10 Must-Visit Travel Destinations To Hang Out With Monkeys in the Wild

Have you ever wondered why monkeys aren’t native to America? They were, at one point, until the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans mixed, and colder temperatures turned America and Canada into monkey-free zones. 

But seeing monkeys in the wild is possible. You just have to grab your passport and take an international vacation.

Luckily, there are plenty of destinations where you can interact with monkeys. Study up on how to save money on travel, and plan your trip to one of these 10 places to see them.

Technically, great apes aren’t monkeys. But for the purpose of “Do we want to see them?” the answer is still “Yes, please.” Orangutans are critically endangered, so one of the few places they can be found is in parts of Borneo and Sumatra.

Tourists can go on a tour of the Kinabatangan River to see the unique wildlife of Borneo. In addition to orangutans, visitors are also likely to see proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, and maybe even a Sunda clouded leopard.

A three-day, two-night river cruise package costs about 2,060 Malaysian Ringgit or roughly $468 in American currency.

All four species of Costa Rican monkeys can be found in Corcovado National Park: white-faced capuchins, mantled howlers, Central American squirrel monkeys, and the endangered Geoffrey’s spider monkey. Finding them, however, can be physically intensive and include full days spent walking on foot through the jungle terrain.

A standard tour package for a three-day excursion runs about $642 per person and includes park fees, shared transportation, a local naturalist guide, bunk bed lodging, and meals.

Everybody wants to see the snow monkeys (officially known as Japanese macaques), and you can interact with them firsthand in Japan. The Iwatayama Monkey Park is home to a troop of 120 wild snow monkeys that roam freely but interact closely with staff and visitors who offer them food.

Park visitors will have a steep mile-long climb up the mountain. You can book an overnight trip, but you may save costs as this sight can be seen easily in one day. The admission fee is ¥800, which equals about $5.14.

Roughly half the world’s population of mountain gorillas (about 400 of them) live in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. If you want to see monkeys but with a side of adventure, this is the park for you. While it’s a trek to get there, you can spend much longer with the gorillas than in some other countries.

Travelers should be aware that according to the U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories, Uganda is a Level 3: Reconsider Travel designation. Still, many travelers cite feeling safe as tourists as long as you exercise caution.

Everyone who’s ever watched The Lion King wants to see some Rafikis out in the wild, so look out for the mandrills in Gabon. The Lope National Park is one of the few parks where tourists can see the colorful monkeys, along with western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants, leopards, and other amazing fauna.

Tourists will want to be physically fit and able to walk a minimum of five kilometers over rough terrain to go on the trek. Gabon is also listed as a Level 2 Travel Advisory, more specifically in Libreville and Port Gentil, but travelers will still want to check for travel guideline updates before booking a trip.

Head to the Gombe Stream National Park, where monkey enthusiasts can see where Jane Goodall conducted her breakthrough research on chimpanzees. This is the smallest of Tanzania’s parks and can be visited on a day trip.

The park is only accessible by boat and has no roads, so tourists will be fully immersed in the natural habitat while exploring the biodiversity. In addition to chimpanzees, visitors can also see baboons, vervet monkeys, and bush babies.

The Kanha Tiger Reserve has more than just tigers and is a great place to see the Hanuman langur, also known as the sacred langur or the northern plains gray langur. The reserve allows tourists to see them in their natural habitat. Besides tigers and monkeys, the park also offers visitors the chance to see leopards, sloth bears, dholes, and many different types of deer.

A four-day, three-night tour costs about $877 per person for foreign visitors.

The island of Madagascar has been classified as a biodiversity hotspot and has over a hundred different species of lemurs that can be found pretty much everywhere across the island.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can book a two-week inclusive tour through several national parks for two adults for about $3,290. The excursion allows visitors to experience the full range of local fauna, along with craft workshops and traditional dancing and cuisine.

Sometimes called “Monkey City,” Lopburi is home to thousands of long-tailed macaques that run free throughout the ancient city. Many of the monkeys can be found near the Prang Sam Yot Khmer Ruin, but the whole city is full of them. The monkeys will happily relieve tourists of food or shiny trinkets. However, most find it charming after the initial adjustment.

Entrance to Prang Sam Yot is 50 THB for foreigners, which is roughly $1.48. The best time to visit the city of monkeys is the last weekend in November, which is when the annual Monkey Festival occurs.

Did you know monkeys can swim? Tour boat operator Colonel Tooey didn’t in 1938, which is how Silver Springs came to have an invasive monkey population.

The Rhesus macaques were intended to live on an island but could swim unknowingly and wandered freely. They largely stayed near the attraction for food, and the colonies have remained and grown over time.

There are other invasive monkey species found in Florida, including squirrel monkeys and vervet monkeys. So, while they may not be native, tourists wishing to see wild monkeys without traveling internationally may want to vacation in Silver Springs.

Humans have been fascinated by monkeys pretty much as soon as we split off the family from them. Seeing them in their natural habitat personifies the natural world in a way that zoos can’t quite manage.

Embarking on an international journey to see wildlife is perfect for adventurous travelers, and monkeys are a perk to any vacation. If you hear the beckoning call of seeing monkeys, grab your favorite travel credit card and start planning your trip.