Nagano Snow Monkey Tour — Jigokudani Monkey Park Day Trip

Guided snow monkey tours from Nagano start from around $86 for a value day tour and run to about $202 for a private guide. Our best-selling tour, which pairs the Snow Monkey Park with Zenko-ji Temple, lunch and a sake tasting, is $129 per person and rated 4.9/5 by more than 950 travellers. Most tours include an English-speaking guide and transport; the park's own entrance fee (about ¥800) is usually paid on site. Compare all snow monkey tours.

Admission to Jigokudani Yaen-koen (the Snow Monkey Park) is about ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for children, paid at the park entrance. It is a modest, separate cost on most guided tours, so bring a little cash. The fee helps run and protect the park, which has looked after this wild troop since it opened in 1964.

The classic image of a monkey soaking in a steaming pool against the snow is a winter sight — the park's snowy season runs roughly December through March, with January and February the surest bet for deep snow and long soaks. That said, the monkeys live at the park year-round, so you can see the troop grooming, playing and raising young in any season. If a bathing monkey is your must-have, aim for the cold months.

You can always see the monkeys — they live at the park all year — but in the warm months they rarely bathe, because the hot spring simply isn't as appealing when it's warm out. April can still deliver occasional soaks on colder days, while summer visits are more about watching the wild troop up close than the snowy-onsen photo. For the bathing scene, December to March is the window.

From Nagano Station you can take the direct Snow Monkey Express bus to Kanbayashi Onsen (about 40–45 minutes) or the Nagano Dentetsu train to Yudanaka Station followed by a short local bus. Either way you finish with a walk of roughly 1.6 km along a forest trail to the park entrance. A guided tour handles all of these connections for you so you can focus on the monkeys rather than timetables.

Yes. The bullet train reaches Nagano from Tokyo in about 80 minutes, putting the park under three hours from central Tokyo — so a day trip is entirely doable. Be prepared for a long day, though: self-guided, most of it is spent in transfers and on the trail. This is why many Tokyo travellers book a guided tour that manages the logistics and folds in Nagano's other highlights.

If you're comfortable stitching together trains, buses and the forest walk, you can visit independently. Most travellers book a tour for three reasons: the logistics disappear, an English-speaking guide adds the story of the troop and the park, and the day is rounded out with sights like Zenko-ji Temple, Shibu Onsen or Obuse instead of dead time. With ratings of 4.9–5.0/5 across our featured tours, guests consistently rate it a trip highlight. See how the options compare.

Depending on the tour, you can pair the monkeys with Zenko-ji Temple (one of Japan's oldest and most important Buddhist temples), the retro hot-spring town of Shibu Onsen, the art town of Obuse where Hokusai worked late in life, the cedar-lined Togakushi Shrine, or a morning of snow play in Shiga Kogen. Most tours also include a regional lunch and often a sake tasting.

Jigokudani is the only place in the world where wild monkeys bathe in an onsen entirely of their own accord. The behaviour began decades ago and has been passed down through the troop; researchers have since found the hot spring genuinely lowers the monkeys' stress. The park was established in 1964 after local farmers and an innkeeper drew the troop deep into the valley near the springs.

In winter, dress warmly and waterproof: insulated jacket, gloves, a hat and sturdy, non-slip footwear for the snowy 1.6 km trail. Bring a little cash for the park entrance fee, and a camera with a decent zoom. In milder months, comfortable walking shoes and layers are enough. The trail is uphill in places, so a reasonable level of mobility helps.

The monkeys are wild but habituated to people and generally calm around visitors. Park rules are firm and exist to keep it that way: do not touch or feed the monkeys, don't hold food out in the open, and keep a respectful distance. Following the rules is exactly what has kept the natural bathing behaviour intact for sixty years.

Cancellation terms are set per tour by the operator and shown on the booking page before you pay — many GetYourGuide day tours offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. Check the specific tour's policy at checkout. Booking through our partner also means instant confirmation and a mobile voucher, so there's no paper ticket to collect.