Snow Monkey Park: Nagano's Hot Spring Retreat

Discover Nagano’s charm with snow monkeys, soba delights, and healing hot springs. Unwind, explore, and savor local traditions on this unique tour.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park - The tour will start with a visit to the renowned Snow Monkey Park, where visitors can observe wild Japanese macaques enjoying the hot springs amidst the serene mountains of Nagano.
    Important Notice about Snow Monkeys
    Please be aware that during September, October, and November, the snow monkeys are less frequent…
What's Included
  • Entrance fees
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Lunch
  • Admission fees
What's Not Included
  • Onsen stamp towel
  • Snacks
Additional Information

The adventure begins with a trip to the renowned Snow Monkey Park, where visitors can observe wild Japanese macaques luxuriating in the hot springs, nestled in the serene mountains of Nagano.
Following the stroll, the tour proceeds to the nearby Shibu Onsen area, a charming historic hot spring town. Lunch will be provided at a local eatery, featuring…

Location
Snow Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen Koen)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(12 Ratings)
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Liam_f
Nov 20, 2025
Would definitely... - Would definitely recommend this tour, our guide Umut was lovely and personable. We really enjoyed the waterfall view and would recommend other travellers to take this stop if they have time to spare on their trip.
Review provided by Viator
Chrishq3026cc
Nov 17, 2025
It was magical and would do it again! - We loved the hike through the woods and got to see the Snow Monkeys. We also went to see the waterfall and took a dip in several of the Onsen. It was magical and would do it again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Madhuri_r
Nov 16, 2025
Great trip - Wonderful spent the with our guide Umut and visited the snow monkey park and Shibu Onsen. It was a great experience. Umut made the whole day very special sharing his experiences adapting to Japan and sharing the local cultural norms. We had a wonderful soba lunch at a local restaurant at the Onsen village run by a Japanese couple. Umut went above and beyond his regular duties when after the tour I discovered that I had left my jacket somewhere. He backtracked our steps, found my jacket and hand delivered it to my hotel the next day!! Thank you!!
Review provided by Viator
Owen_w
Nov 11, 2025
Snow Monkeys and Shibu Onsen tour - We had a great day. We were the only people on the tour for the day and our guide Umet was very friendly and knowledgeable. We saw the snow monkeys and visited local onsen. We were advised about the temperature of the onsen at Shibu Onsen and chose the coolest temperature number 9 which was still very hot. Lunch was at a very traditional Japanese restaurant, small and cosy sitting on the floor. A great day overall and definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Amysn5715cr
Oct 28, 2025
Best way to visit Snow Monkey Park - Guide Umut Haner from Shibs Tour picked us up in a van and took us to the park. He was very knowledgeable about the park and, being local, the area and Japanese culture. This time of year is not guaranteed to see monkeys, but we were very fortunate that there were more than 100 individuals. On the way back to the car park, we stopped for the hand-held apple pies, made from fresh local apples. They were delicious! The hike was pretty easy and only took about 20 minutes from the car to the Monkey Park. Afterwards, we had time to see Kanmandaki falls that isn't accessible to view in the winter. Then, we had an amazing lunch and time in onsen. It was a great way to relax. We highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Moonah
Oct 22, 2025
Snow Monkeys - We had a great experience with Umut of Shibs Tours! Although there are few snow monkeys at the park in October we were lucky enough to see one. The beautiful scenery made for a peaceful and memorable day. Lunch was a highlight — the soba noodles were absolutely delicious, and we were pleasantly surprised by the fantastic apple pie! Umut was an excellent guide — knowledgeable, friendly, and made everything run smoothly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Petealoo
Oct 21, 2025
Nagano Adventure - A very nice tour. Even though we didn’t see snow monkeys, we enjoyed walking in the park. The soba lunch was delicious, and the Shibu Onsen very relaxing. Our guide, Umut, was friendly, helpful, and flexible.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charity_lorenzen
Sep 17, 2025
The best of Shiba onsen - Had a wonderful time! Apparently September is not a great time to see snow monkeys but our guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. He advised us to wait a little bit for the monkeys ro show up and they did! The soba lunch was delicious. The weather was too hot to sit in onsens so our guide took us to a gorgeous waterfall instead. Highly recommend this excursion!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patricia_c
Sep 4, 2025
Fantastic & Magical experience - This tour is very organised and the communication is clear from the booking process to the end. Our tour guide Umut was excellent, friendly and informative. The day was hot and there was no guarantee that the snow monkeys would be there but eventually they turned up! Lunch and visit to the onsens were equally great and once I’m back in the winter I want to do this tour again. Thank you for making our day more especial.
Review provided by Viator
Paula_m
Jul 24, 2025
Worth Taking This Tour - I can highly recommend taking this tour, the snow monkeys did not disappoint and our guide Umut was very friendly and showed us where to buy the most amazing apple pies!!
Review provided by Viator
From $95
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).