The monkey forest in Ubud is very well known and popular with the tourists and in that perspective Sangeh monkey forest is less known but it is still very worth a visit, in fact it is more fun and although Sangeh monkey forest is smaller and probably less beautiful than Ubud monkey forest as a whole, the big difference is the setting, where the Ubud monkey forest has become a commercial business due to the tourism and where the monkeys can be aggressive, it is not really the case in Sangeh monkey forest, however no guarantees are made as they still are monkeys.
There are two entrances depending on which direction you come from, on arrival you have to pay an entrance fee, IDR 75.000, for this the visitor gets a bag with two bottles of water and some peanuts which is fun because it attracts the monkeys.
It is a forest of 6 hectares and there are gigantic nutmeg trees that can grow up to 40 meters high. The first part is a long trail to the Pura Bukit Sari, the temple in the heart of the forest dates back to the 17th century and was built as an agricultural temple, in the central courtyard is a large statue of Garuda, an ancient sculpture, symbolizing freedom from suffering and the attainment of Amerta, the elixir of life.
One of the caretakers will join you on the walk through the forest managing the monkeys, he makes it possible to take pictures and shows how you can give the peanuts to the monkeys, it is very interesting, no need to be afraid they will steal your glasses as the staff will keep an eye on that, but always better to keep them where the monkeys can’t get to them, the person with the peanuts is the one who is interesting for the monkeys. When there is a successful feeding he will take a picture of you and your friends and at the end of the walk you can buy the picture in a happy frame for IDR 40.000 as a souvenir, it was very enjoyable.
Then you walk out of the forest for a while and you come to a large open space, this is a kind of park with statues from the Balinese mythology, on the right picture it is Hanoman, according to Balinese stories, the king of the apes. You continue the path passing the statues and you walk back into the forest and you end up back on the same path going back to the main part where you entered.
A visit to Sangeh monkey forest does not have to take very long because the part where you can walk is not too big and you walk through it quite quickly, but it is definitely worth a visit when you are in the area.
Rundung #Megae 