"Had a great day despite the inclement weather. Ali knew the roads, all the rules and had a great international take on things. The long slippery track to the snow monkees was worth the challenge and Zenjoki Temple was just beautiful."
MONKEYS & ZENKO-JI
Snow Monkeys & Zenko-ji
The macaques and Nagano's great temple in a day.
From
$443
per group up to 6
Free cancellation
- 4.8 / 5 80+ Reviews
- 10 hours Duration
- 2 Sites One Day
- 1,400 Years of Temple
- Free Cancellation
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The Experience
Why Pair the Park With the Temple
Zenko-ji is 40 minutes from Jigokudani and on the way home.
Highlights
- Jigokudani Monkey Park and Zenko-ji, Nagano's 1,400-year-old temple, in one day
- Five stops in total: the monkey park, Zenko-ji, Obuse, the Matsushiro castle ruins and Shibu Onsen
- A private vehicle for up to six people, so the price does not climb with the size of your group
- Hokusai's Obuse — the town where the printmaker spent his last years — on the return leg
- Highway tolls, fuel and parking already covered, with no on-the-day extras to settle
- English, Hindi, Urdu and Japanese spoken by the driver
What's Included
- A private air-conditioned vehicle for up to six passengers, for ten hours
- An English-speaking driver for the whole day
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tokyo, Nagano, Hakuba or Obuse
- Highway tolls, fuel and parking charges
- Bottled water and tea in the vehicle
- A Wi-Fi hotspot, subject to availability
How the Combined Day Runs
Monkeys in the late morning, temple on the return leg.
Pickup at Your Tokyo Hotel
Your driver collects you in central Tokyo early enough to reach the valley while the macaques are still at the hot spring. The drive is roughly three and a half to four hours each way.
Walk Into the Valley
Vehicles stop at the Jigokudani car park. From there it is a forest trail along the Yokoyu river to the park gate — flat but unpaved, and icy underfoot for much of the winter.
Time at the Hot Spring
The macaques come down to the pool on their own schedule. Most tours allow around two hours inside the park, which is what makes the difference between a glimpse and a proper visit.
Nagano on the Way Back
Many itineraries add Zenko-ji temple, Shibu Onsen or a soba lunch on the return leg, then drop you back at your Tokyo hotel in the evening.
Photo Gallery
Jigokudani in Winter
The valley the first half of the day is built around.
How Much Temple Time Each Itinerary Gives
The combined tours differ more on Zenko-ji than on the monkeys.
| Feature | MOST TEMPLE TIME Two-Stop Itinerary | Five-Stop Itinerary | Monkeys-Only Charter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stops in the Day | Jigokudani and Zenko-ji | Jigokudani, Zenko-ji, Obuse, Shibu Onsen and a castle | Jigokudani, with optional stops if time allows |
| Time at Zenko-ji | 30 minutes to 1 hour 40, depending on the operator | About 1 hour, shared with four other stops | None scheduled |
| Time at the Monkey Park | 80 to 100 minutes | 1 hour | Up to 2 hours |
| Realistic Pace | ✓ Unhurried — two stops in ten hours | Tight — 40 minutes a stop once driving is counted | ✓ Unhurried, but one-note if the temple interests you |
| The Dark Passage | Time to do it, though the fee is paid on site | Rarely — the schedule does not allow for the queue | Not applicable |
| Priced | $443 to $457 per vehicle, up to 6 | $383 to $443 per vehicle, up to 6 | From $102 per person, or $383 per vehicle |
| Best For | Anyone booking partly for the temple | First visits to Nagano where breadth beats depth | Wildlife and photography as the whole point |
| Check Dates | See Options | View Options |
More Options
Compare Snow Monkey Tours From Tokyo
Private charters, temple combinations and rail-side day trips, side by side.
MOST REVIEWEDTokyo: Private Snow Monkey Park & Nagano Scenic Day Trip
PER-VEHICLE FARENagano/Tokyo: Snow Monkey Private Day Tour At Lowest Rate
ENTRY INCLUDEDNagano: Snow Monkey Park, Soba Lunch, and Shibu Onsen Tour
FIVE STOPSTokyo: Nagano Snow Monkey and Zenkoji Temple Private Tour
GUIDE ON BOARDTokyo: Nagano Day Trip with Snow Monkey Park & Temple.
Worth the Detour
What Zenko-ji Adds to a Monkey Park Day
And how much time it genuinely needs.
Zenko-ji is forty minutes from Jigokudani and broadly on the road back to Tokyo, which is why so many operators pair them. It is also the one addition to a monkey park day that does not feel like padding — a temple that predates the split of Japanese Buddhism into sects, and which therefore belongs to none of them.
What you are actually visiting
The main hall is a National Treasure and one of the largest wooden buildings in Japan. The temple holds what is said to be the first Buddhist statue brought to the country, kept as an absolute secret image that nobody has been permitted to see for centuries — a replica is shown once every six years.
The part visitors remember is the O-kaidan: a pitch-dark passage beneath the main hall that you walk through with one hand on the wall, feeling for a key set into it. Finding the key is said to grant enlightenment. It is genuinely, completely dark, it takes a few minutes, and it costs a small separate fee that the tours do not include.
How much time it needs
The itineraries here allocate between thirty minutes and an hour and forty. Thirty minutes covers the approach, the Niomon gate and the main hall from outside. An hour lets you go in, do the dark passage and walk the precinct properly. If Zenko-ji is a real reason you are booking rather than a box on the route, check the stated figure before you pay — it varies more between these tours than the monkey park time does.
The approach street, Nakamise-dori, is lined with shops selling oyaki — Nagano’s buckwheat dumplings, stuffed with vegetables or sweet bean — which is the most reliable food stop on a day where lunch is rarely included.
Sequencing
Most drivers run the monkey park first and the temple on the way home, and that is the right way round: the pool fills through the late morning and thins out by mid-afternoon, while Zenko-ji is calmer once the day-trip coaches from Nagano station have gone. One operator on this site reverses it, taking the temple first at opening. That works too, and it means an earlier pickup.
What does not work is treating Zenko-ji as one stop among five. The five-stop itineraries give it forty minutes alongside Obuse, Shibu Onsen and a castle, which is enough to say you have been. Two stops in a ten-hour day is not thin — it is the realistic allocation once you account for seven hours of driving.
The alternatives
If the temple is not the draw, a monkeys-only charter spends that time at the pool instead, and one of them gives two full hours there. If you would rather not drive at all, the shinkansen route puts you in Nagano in eighty minutes — Zenko-ji is a short bus ride from the station, so you can do the temple independently either side of a monkey park tour.
The comparison guide lays the itineraries out side by side, and what to expect at the park covers the walk in and the gate fee. When you have your date, check availability.
Guest Reviews
What Guests Say About the Combined Tour
4.8/5
from 80 verified GetYourGuide guests
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"Ali picked us up on time from Nozawaonsen and took us to the snow monkey park, Obuse, and Zenkoji Temple. He made sure to get us back to Tokyo in time for our dinner reservations. He was a safe driver. This is a great way to get a quick overview of some of the sites in Japan with easy transportation and highly customizable to your schedule."
"We had such an incredible time on this private day tour! Our tour guide, Fahed was a very awesome driver. He was very kind to us and gave us so many tips to make the best of our day. He also allowed us to customize the stops we wanted to take and didn't rush us in any way.We had such an incredible day seeing the beautiful monkeys at snow monkey park, exploring the Zenkoji Temple, and spending time with Fahed during the drive. We recommended Fahed !!"
"We had an excellent experience on the Snow Monkey Nagano tour with our driver Ahmed. He was very professional, punctual, and friendly throughout the trip. Ahmed drove safely in snowy conditions and made us feel comfortable and relaxed the entire time. He was knowledgeable about the area, helpful with guidance, and always willing to assist with photos and suggestions. His polite attitude and customer-focused service truly enhanced our tour experience. We highly recommend Ahmed to anyone planning a Snow Monkey tour in Nagano."
"I had an amazing time on the Nagano Snow Monkey Tour, and a big shoutout to our driver, Ahmed He was not only friendly and knowledgeable but also made the trip smooth and enjoyable. The snow monkeys were incredible to see up close, and Ali provided great insights about the area. Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking to explore Nagano."
"This was an amazing Experience and Ali was a fabulous guide telling us lots about the area sharing his local knowledge We really loved seeing the Snow Monkeys and visiting the Museum."
"I had an amazing time on the Nagano Snow Monkey Tour, and a big shoutout to our driver, Ali! He was not only friendly and knowledgeable but also made the trip smooth and enjoyable. The snow monkeys were incredible to see up close, and Ali provided great insights about the area. Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking to explore Nagano."
"Our day trip with Ali was fantastic, after seeing that no monkeys had come to the park for the past week, we were so lucky to see 4 monkeys there and the autumn colours were spectacular. Ali provided honest advice on what was realistic to see in our day, and recommended visiting the beautiful town of Obuse, which was a real highlight! An amazing experience."
Read all 80 verified reviews
See All ReviewsTwo of Nagano's Landmarks, One Day From Tokyo
A private vehicle for up to six, tolls and fuel included, with real time at both the monkey park and the temple. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from $443 per group up to 6.
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Snow Monkey & Zenko-ji Tours — Questions
How much temple time you get, and what it adds to the day.
Between thirty minutes and an hour and forty, depending on the tour. Thirty minutes covers the gate and the main hall from outside; an hour lets you go in, walk the dark passage and see the precinct properly. It varies more between these tours than the monkey park time does, so check the figure before you book.
The O-kaidan, a pitch-black corridor beneath the main hall. You walk it with one hand on the wall feeling for a key set into it — finding it is said to grant enlightenment. It takes a few minutes and costs a small separate fee the tours do not include.
Most drivers do the monkey park first and the temple on the way home, which is the right way round: the pool is fullest in the late morning and Zenko-ji is calmer in the afternoon. One operator here reverses it and takes the temple at opening, which means an earlier pickup.
The grounds and the approach street are free to walk. The main hall's inner sanctuary and the dark passage are ticketed on site, and none of these tours includes that.
Lunch is not included on these itineraries. The approach street to Zenko-ji, Nakamise-dori, is the most reliable stop — it is lined with shops selling oyaki, Nagano's buckwheat dumplings.
If the temple genuinely interests you, yes — it is forty minutes from Jigokudani and broadly on the way home, so it costs little driving time. If it does not, a monkeys-only charter spends that time at the pool instead, and one of them gives two full hours there.
Still have questions? Email us at info@snowmonkeysfromtokyo.com
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