1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano
- 8 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Take in some of the highlights of Nagano with this engaging tour starting with a visit to Zenkoji Temple – one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Japan - followed by sake tasting and lunch at a nearby restaurant. It's then time to head to the Snow Monkey Park and its world-famous hot spring-bathing monkeys! All led by a locally-based English-speaking guide, this tour is a great way to see the best that Nagano has to offer and get up close and personal with its most famous furry residents!
Inclusions
What's included
- Hakuba shuttle service (winter only)
- Lunch (vegetarian and vegan options available, please try to let us know in advance)
- Snow Monkey Park entry fee
- English-speaking guide
- Transportation to and between all activities/attractions
- Sake tasting
What's not
- Shinkansen/bullet train tickets
- Entry to paid attractions at Zenko-ji
- Additional food, snacks and drinks
Itinerary
As one of the oldest, largest, and most important Buddhist temples in Japan, Zenko-ji is the spiritual heart of Nagano. The temple's near-1400 year history is full of legend and myth which your guide will help you unlock as they guide you around the temple precinct followed by free time (time-permitting).
Home to a huge number of breweries, Nagano is synonymous with sake and no visit to the region is complete without delving into Japan’s most famous beverage. Your guide will treat you to sake tasting and introduce you to the fascinating world of this classic Japanese beverage.
After a filling lunch at a local restaurant, be ready to be WOWed by the monkeys! Established in 1964, Nagano's world-famous Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is home to the only troop of monkeys in the world known to bathe in hot springs. With no barriers between you and the monkeys (don't worry, they are very calm) this is a unique opportunity to observe these curious creatures in close proximity as they walk around you, wrestle with each other, endlessly groom, and of course, soak in their favorite hot spring! Your guide will introduce you to everything that makes them so unique and famous while giving you plenty of time to explore for yourself. Please note that estimated time at the monkey park includes walking in and out along the forest trail - 1.6km each way / 25 minutes each way in summer, slightly longer in winter. We endeavor to give our guests 1 hour in the park to observe the monkeys.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 51,061
- 476
- 312
- 21
- 14
Ratings come from 1,154 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Very good
Hiroshi was very nice. It was a fun day for me and my daughters having a tour with Hiroshi. Thank you !
5Excellent snow monkey , temple and sake trip
Absolutely brilliant trip! We were travelling as a couple and our tour group consisted of a great group of Americans , mainly from Tennessee plus another American family and everyone was lovely. Our guide, Hiroshi, was fantastic at keeping our group together and on time and gave us lots of information. He advised that we were going to go to the Snow Monkey resort first as there had been monkeys spotted there that morning. Apparently at this time of year the monkeys don’t always come down to the hot spring as it is breeding season. Quite a walk up the forest trail to the monkey park but well worth it as when we got there it was filled with monkeys!! We then had lunch in a local restaurant which was really enjoyable. Back on the bus for the trip to Zenkōji temple in Nagano followed by sake tasting. The temple wasn’t too busy but because we had spent quite a while at the monkey park we didn’t have a great deal of time there. The whole trip was really good and we can recommend it.
5Snow Monkeys
Hiroshi was a great guide! Knowledgeable and funny. Loved the trip.
5Hitoshi and snow monkey tour was amazing
Hiroshi was the best guide. He was so easy to understand and explained everything so well. He made a wonderful call to change the order of our tour so we could see the snow monkeys while they were out. He was the best guide and I highly recommend him and this tour
4Great tour but no monkeys
Our guide Kei was amazing. She went above and beyond to make sure we had a good experience. The temple tour and sake tasting was great! The only reason this is a 4 star is that there were no snow monkeys to see. Apparently this time of year is not a good time to see them. Would like to have known that beforehand but never saw this in our research. Not really the fault of the tour as they are wild animals and cannot be predicted but it was a bit disappointing.
5An experience of a life time.
We visited on October 1st, and we joked that since there was no snow, we wouldn’t see the snow monkeys. The walk through the cedar forest was beautiful, but we weren’t sure if the monkeys would be there. We were very fortunate. When we arrived at the hot springs where they gather, there were a few “troops” of monkeys. The adults were much larger than we expected, and the babies were the cutest. The monkeys are very gentle and don’t seem to mind your presence. We actually lost track of time observing them. If you look closely, each has their own expression and behavior. Our guide, Mariko, was terrific. She explained every detail to us and let us experience the monkeys at our own pace. We had a wonderful lunch and the driver stopped at a local fruit market on the way back to town. The apples and grapes were in season this time of year, and they were delicious. We went to the Zenko-ji temple, and again, Mariko explained the history of the temple and let us experience things we would not if we were alone. To top the day off, we sampled sake and plum wine and purchased so much that we had to buy another suitcase to take it all home.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Please wait at the bus lot directly next to La Vigne Hakuba, not at the hotel entrance. Make sure you arrive before 08:10 and look for the guide carrying a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour sign or badge. The tour cannot wait and will need to depart on-time, so please be punctual.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 45 travellers
- Operated by
- Snow Monkey Resorts Tours (Machinovate Japan Ltd.)
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour includes a reasonable amount of walking including to and from the monkey park along a 1.6km (1 mile), unsealed forest trail. Please sure your footwear is appropriate and you are dressed accordingly for the season. The trail includes 2 different staircases, and therefore is not wheelchair accessible.
- Guests are required to follow the Snow Monkey Park rules at all times. Guests are not permitted to touch, hold, feed or bathe with the monkeys at any time. There are no barriers separating the monkeys from visitors to the park. Please ensure you keep a minimum distance of 1 to 2 meters between yourself and the monkeys. Your guide will explain the rules prior to entering the park.
- This tour uses different forms of transport. Tours can be conducted by microbus or a large bus depending on the season and size of the group.
- From mid-December until early-April the trail and park are likely to be affected by snow and ice. Please ensure that you are wearing suitable shoes/boots and warm clothing. If required, rental boots are available close to the monkey park and crampons (metal spikes that attach underneath your shoes/boots) can also be purchased. From mid-December until early-March please wear suitable clothing for temperatures potentially below 0°C (and as low as -10°C).
- During the winter it is common to see the monkeys enjoying the hot spring however from spring up to autumn there will be times where the monkeys play or eat in the water, however please note that the monkeys are wild animals and there is no guarantee that there will be monkeys in the bath.
How it compares in Nagano
- Its from-price is 34% below the median of the 61 day trips we list in Nagano.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 1 of 61.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Nagano
Nagano is a mountain city in central Japan, centred on the old Zenko-ji temple and ringed by ski slopes, hot springs and alpine valleys.
Nagano sits in a basin among the mountains of central Honshu, and Zenko-ji, a temple traditionally founded in the seventh century, is the heart of the city. Pilgrims have come to it for more than a thousand years, up a long approach lined with shops and lodgings to a great wooden hall. The city hosted the Winter Olympics in 1998.
Top-ranked sights in Nagano: Jigokudani Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen-Koen), Zenkoji Temple, Yudanaka Onsen.
Special offers in Nagano
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
