When you think of baby monkeys, what comes to mind? Cute doe-eyed critters munching on bananas? Maybe tiny little mongrels hanging onto their tree-swinging moms for dear life? That’s what the Ubud Monkey Forest promises.
Now, I am terrified of monkeys. I don’t have my rabies vaccine (if any Americans know how to get it for less than $1,000 I’m all ears). The last thing I want to do on a two-week holiday is go chasing down emergency rabies shots.
Given my monkey-phobia, I was hesitant to visit the Ubud Monkey Forest. I’d heard that its inhabitants bare their teeth at you. They hurl themselves — and each other — at you. They jump on you. And they might even bite you.
But all it takes to make me conquer a fear is an afternoon when I have nothing else to do. And in the end, the Monkey Forest was pretty freaking awesome. So in this post I hope to inspire fellow monkey-haters to conquer your fears and visit this unique complex!
What is the Ubud Monkey Forest?
The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is exactly what it sounds like — it’s a small section of protected forest south of Ubud where monkeys — lots of them — roam freely. It houses three temples that the local Balinese Hindu community actively uses. One is a cremation temple.
But the Ubud Monkey Forest is also a massive tourist draw to Ubud. In fact, I met many backpackers who came to Ubud solely to visit the Monkey Forest — they didn’t even realize that this town has more to offer (like amazing art museums).
That means the sanctuary is a bit commercialized and very crowded. This is not the best place to learn about conservation issues on Bali or explore temple culture. It’s more the kind of place where you can buy a bushel of bananas for $0.50 and use them to lure monkeys to jump on your shoulders for the sake of an Instagram photo.
What to expect when you visit the Ubud Monkey Forest
Let’s be clear: The Ubud monkeys are wild animals. If they’re provoked, they will attack you. And a monkey attack means chasing down (increasingly hard-to-get) rabies vaccine.
However, these monkeys are also pretty accustomed to being around people. If you happen to be standing at a good launch point for a tree, they’ll use you to that effect. If you have something dangling out of your backpack, they’ll climb on you to get it. And if you’re a crazy person, you can even lure them to jump on your shoulders.
So before you enter the Monkey Forest — whether you’re scared of monkeys or not — secure all loose items. Sunglasses, phones, wallets, water bottles, snack food, everything should go inside a closed bag. Remember, it can be super harmful for a monkey to grab something made of plastic and chew on it.
The main path through the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is fairly wide, so you can keep a safe distance from the monkeys while seeing the cremation temple and the main temple. Inevitably, there will be a kid with a banana nearby who’s more interesting to them anyway.
The path to the third temple is a little narrower. It’s hard to stay more than a couple feet away from the monkeys.
Even more claustrophobic is the wooden path. It’s very narrow and completely surrounded by monkeys, who sometimes block the pathway. Plus, it’s crowded with people. I would recommend skipping this part if you’re afraid of monkeys. It took me almost 45 minutes to walk the 100 meters or so because I kept freezing whenever a monkey got close.
What to see at the Ubud Monkey Forest
The obvious attraction of the Monkey Forest in Ubud is, of course, the monkeys themselves. There are hundreds of them. Alpha males, new moms, old men, and babies at every stage of development. They climb trees (and people) and eat bananas.
But the temples are also worth a visit in their own right.
The main temple looks like something out of Apocalypse Now. The gates are lined with bizarre, fear-inducing statues — like a mythical figure biting a child’s head off. Monkeys feature prominently in the temple architecture, of course.
The cremation temple is the simplest of the three, and is usually empty. It’s across the path from a peaceful cemetery. Every five years, the local community holds a mass creation here. Architecturally, it doesn’t look much different from the temples you see in central Ubud.
The third temple looks the most jungle-y. It’s at the bottom of a hill, surrounded by huge trees and vines. It’s nothing super interesting, but it’s a very charming and peaceful little temple. A few worshipers come and go, carrying incense and offerings and adding to the spiritual vibes.
What are the monkeys like?
Ubud’s monkeys have very diverse personalities. Some are quite shy, others are friendly, and still others are aggressive.
The baby monkeys seem to be fearless. They’ll jump on your shoulders without a second thought, go rummaging through the water bottle holders on the side of your backpack, and then grab your hair when they don’t find anything (yes, this happened to me). They’re adorable.
Most of the juvenile monkeys ignored me. They were the easiest to photograph, since they didn’t seem bothered by cameras pointed in their faces.
The mothers with babies were the most aggressive — and they’re fast. I tried to take a picture of one when I was about a meter away, without realizing that her baby was behind me (so I was between them). She charged at me, hissing and baring her teeth, faster than I knew what was happening.
The adult males didn’t seem bothered by humans, but did seem bothered by each other. While I was walking along the wooden path, two of them were fighting. They got pretty violent — wrestling and biting. It escalated until the bigger one picked up the smaller one and flung him at me. He hit my feet and was so stunned that he almost bit me.
In sum, the monkeys are what give Ubud’s Monkey Forest character. If you keep your distance, they’ll (probably) leave you alone. So really, there’s nothing to be afraid of!
Have you visited the Ubud Monkey Forest? Are you also afraid of monkeys? Leave a comment!
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[…] area of jungle, learning and admiring the beautiful history that surrounds the fascinating place. Watch out for monkeys when you are here, however, as they have been known to steal shiny items such as keys, sunglasses […]