park is heavily forested and has lots of hills, and a deep ravine runs through the park grounds, at the bottom, there is a rocky stream. Trails allow visitors access to many parts of the park, including the ravine and stream.
The Monkey Forest Ubud has 3 temples, namely Dalem Agung Padangtegal Temple, Holy Spring Temple, and Prajapati Temple. The temples play an important role in the spiritual life of the local community, and the monkey and its mythology are important in the Balinese art tradition.
The Monkey Forest area is sanctified by the local community, and some parts of it are not open to view by the public. Sacred areas of the temples are closed to everyone except those willing to pray and wear proper Balinese praying attire.

Opening hours and tickets for the Ubud Monkey Forest

Opening hours: This forest is open every single day from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM.
Tickets: The entrance Fee costs around 5 dollars for adult visitors and around 4 dollars for children.

How to get to the Ubud Monkey Forest?

Ubud is located in the middle of Bali, and if you're planning on getting there via flight, you really need to go to the Denpasar Bali Airport, which is located on the southern tip of the island. From there you can either rent a car or take a bus to get to Ubud. Getting to the Ubud Monkey Forest is quite easy from the Ubud town center. You can walk here quite easily and it will only take you about 15 minutes.

Ubud Monkey Forest trivia:

Money: Revenues from ticket sales go into village coffers to pay for religious ceremonies such as temple festivals and cremations.
Zoological: The monkeys are macaques (Macaca fascicularis), with a population of around 600 individuals in five main tribes occupying different areas.
Culture: The forest’s name in Balinese is Wana Wenara. (Wana means ‘forest’. Wenara is high Balinese for ‘monkey’. The monkeys are addressed with the respectful title, ‘Jero’.) The Balinese honor the monkeys because of their ambivalent character — as temple guardians, they are both pure and fierce.
Food and monkey bites. The park managers feed the monkeys sweet potatoes three times a day. Bananas are available for visitors to feed them but don’t tease them. Monkeys may become aggressive if they are teased with food. Monkey bites are considered a serious medical emergency.
While being here you have to keep your expensive valuables hidden for the monkeys and to be careful with any food you have, especially the bananas. Also, you have to respect the staff if they ask you to stop doing something and try not to scare the monkeys. You have to remember that this is theirs home, not yours.