Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
Jigokudani Yaen-koen is home to hundreds of “snow monkeys”, known as such because they spend their days soaking in the mountainous hot springs. In 1970 they appeared on the cover of Life magazine in the U.S. due to this unique behaviour. Furthermore, in 1998, when the winter Olympic Games was held in Nagano, lots of athletes, media, and tourists from foreign countries visited.
Monkeys don’t soak in the hot spring in the warm season because they bathe in order to prevent from the severe coldness in winter. Soaking in the hot spring is only one part of the monkeys’ life. You can also see them lazing or frolicking on the nearby mountain and forest.
Bus tickets
Professional guide
Foot Spa
All Fees and Taxes
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks, unless specified
Departure Point
Yudanaka Station, Hirao, Yamanochi, Shimotakai District, Nagano 381-0401, Japan
The guide will waiting for you at the ticket gate of Yudanaka station.
Return Details
Yudanaka Station, Hirao, Yamanochi, Shimotakai District, Nagano 381-0401, Japan
The guide will waiting for you at the ticket gate of Yudanaka station.
Yudanaka Station Tourist Information Center, Yamanouchi-machi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan The tour starts from this station. 10 minutes
Yudanaka Station Tourist Information Center, Yamanouchi-machi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan This tourist information center is pretty small, but interesting and has quite good information for tourists. You can take a map or brochure for free.
Jigokudani Funsen, Yamanouchi-machi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan Jigokudani Fountain is blowing high. Jigokudani means Hell Valley in Japanese, Jigokudani Fountain is designated as a national natural monument. The hot spring that gushes from the bottom of the river is a natural fountain that can be up to 20 meters high. It’s dynamic landscape is also great!
Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Yamanouchi-machi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan Located in the Yokoyu River Valley at an altitude of 850m, the Jigokudani Yaen Koen is known as "Hell Valley" due to the steep cliffs and steam emitting from the springs. It's buried in snow for a third of the year but is a paradise for the monkeys of Nagano area as they enjoy bathing in the hot springs to warm up. 40 minutes
1421-1 Hirao, Yamanochi, Shimotakai District, Nagano 381-0401, Japan If you're feeling a bit peckish while waiting for the bus to Yudanaka Station, we recommend grabbing some coffee or apple pie for takeout at this café here. 5 minutes
Kaede no Yu, Yamanouchi-machi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan Known as ‘ashi-yu’ in Japanese, the foot spa can be used free of charge and offers simple relaxation when awaiting your train. Simply take your shoes and socks off, roll-up your pants and rest your feet in the thermal water. After a day of exploring the monkey park, it’s amazing how much this simple action refreshes your body and reinvigorates you for the journey ahead. 15 minutes
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
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
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Please join us wearing shoes that are easy to walk in and do not bring heavy baggage because you will walk the mountain paths
A maximum of 8 people per booking
Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
Our guide was delightful, she was very informative and her English is excellent. We really enjoyed the stroll through the trees where the clear water gushed alongside, very refreshing but the monkeys stole the show, there were so many of them just going about their business as if they hadn't even seen us. We saw several youngsters and really cute babies. We'll certainly remember our visit and would highly recommend it.
Rachel F
06 Jul 2017
We found the overall experience to be just 'okay'. We thought this tour, would be all inclusive. To be clear, you are paying all that money just to have someone walk with you. When you get off the train, you pay for your bus ticket, you pay for your park entry, you pay for your meal. I was under the impression that the tour had a rest stop, or office to put your things, or some kind of behind the scene experience. It was not, literally someone just accompanies you from the train station to the park. I mentioned this to the guide and she said that it says it's not inclusive in the fine print. I went back and re-read everything and could not find where it said that. Travelers could easily do this themselves with no requirement for a guide. The tour seemed extremely rushed trying to make it back to the train station in time, which ended up being extremely stressful with 2 children.
However, our guide was very friendly and so accommodating. She did a great job leading us around and answering our questions. She was even generous enough to give me a pair of her socks when mine had gotten wet. There is no question, that she was perfect. It was obvious that she was just doing what her boss had instructed her to do.
It was a totally mediocre experience.
This tour in
Japan
is organized by
Trip Designer Inc.
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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