Quote: There are several temples with resident monkeys on Bali, and visiting them was a fun part of our trip. One of the most commonly visited is the sacred monkey forest in Ubud. It's a short ways from the center of Ubud. There, you can buy pieces of chopped bananas to feed to the monkeys. But beware! The different tribes of monkeys sometimes get into big battles. It was a shock to see one tribe being chased by another, across the paths, and hear the monkeys shout in the fight.

We also visited the Ulu Watu temple area, west of Denpasar. Ulu Watu is perched on beautiful cliffs beside the ocean. Most people come here to see the sunset. They also have a theater where the Kecak dance is performed. (We didn't watch it here as we'd seen it at our hotel.)

Most tourists aren't allowed inside the Ulu Watu temple proper, but you walk around in the courtyard, and on the cliff side paths, and again there are monkeys and you can buy bags of stuff to feed them. But the monkeys are pretty smart and will try to grab the whole bunch at once. Also, our daughters had recently had their hair braided with beads in it and while sitting on a wall posing for a photo, a monkey grabbed and took several beads from our nine-year-olds hair. So watch your back! Up until then, our kids had really enjoyed the monkeys, but after the bead-grabbbing, our nine-year-old was no longer so enchanted with them.

Ulu Watu is close enough to Nusa Dua that you can easily go there for a bit just before sunset, without spending too much time on the road.
From journals Bali—A Wonderful Family Destination

Quote: By the time we made it back to Ubud from Kintamani, it was possible to gain entry to the centre of the village and to the monkey forest.

First stop was an art market located in Ubud, which had a large shed that provided a fabric workshop where Balinese people worked dyeing cloth and making batik fabrics. You could stop and watch the people work and admire/purchase the final product.

You could also browse around other sheds that housed the following items:

- Original paintings – we bought a small, 5x8, traditional-style watercolour for 100,000 Rupah (A$13).

- Handmade wood carvings of people, animals, etc., done in the traditional Balinese style.

- Stone carvings depicting Buddha, animals, people, etc.

- Handmade quilts and sarongs.

Then, after a short journey through the streets of Ubud, we reached the Monkey Forest – Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana – located in Padang Tegal, where we paid 10,000 Rupah (A$1.50) each to enter the forest grounds.

In the shaded grounds, there are many walking tracks you can venture on. Some take you past grave sites, carvings, and statues, while others take you to and past temples, also with carvings and statues.

The forest houses the following temples:

- The Pura Dalem Agung Temple – located in the main forest. It is the main temple for the village. We paid a small fee and fitted with a green sarong and entered into the temple complex to wander around taking in the amazing craftsmanship used in the construction the buildings, statues, wood carving, and décor painting.

- The Holy Bathing Temple – located next to the steam. This temple contains the Three Mandala Concept – The Utama Mandala is the area of the gods, The Madia Mandala for the disciples contains the holy pool, and The Nista Mandala is the birthing place for mankind.

- The Puri Prajapati is the funeral/cremation temple.

Everywhere you turn, there are monkeys. There seemed to be a large number of baby monkeys. The babies didn’t venture too close, kept out of harm's way by their mums, but the older ones did, especially if you had something they wanted, like food.

Caution – don’t take items with you that can be taken by the monkeys.

Unfortunately, by the time we exited the forest, it was 5pm and it was time for Burhan get home to his family. But what a great day tracing through the countryside, visiting Kintamani, Mount Batur, and Ubud.

Suggestion – if you have the time, stay in one of the many resorts/hotels in Ubud and take your time to see and do the following:

- Stroll casually around Ubud browsing in the shops and art markets, visiting the temples and monkey forest.

- Visit Kintamani and Mount Butar.

- Enjoy the countryside and the gentle rural hustle and bustle of the villages.

This will eliminate trying to fit everything into one long day trip and would be much more relaxing.

From journals Bali: Even Better the Second Time Around

Quote: Burhan, our Bemo driver, picked us up from our hotel at 9.00am for our ½ day trip to Tanah Lot Temple with a stop off at Canggu on the way back. After negotiating the traffic for approximately ¼ hour we came to the outskirts of the Kuta and started heading towards Tanah Lot.

A small distance out from Kuta Burhan asked if we had visited Kedaton Monkey Forest. After seeing us shake our heads he asked if we would like to go. Kedaton Monkey Forest, here we come.

Before arriving our driver informed us that we would have to pay an entrance fee (3,300 Rupah), and a guide would meet us to show us around the forest, introduce us to the monkeys and show us the large bats (flying foxes). He added that the guide, at the end of the tour, would escort us to their shop and we could either purchase something or give them a tip – as was the custom at this Forest.

As Burhan had said, we paid our entrance fee and as soon as we had stepped through the main entrance a guide was there, at our side, to show us around. Our guide was a lovely young lady with a small child and her shop was one of many small shops that lined the front precinit of the forest area.

We were given a packet of food to feed the monkeys. A word of warning – don’t have anything dangling of you belt, bag strap, glasses or anything that small hands can grab and take of with - the monkeys will try and take them from you. The monkeys were very friendly, especially if you had food or something that interested them.

After feeding the monkeys our guide then lead us around the outside temple – we weren’t allowed inside but could peer over the wall and through gates to get a glimpse of the enclosures/shrines inside – to an area where there was a large tree full for bats (flying foxes).

After viewing the tree we continued on the path, around the temple, back to the shops. Our guide then showed us her shop where we, after some hard bartering, ended up purchasing a number of items we liked.

After all piling back into the bemo, we continued on our way to Tanah Lot.

From journals Bali: Even Better the Second Time Around

Quote: I actually developed a phobia of monkeys after being attacked by one in China last summer, but I decided to try to get over my fear. It didn't work. I hate monkeys.
From journals Bali