Monkey Forest Sanctuary: Ubud, Central Bali

When you've seen one monkey, you've seen them all. Right?. The Monkey Forest Road is one of my favourite places in Ubud and whilst I was in the vicinity on my last sojourn to Bali, I thought why not check out the simians.

Unlike the larger troupes of monkeys to be found at Alas Kedaton and Sangeh, the troupe at Ubud number only 125 and are probably the most unfriendly and aggressive bunch on the island. This is not generally a trait of long-tailed Macaques.

The Monkey Forest Sanctuary occupies the land at the southern end of the monkey forest road and the neighbouring edge of Nyuhkuning, renowned for its wood carving.

It took me round a half hour to walk around the small forest which is traversed by concrete pathways. It's definitely not a strenuous hike!. Much more interesting than the monkeys is Pura Dalem Agung Padang Tegal, about a five minute walk into the forest. Unfortunately, non-devotees are not allowed to enter the inner sanctuary, but, the bizarre statues of Rangda the witch-queen and the ornate kulkul drum tower more than make up for this.

Most guide books will tell you the entrance fee is Rp3,000 but this is not the case. The fee is Rp10,000 and is of little value for what you can see. However, the Monkey Forest Sanctuary still remains Ubud's best-known tourist attractions.

Whatever you do I suggest you do not annoy the simians. They are what Indonesians call galak or fierce. There was one smarty pants gent when I was there who was teasing the monkeys by keeping a bag of peanuts in the buttoned top pocket of his shirt. Bad move dude!. Subsequently five monkeys launched an all#45;out assault on his body, ripped the pocket off his shirt, snatched the peanuts and bit him on the arm to boot. The guy's girlfriend had ran out of the forest.

As with any monkey forest in Bali it is best to keep an open hand when walking around. Monkeys think you are hiding something if you don't. In the Monkey Forest at Ubud it is quite safe but I suggest you walk around calmly and try not to confront the simians in any way. They are not fond of interaction with humans.