Sangeh Monkey Forest is one of Bali’s most underrated attractions. Located just 40 minutes from central Ubud, the park offers tourists a crowd-free chance to observe wild monkeys and immerse in one of the oldest forest landscapes in Bali.
Sangeh Monkey Forest has confirmed that it will be adding a new walking track within the forest complex. The new walkways will offer visitors the chance to wander through unexplored areas of the old growth nutmeg forest, and take in the beauty of the Tukad Yeh Penet River Cliffs.
Speaking to reporters, Ida Bagus Gede Pujawan, the Head of Sangeh Monkey Forest Management, shared, “We will add tracks in the forest and (forest areas) that have never been explored.”
He added, “We plan to add a new track behind Pucak Sari Temple heading west. It will connect to the existing cliffside track.” Currently, the forest walking trail within the nutmeg forest is limited to the central and eastern areas; this is also where a large number of the monkeys spend their time during the day.
However, with more than 700 long-tailed macaques living in the Sanegh Forest, troops can be found throughout the complex. Tourists typically enter through the main gate at Pucak Sari Temple and they are then directed to the trail on the east side of Pucak Sari Temple towards Melanting Temple and exit through the east gate.
The new trail will allow tourists access to the Tucked Yeh Penet River Cliffs, which are dense with forest vegetation and the fast-flowing river. Pujawan described it as a shame that tourists had not had access to this area of the forest until now.
When asked about how the monkeys who stay in this area of the forest would react to more visitors, Pujawan noted that it was unlikely that the monkeys would be aggressive, but likely shy at first, and that they would get used to the presence of more people in time.
Pujawan is passionate about the conservation and well-being of the long-tailed macaques of Sangeh Monkey Forest.
He can often be seen personally welcoming visitors to the attraction and running them through the rules of the visit. As the monkeys are wild animals, tourists must obey the rules, for their own safety and the safety of the monkeys too.
The rules are simple; do not touch the monkeys, do not feed the monkeys, do not make eye contact with the monkeys, if a monkey jumps on you remain calm, move slowly and crouch over. Finally, tourists must do their part to keep Sangeh Monkey Forest clean from litter.
At Sangeh Monkey Forest, there is a monkey feeding experience on offer, where, under the guidance of Forest Rangers, tourists can feed the monkeys that the team has deemed to be safe to interact with.
However, this kind of activity is not supported or endorsed by wildlife tourism professionals or NGOs like World Animal Protection, which promote ethical wildlife tourism.
The trail is not the only new addition to Sangeh Monkey Forest set to open in 2027 and 2026. The team is looking into redeveloping the traditional market building and kiosks that sit within the complex. At present, only 24 of the 70 units are open and operational, as many of the older spaces are not usable.
The team is working on plans to redevelop the tourist attraction in the next 24 months to build a new entry area for tourists and rebuild the kiosks and stalls so that business owners have the space to run high-quality enterprises and tourists have a high-quality experience.
Sangeh Monkey Forest is open seven days a week from 8am to 5pm, with last entry around 4pm. Entry tickets for adults cost IDR 75,000 and for children IDR 50,000.
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