Before You Book Ubud's Sacred Monkey Forest: Every Cost, and What's Worth It
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Prices last checked 2 November · 3 min read
The Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud is home to hundreds of long-tailed macaques living among temples and giant banyan trees, and a visit is cheap if you avoid the hidden costs. There's the entrance ticket, reseller bundles with transfers, lockers, photos and what the monkeys might take from you. Most of them sound worth paying for. You don't need all of them. In this guide we walk through what each one costs, what you really get, and how to choose the right one, whether it's a quiet early morning or a packed afternoon.
At a glance
Adult
IDR 130,000
Child
IDR 100,000
Hours
9 am to 6 pm, last entry 5 pm
Lockers
In the lobby
Not allowed
Food, drinks and plastic bags
Time needed
About 1-2 hours
Quietest
The first hour, 9-10 am
🎟️ Book skip-the-line tickets
Check the crowds, find the best time slot, and book through our authorised partner.
The official entrance fee is IDR 130,000 for adults and IDR 100,000 for children. Some guides still list older, lower weekday and weekend prices, so expect the official rate at the gate. The ticket covers the forest, its three temples (viewed from outside) and the walking paths. There's not much else to buy, which makes it one of Ubud's best-value sights.
What you book
One adult
One child
Family of four
Entrance ticket
IDR 130,000
IDR 100,000
IDR 460,000
🎟️ Book skip-the-line tickets
Check the crowds, find the best time slot, and book through our authorised partner.
Prices last checked: 2 November. Prices vary with the season, peak and off-peak dates and promotions, and we recheck them every month. Visitor-reported costs are marked as estimates, and US$ figures are rough conversions.
Tickets: what each one gets you
Cost
Price (IDR)
Type
How to cut it
Adult
IDR 130,000
≈ US$8
Unavoidable
Buy at the gate.
Child
IDR 100,000
≈ US$6
Unavoidable
Keep small children close to you.
Reseller ticket with transfers
Varies
Optional
Only if you're staying outside Ubud.
Official prices from the Monkey Forest's own site.
Is a reseller bundle worth it?
Resellers such as Pelago sell entry with hotel transfers. Our verdict: if you're staying in Ubud, walk there and pay at the gate. If you're in the south of Bali, a bundle with a driver can be easier than a taxi.
The crowd tax: why the afternoon costs you more
The ticket price is the same all day. The crowd tax is busier paths and more people around the monkeys. Our crowd data shows the forest moderate in the first hour after opening, then busy from about 10 am until about 5 pm, every day. There's no quiet day of the week, so the time of day matters most.
When
Crowds (our data)
Verdict
9 to 10 am
Moderate
Best time: cooler, calmer
About 10 am to 5 pm
Busy, every day
Expect crowded paths
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Least busy time
Sunday, 9-10 am
Busiest time
Sunday, 10 am-5 pm
Short on time? What you'd regret missing
The Dragon Bridge over the ravine.
The Holy Spring temple and the banyan roots.
The main temple, Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, from outside.
Watching the monkeys at feeding time: staff feed them nine times a day.
Getting there
The forest is at the southern end of Monkey Forest Road in central Ubud, an easy walk from most Ubud hotels. From the south of Bali, allow plenty of time for traffic.
Rules that cost money
No food or drinks: monkeys will find them.
No plastic bags: use the lockers in the lobby.
Don't feed or touch the monkeys. Only staff feed them.
Keep jewellery, sunglasses and small items out of sight. A grabbed phone or glasses is the most expensive part of many visits.
Weather and closures
The forest is shady, but paths can be slippery after rain. Open 9 am to 6 pm, with last entry at 5 pm.
What can go wrong
A monkey takes your sunglasses or phone: keep them in a locker or zipped bag.
You bring snacks: not allowed, and the monkeys know.
You get bitten: go straight to the on-site first aid clinic.
Afternoon visit: busy in our data.
What it really costs
Level
What's included
One adult
Typical
Entrance ticket
IDR 130,000
A child adds IDR 100,000.
FAQs
How much is the Ubud Monkey Forest?
+
IDR 130,000 for adults and IDR 100,000 for children, at the official rate.
Can I bring food into the Monkey Forest?
+
No. Food, drinks and plastic bags aren't allowed. There are lockers in the lobby.
What are the Monkey Forest's opening hours?
+
9 am to 6 pm, with last entry at 5 pm.
What if a monkey bites me?
+
Go to the Monkey Forest first aid clinic, where a nurse will treat you.
When is the Monkey Forest least crowded?
+
In our data, the first hour after opening. It's busy from about 10 am to 5 pm every day. See our crowd forecast.
Heading to Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other. Crowd figures come from our own crowd data. Prices last checked 2 November. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
What visitors say
Visitors love the atmosphere of the forest, the moss-covered temples and the banyan trees, and enjoy watching the monkeys. The most common complaints are monkeys grabbing bags, sunglasses and food, and crowds in the afternoon, so the advice is to go early, leave loose items in a locker and never bring food.
