Ubud's Monkey Forest

The Sacred Monkey Forest is in the heart of Ubud, on the Bali Island of Indonesia. Ubud features a huge scooter or motorcycle culture and the narrow roads make the traffic gnarly at all hours of the day or night. It is quite a respite to have the green, lush Monkey Forest smack dab in the center of this hubbub.

The entrance is flanked by two huge statues of dragons like lions on each side and the thousands of tourists that were in the monkey forest with me that day had paid about $3 fee to enter.

Things seen in abundance in the monkey forest are monkeys of course, the next thing one notices is the huge densely forested greenery, and finally the numerous statues, many depicting the tales and characters from the Ramayana.

The sculptures are exotic and wonderful, surrounded by shrubs and mossy due to the frequent tropical rains.

The sculptures make the area look like an exotic enchanted forest.

The well known "see, do, hear no evil" monkey trio is seen in this sculpture above.

As you walk on the promenade, you enter a dark tunnel which is lined with a beautiful frieze inside and out.

Hanuman and Sugreev, the monkey kings from the Ramayana are pictured above.

Banyan trees are everywhere, and they are humongous.

Monkeys are everywhere too, and they are numerous. They are bold, they come close to you and can get aggressive. Visitors are prohibited from carrying food with them to avoid being mauled.

The social behavior of monkeys is on full display everywhere.

The monkeys climb trees, fences, lounge on the lawns, run around, interact with visitors and are generally having a great time in this sanctuary.

Decades old banyan trees are everywhere.

A bridge on a stream running through the forest looks very cute as well.

The Komodo Dragon sculpture reminds one that these giant dinosaur relatives are found only this country in an island nearby.

The deep green dense forest is a welcome respite in this busy province.

The forest rangers were feeding the monkeys at one point and many monkeys were patiently awaiting their turn.

It seemed like the bigger the monkey, the better their chances were to get to the food sooner.

Gazebos are well liked by monkeys as well as people...

A koi pond in the midst of the forest provided another space for tranquility.

It was so good to see all the different creative sculptures all over the place.

There was a cafe in the midst of the forest providing Balinese coffee and pastries. The floor to ceiling windows of the cafe kept you in constant touch of the forest and the monkeys.

I found this monkey forest visit a peaceful way to enjoy an afternoon in serene nature, in the midst of so many monkeys, beautiful trees and sculptures.