1.6 km of cedar forest to the snow monkey pool
No road reaches the monkeys. Every visit ends on foot in the forest, and every tour from Nagano builds the walk into its day. Below is what the path is like through the year, and how much time each tour leaves you beside the troop.
From the parking to the gate
Tour vans and coaches stop at a parking area by Kanbayashi Onsen, a small hot-spring settlement in the Yokoyu River valley above Shibu Onsen. From there a footpath of about 1 mile (1.6 km) leads to the park gate.
Most people need 25–40 minutes each way. The first stretch is wide and gentle, with tall cedars on both sides and the river somewhere below. Near the park the path narrows into a few flights of steps.
Nobody needs to be an athlete for it. On a winter day, though, the walk feels longer than the map suggests, because the cold drags at you. One reviewer of the coach tour called the forest itself a highlight.
Going without a tour, you start from the bus stop next to the same parking. The train and bus connections from Nagano are in our guide to doing it yourself.
What the path is like by season
In winter the path is packed snow, polished to ice in places by hundreds of boots. Tour 1's listing calls the winter walk slippery and says no heels or sandals. Ice cleats that slip over your boots help more than any jacket.
The early spring thaw turns that snow to mud, and the low spots stay wet for a while. A reviewer of the Obuse day remembered muddy patches on what they called a moderate hike.
From late spring to autumn the forest is green and the ground is mostly dry earth and roots, with puddles after rain. This is the easiest time to walk, and the shade keeps it cooler than the valley floor.
The packing guide goes through boots and layers for each month. If you have not settled on dates yet, our look at when the monkeys bathe weighs snow against crowds.
The cafe and the gate
Just before the gate stands the Enza cafe, the last warm room before the pool. Reviewers mention its apple pie, which comes with the Shibu Onsen tour. It makes a good spot to thaw your hands before the photos and to find your guide afterwards.
Entry is ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for children, and children under 6 go in free. Tours 1–4 include the ticket. On the private car tour and the Japan Awaits private day you pay it at the gate, so carry yen.
Opening hours run roughly 8:30 am to 5 pm in summer and 9 am to 4 pm in winter. That short winter day is why every tour aims to arrive by early afternoon.
The pool and the steaming gorge
Past the gate the valley closes in. Steam rises from vents along the river, and that steam gave the place its name, since Jigokudani means hell valley.
The park opened in 1964 at about 2,800 ft (850 m), with a pool built for the monkeys on a ledge above the river. The animals are wild Japanese macaques, a single troop of well over a hundred.
Park staff put food out, so the troop comes down most days before heading back up into the forest. In between, monkeys walk right past visitors on the paths and groom each other on the rocks.
Bathing is never guaranteed. From roughly December to March many of them sit in the hot water, but in warm months they rarely get in. Tours 1 and 4 also warn of a few days a year when the troop stays in the forest.
The rules at the pool
The monkeys are calm around people because people leave them alone. The park keeps a short list of rules, and the guides repeat them on the walk up.
- No feeding and no touching, however close a monkey comes
- No staring into their eyes, which they read as a threat
- Food and plastic bags stay out of sight in a closed bag
- No selfie sticks near the animals, and keep your distance
- No drones and no pets
The edge of the pool gets crowded in winter. Take your photos, then step back so the people behind you get their turn at the front.
How long each tour gives you
Time at the park is the figure that separates these tours most. The walk eats about an hour of it, so a short slot leaves little time at the water.
| Tour | Time at the park | From |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Zenko-ji and sake day | About 2.5 hours, walk included | ~$139 |
| 2. Obuse and sake, small group | About 1–2 hours | ~$158 |
| 3. Soba lunch and Shibu Onsen | About 2 hours | ~$127 |
| 4. Shiga Kogen snow day | About 2.75 hours, walk included, about 1 hour at the pool | ~$164 |
| 5. Private car and guide | About 2–3 hours | ~$132 per person |
| 6. Japan Awaits private day | About 2 hours | ~$333 per person |
| 7. Local guide from Yudanaka | About 40 minutes | ~$111 |
The Shiga Kogen snow day, from ~$164, allows the longest slot of the lot and aims for about an hour at the pool itself. The Zenko-ji and sake day, from ~$139, is close behind at 2.5 hours with the walk.
On the private car tour, from ~$132 per person, the time is yours to stretch. Its per-person price falls as your group grows.
The shortest visit comes with the local guide from Yudanaka, from ~$111. The walk leaves Yudanaka Station at 12:20 pm and stops for the cafe and a foot bath on the way. Inside the park you get only about 40 minutes.
Forty minutes barely covers the pool once a crowd is in front of you. The booking is also non-refundable, so a change of plan costs you the full price.
Two hours at the park, seven people in the van
The Shibu Onsen tour reaches the monkeys around 10 am, with free pickup at Nagano Station or at two stations nearer the park. Entry and a soba lunch are in the price, from ~$127, apple pie included, with no more than seven guests.
When the monkeys stay in the forest
On some days only a handful of monkeys come down, and on a few none do. No operator promises a sighting or refunds you for a quiet pool.
Good guides change the plan instead. Reviewers of the coach tour describe a day with just two monkeys, after which the driver took everyone on to a hot-spring town nearby.
On the Shibu Onsen tour, from ~$127, guests mention guides such as Umut finding somewhere else to go when the pool was empty. One remembers being taken to a waterfall.
Autumn carries the highest risk, because fewer monkeys come down in the mating season from about September to November. Tour 3's own listing admits it. A day with other stops softens the blow, and the cost breakdown shows what each price buys beyond the pool.
Fitness and small children
The steps and uneven ground rule out wheelchairs on every tour. The Obuse day goes further. It lists itself as unsuitable for pregnant travelers or guests with low fitness, and it sets an upper age of 75.
Strollers do not work on the path in any season, so parents carry small children in a carrier or on their shoulders. The family rules for each tour are in our guide for families.