Green Season Snow Monkeys: Baby Monkeys & Scenic Forest Walk
Description
Begin with a scenic drive through beautiful orchards. Reach the park via a refreshing 30-minute (2km) walk along lush nature trails—a pleasant hike especially enjoyable in the green season. From May, you may spot adorable newborn baby monkeys! Enjoy 50 minutes observing the macaques relaxing in their natural habitat. Your guide provides all essential info during the drive; there is no guided service during the walk or inside the park. As these are wild animals, sightings are not guaranteed, particularly during the mating and harvest seasons in October and November. Next, visit the historic Tamamura Honten brewery (closed Sundays/holidays). Then, explore 1,350-year-old Shibu Onsen with your guide—keep an eye on the rooftops for local monkeys! Finally, visit Koku-gonji Temple (est. 825 AD), home to sacred spring water and 1,000 cherry trees. Returns to Iiyama around 5:40 PM and to Nozawa Onsen around 6 PM, subject to traffic.
Tour Options
Itinerary
(13:50~14:40) The journey to the park involves a scenic 2km walk along an unpaved forest trail, surrounded by majestic cedar trees, offering a true immersion into Japan’s pristine nature. The park itself is relatively compact; one hour is usually more than enough to see everything. However, please remember these are wild animals. You may encounter monkeys on the trail before even reaching the park entrance. We strongly recommend heading straight into the park first to see the main hot spring area. If you spend too much time with monkeys outside the gates, your time inside may be cut short. For a unique experience, look across the river from the park to the historic inn. In winter, you can often see monkeys and overnight guests sharing the outdoor bath! This facility also offers day-trip bathing for ¥1,500. If your timing is perfect, you might even find yourself soaking in the hot spring alongside a curious snow monkey. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
[CLOSED on Sundays & New Year's Holiday] (15:45~16:00) Established in 1805, this historic brewery boasts a legacy spanning over 220 years. Tamamura Honten produces both the award-winning traditional sake "Engi" and the pioneer of Japan’s craft beer scene, "Shiga Kogen Beer." Part of the magnificent 150-year-old wooden structure has been beautifully preserved and transformed into an art gallery. Here, you can immerse yourself in the owner’s curated art collection while enjoying tastings and shopping. Experience more than just a brewery, discover a true sanctuary of Japanese culture.
[STORES are CLOSED on WEDNESDAYS] (16:00~16:40) With 1,350 years of history, Shibu Onsen is one of Nagano's oldest hot spring towns. Traditional wooden ryokans and stone-paved streets create a nostalgic atmosphere, with retro game parlors, shrines, and temples. Keep an eye out—local wild monkeys also live here, scurrying across the rooftops! The town is famous for its nine communal onsens (Soto-yu). It is a local tradition to collect stamps from all nine onsens on a special "Tenugui" towel; completing the set is said to grant a wish. While these onsens are locked for overnight guests, visitors can experience the main onsen, O-yu, by purchasing a ticket for ¥800. Shibu Onsen’s charm lies in its maze-like back alleys. On our tour, an expert guide will lead you through these secret paths, following the ultimate route designed to showcase the very best of Shibu Onsen’s historic charm without getting lost.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- It is not allowed to bring Luggage (No luggage space in a vehcile). Please use coin lockers or storage service at the tourist information center in Iiyama Station..
- No eating inside the vehicle
- In the event of damages (vomiting etc.) which require the vehicle to be out of service for a duration and are caused by your party, a fee of up to ¥30,000 may be incurred.
- Pickup time at Iiyama Station may be delayed if the participants are not coming on time at the first pickup point, Nozawa Onsen.
- Rain gears are needed to be arranged by paricipants.
- Return time at Iiyama Station will be 17:10~17:30 (Purchasing a train ticket before 17:30 is not recommended, the return time is subject to change depending on delays/weather conditions)
- Return time at Nozawa Onsen will be 17:30~18:00 (subject to change depending on delays/condition of day)
- Most shops in Shibu Onsen are closed on Wednesdays
- Tamamura Honten (the brewery) is closed on Sundays
- Please be aware that a medium level of fitness is required for about 2 km walk (one-way) to/from the park and anther 2 km walking tour in Shibu Onsen
- The type of vehicle for the tour depends on the number of participants and can not be confirmed until the tour date.
- The monkeys in the park are wild animals, and their appearance in the park is not guaranteed. In particular, the probability of seeing them drops significantly during October and November
- Please be ready at the boarding point at least 5 minutes before departure. The bus will depart strictly on time. Please note that no refunds will be provided for any reason if you miss the departure.
- Not recommended for travelers with difficulty walking for 2km (30 mins) to/from the Monkey Park (Total 4 km / 1 hr)
- Not recommended for families with infants or small children during winter, due to the added difficulty of the walk up to the monkey park. We also are unable to take strollers onto the bus. For customers who have small children, we recommend the Private Tour.
Reviews(74)
This is a fun tour. You are inches away from the monkeys, and the kids loved it! The short hike to the monkeys goes through a beautiful forest. Our guide was knowledgeable and helpful.
Thank you so much! We're thrilled to hear that the kids loved getting so close to the monkeys and that you enjoyed the forest hike. It was a pleasure showing your family around the area! Wishing you all very smooth and happy travels on your next adventures. Shinji
Tommy was an excellent tour guide for our small group. He was very friendly and provided us with a lot of information about the local environment.
Thank you very much for your kind words! It’s wonderful to hear that Tommy’s friendly approach and local knowledge made your small group tour so special. We’ve shared your feedback with him, and it certainly made his day! We hope the snow monkeys put on a great show for you. IXSM Booking Team
Great tour guide provided good information about Shibu Onsen and shrines. Lot of possibilities to see snow monkey playing around.
Thank you for your wonderful review! I'm glad you enjoyed the tour and the insights into Shibu Onsen. I hope the snow monkeys put on a good show for you! Enjoy the rest of your trip. IXSM Booking Team
Did exactly what it said on the tin. Great information beforehand. Whole trip went like clockwork. Excellent guide
Thank you! I'm glad to hear everything went like clockwork and that the pre-trip info was helpful. It was a pleasure guiding you. Wishing you very smooth travels on your future adventures! Shinji
Great tour.Be prepared for Though for a long walk to see the monkeys.Our tour guide Tommy was very informative and made this day very special
Thank you very much for the 5-star review. I am so happy to hear that I could help make your day special. It was truly a pleasure having you on the tour! Tome
Pleasant trip - sweet and informed guide who told wide and wide about the trip in an informal way, nice trip
Thank you so much for your kind words. I have used Google Translate to read your review, but I wanted to personally thank you for the feedback. I am so glad you enjoyed the relaxed style and found the trip pleasant. It was a pleasure having you on the tour!
Well-organised and well-executed tour, our guide Tommy was very knowledgeable. There were so many snow monkeys the day we went! And they were so chill. It was quite a fast paced tour though so if you’ve got very young kids or wish to linger or go at a leisurely pace it may be better to book a private tour with the company. They’re great!
Thank you so much for the 5-star review. It was a pleasure guiding you, and I’m thrilled you got to see so many snow monkeys during our visit. I appreciate your feedback regarding the pace of the tour, and I’m glad you had such an enjoyable experience overall. Thanks for joining us! Tome
We had an excellent experience on the monkey tour. Tommy was an outstanding guide—knowledgeable, kind, and genuinely engaging. He made the trip both informative and fun. The pacing was perfect, giving us just the right amount of time to enjoy the monkeys without feeling rushed. Highly recommend!
Thank you very much for your kind words and the high recommendation. It was a pleasure being your driver and guide for the day! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed the pacing of the tour and found the experience both informative and fun. I hope the rest of your trip throughout Japan is just as amazing! Tome
Great experience and Tommy was a great guide. Friends advised that the trio wasn't worth doing if it wasn't snowing. That wasn't the case, it was still great, monkeys everywhere and very chilled.
Thank you very much for the kind review. It was a pleasure being your guide for the day! I am so glad that you enjoyed the experience regardless of the weather. The monkeys are always fun to observe, and we truly appreciate you coming along with us! Tome
We had an excellent time. The snow monkey park and Onsen town were amazing. Our guide was informative, friendly, and wonderful with the kids.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I had a great time guiding your family! I’m thrilled to hear that both the snow monkey park and the onsen town were highlights for you. It was a pleasure sharing the history and sights with you all, and I'm so glad the kids enjoyed the day, too. Hope to see you back in the area again soon! Rossella
