See monkeys soaking in hot springs surrounded by pristine snow.
Jigokudani Yaen-koen is home to hundreds of “snow monkeys”, known as such because they spend their days soaking in the mountainous hot springs. In 1970 they appeared on the cover of Life magazine in the U.S. due to this unique behaviour. Furthermore, in 1998, when the winter Olympic Games was held in Nagano, lots of athletes, media, and tourists from foreign countries visited.
Monkeys don’t soak in the hot spring in the warm season because they bathe in order to prevent from the severe coldness in winter. Soaking in the hot spring is only one part of the monkeys’ life. You can also see them lazing or frolicking on the nearby mountain and forest.
① Meet at Yudanaka Station and travel by bus and walking to Jigokudani Yaen-koen. (12:20-13:25)
② Hike from the bus stop through the Yumichi walking trail
Enjoy the fresh mountain air as you undertake a relaxing hike through the forest in order to reach the snow monkeys.
③ Jigokudani Yaen-koen (13:25 - 14:05)
Located in the Yokoyu River Valley at an altitude of 850m, the Jigokudani Yaen Koen is known as "Hell Valley" due to the steep cliffs and steam emitting from the springs. It's buried in snow for a third of the year but is a paradise for the monkeys of Nagano area as they enjoy bathing in the hot springs to warm up.
④ Break time at Enza Cafe (14:30-14:40)
If you're feeling a bit peckish while waiting for the bus to Yudanaka Station, we recommend grabbing some coffee or apple pie for takeout at this café here.
⑤ Foot Spa at Yudanaka Station (15:10-15:25)
After all that walking, treat your weary feet to a relaxing outdoor foot spa. The hot natural mineral waters will soothe and heal you.
・Hike the Yumichi walking trail through the forest
・Visit Shibu no Jigokudani funsen, a hot spring geyser
・Visit Jigokudani Yaen-koen and see the snow monkeys
・Take a rest after your hike at a cafe
・Learn about the local nature from the guide
・Please join us wearing shoes that are easy to walk in and do not bring heavy baggage because you will walk the mountain paths.
・Please have a bottle of water and snacks just in case.
・The ticket machines in Yuganaka station do not accept credit cards.
・Passengers coming from Nagano station can purchase the SNOW MONKEY PASS which is sold at Nagano station. It includes a round-trip ticket fare of the train and the bus + the entrance fee for Jigokudani Yaen-koen. It is cheaper to buy this way.
http://www.nagaden-net.co.jp.e.yv.hp.transer.com/info/ticket/
・Time schedule of the Nagano-Dentesu Train *Limited Express ‘SNOW MONKEY’ only (no transfer required) As of April, 2024
<Nagano sta. → Yudanaka sta.>
11:33 → 12:18
<Yudanaka sta. → Nagano sta.>
15:34 → 16:19
15:59 → 17:05（Transfer at Shinshu Nakano station）
16:45 → 17:34
・During the peak travel seasons of March, April, Year-end and New Year holidays (from December 30 to January 3), please be aware that there will be an additional charge of 2,000 yen per person for the tour.
| Price | From ¥12,000 / person ¥12,000 for 4 adults or more |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3.5 hours (approx.) |
| Hours of availability | 12:20-15:30 |
| Inclusions | ・English guide |
| Exclusions | ・Food & drinks |
| Participants | 1-6 people |
A ticket gate of Nagano-Dentesu Yudanaka station
Henry Completo（USA）★★★★★
Very knowledgeable about the history of the area
Our guide is very knowledgeable about the history of the area. She kept us informed about local attractions and the history of the area during the uphil long walk from the bus station to the snow monkeys' hot springs. She kept with our walking pace although our strides were much longer than hers (my wife and I are almost 6' footers). :-) We were able to arrive at our tour destinations ahead of time.
Julie（UK）★★★★★
Excellent tour
Our guide was delightful, she was very informative and her English is excellent. We really enjoyed the stroll through the trees where the clear water gushed alongside, very refreshing but the monkeys stole the show, there were so many of them just going about their business as if they hadn't even seen us. We saw several youngsters and really cute babies. We'll certainly remember our visit and would highly recommend it.
Ken Willis（Canada）★★★★★
Great Day in Nagano
Thanks to the guide for our guided tour of the "monkey park" near Nagano. Myself and my sons thoroughly enjoyed the trip, which included a visit to a local sake brewery. Further the guide knew much about the local area and it was truly a great learning experience listening to her during the trip. We were amazed at the number of monkey and that we were able to walk among them freely. There was amply time for pictures and we didn't feel rushed at all. The tour is great value for the money (especially for a private tour), and I highly recommend it.
Lynn（Singapore）★★★★★
Up close and fun with the snow monkeys
We had a lot of fun with Teddy, our knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful guide. It was a very long day for us, as we came from Tokyo but it was all worth it. We were blessed with beautiful weather and we saw so many monkeys. We’d recommend this tour to all nature and animal lovers.
Kendra Hall（USA）★★★★★
Snow Monkey fun!
Had a great time seeing the snow monkeys! The tour guide, Teddy, was very informative and friendly.
Excelente guide（Brazil）★★★★★
Luiz Felipe
Very nice guide! The tour is easy despite of the ups and downs. The guide helped me understand some Japanese websites!!!
Alicia Ritter（USA）★★★★★
Monkeys Galore
This excursion was spectacular! The guide was super helpful, even long before our journey started. He gave us options and made everything smooth and easy every step of the way. We’ll never forget the monkeys, too! They were special. I highly recommend this tour.
Jim Ries（USA）★★★★★
Fantastic experience
What a memorable experience!!! Our guide was super cool and knowledgeable about the area and about the tour. He made sure to get us to the perfect spot so we could capture amazing pictures of the snow monkeys. We never felt rushed or that we had to make small talk with our tour guide because he was so down to earth and welcoming. We highly recommend this tour and the tour guide
Catherine Turner（Australia）★★★★★
Awesome Adventure
One of the most memorable activities we did while in Japan. Teddy was our tour guide and he was fantastic. He is very knowledgeable about the snow monkeys and about the region.We would highly recommend him.
Stephanie Heney（Canada）★★★★★
A magical day made perfect with the best guide!
I have taken quite a few trips with Viator, but this is hands down the best one I have ever done. Our guide Tamio was waiting for us with a sign, and was so friendly and informative all day. We couldn't have asked for a better guide. He gave us advice, interesting knowledge, allowed us to take our time. We had a lot of time viewing the monkeys, stopped for a drink and then bathed our feet in the hot spa. It was like having an old friend with us. He even recommended a restaurant for later in the day, and took us there and translated to the waiter for us. Really above and beyond. I can't praise him enough, he made a magical day even more special.
James Perley（USA）★★★★★
Monkey Fun
We had a great guide! Teddy was very knowledgeable and patiently answered all of our questions. We had a beautiful day and saw so many monkeys. Great tour. Great guide!
Manuela Tuveri（Germany）★★★★★
Great tour, get very close to the monkeys!
We had the best time watching the snow monkeys and walking through the park.
Our guide Teddy did an amazing job. He was very competent and kind.Highly recommend!
Andrea Fedele（Italy）★★★★★
great week in Nagano
We had a great week in Nagano area thanks to Omakase! Monica was really helpful, kind and available to fulfill all the requests with continuous and promt reply and comunications. All places and trains booked and suggested by her were great and perfect!
Peter Rhodes（USA）★★★★★
Excellent tour
Excellent tour, full of great information. My guide was friendly and knowledgeable not just about the monkeys but also the local area and Japanese politics. We had a lovely conversation. He also steered me to a great little restaurant for ramen dinner in town.
Kirrily Hartnell（Australia）★★★★★
Wonderful snow monkey experience
This was a fabulous experience. Our guide, Teddy, was wonderful and took great care of us.
We had a delicious lunch at Enza cafe. The monkey marshmallows were adorable and delicious. The ramen was huge! Apple pie wonderful.
The walk to the monkeys was through a beautiful snowy cedar forest and was not arduous.
We saw loads of monkeys, plenty of young ones with their mothers and got heaps of great photos.
It was interesting to hear the history of the area. The geyser gives off a particular er…scent which Teddy described as an “It wasn’t me scent” LOL.
Highly recommended.
Rebekah Clark （Australia）★★★★★
Tour Guide was made this tour extra enjoyable.
The best hint about our tour was our guide, Teddy. The most courteous, knowledgeable, kind tour guide, person we have known. My son who is studying Japanese had wonderful conversation with him. He was on time, responded to my messages and helpful. The walk was a bit hard on my bad knees but worth the hike to the hot spring- the monkeys had exited the hot spring by the time we got there but there were plenty around feeding, playing and fighting. A small baby ran between my legs which was very exciting. The train to the meeting point from Nagano was so easy and a quick bus ride to were you to start the walk. Recommend really good waterproof shoes with good grip for the winter time. Overall a wonderful experience and well worth the money.
Maria Fernanda Trevino Buenrostro（Mexico）★★★★★
The best
I highly recommend this tour, the experience is incredible, the views, the sensation you feel when walking through the park and taking you to the final destination with the beautiful monkeys is inexplicable.
The best of all is that you take a guide who tells you, explains, guides, takes care of you and even photographers because he takes photos of you in the best moments.
I highly recommend Tamio, he is an incredible person and we were fortunate that he was our great guide and lived this entire experience that he discussed with us.
Likewise, at the end of the walk he took us almost to our final destination so as not to get lost and we had a delicious hot drink to take away the cold since we got a lot of snow.
I highly recommend going in December and getting snow is an incredible experience.
Do not hesitate to book this tour and ask Tamio as your guide.
Thank you for everything, Tamio.
Roberta Marques（Australia）★★★★★
Absolutely number ONE visit in Japan
Absolutely awesome experience.
It was number one ☝️ place that mum and I loved to go in Japan.
One of the most memorable places we visited.
Very easy and comfortable access using the local trains and the whole way to make it was absolutely enjoyable.
The comforting atmosphere, the beautiful views and the friendly Japanese people made us feel so welcome.
We also had the better guide where we highly recommend.
Extremely friendly he guided us with care (specially with my mum) on the slippery path towards to see the monkeys.
During our walk we share the awesome views of the white mountains along with the local culture history.
On the way back Tamio share with us more about Japanese culture and guided us to one of the great traditional Japanese restaurant where we could experienced and explore the cuisine tasting “hot sake”, fried tofu and other delicious dishes.
Thank you so much Tamio for showing us a bit more of your amazing culture and for the amazing experience in Japan.
Kenneth Pfeifer（USA）★★★★★
Teddy was an amazing and...
Teddy was an amazing and gracious guide - he made the experience a great one
especially for our 6 year old. Highly recommend, a once in a lifetime experience to treasure.
Thomas Weaving（Singapore）★★★★★
Snow monkeys in a natural hot bath
Teddy was a brilliant guide, and the monkeys are such a great sight. The walk was easy but beautiful. The snacks on the way up are delicious; it was snowing when we visited and a hot tea and roast sweet potato were welcome!
Joanne Middleton（UK）★★★★★
Fantastic tour
What an amazing experience, our guide Teddy was so friendly, contacted us in the morning and helped us with our travel arrangements to the meeting place, he also spoke perfect English, along the track to the monkeys Teddy gave us lots of interesting facts about the monkeys and the area and then we met the monkeys, the most fantastic sight, worth every penny!
