1-Day Winter Tour From Nozawa & Iiyama: Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake

Take in some of the highlights of Nagano with this engaging tour starting with a morning visit to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park and its world-famous hot spring-bathing monkeys, followed by a warming winter lunch and afternoon exploration of Zenko-ji - one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Japan. Led by a locally-based English-speaking guide and including a sake tasting experience to bring the tour to an indulgent conclusion this tour is a great way to enjoy the best of Nagano in winter!

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
This tour includes a reasonable amount of walking including to and from the monkey park along a 1.6km (1 mile), unsealed forest trail. Please sure your footwear is approriate and you are dressed accordingly for the season.
This tour is not wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for mobility-impaired travels. Should you have any concerns about your ability to join the tour, please contact us to discuss prior to booking.
Guests are required to follow the Snow Monkey Park rules at all times. Guests are not permitted to touch, hold, feed or bathe with the monkeys at any time.
There are no barriers separating the monkeys from visitors to the park. Please ensure you keep a minimum distance of 1 to 2 meters between yourself and the monkeys. Your guide will explain the rules prior to entering the park.
From mid-December until early-April the trail and park are likely to be affected by snow and ice. Please ensure that you are wearing suitable shoes/boots and warm clothing. If required, rental boots are available close to the monkey park and crampons (metal spikes that attach underneath your shoes/boots) can also be purchased. From mid-December until early-March please wear suitable clothing for temperatures potentially below 0°C (and as low as -10°C).
During the winter it is common to see the monkeys enjoying the hot spring however from spring up to autumn there will be times where the monkeys play or eat in the water, however please note that the monkeys are wild animals and there is no guarantee that there will be monkeys in the bath.
There are a few days in the year that the monkeys might not come down to the park, arrive late or leave early. While this is unlikely, it is possible and outside of our control.
This tour includes lunch at Enza Cafe. On rare occasions it may not be possible to use this restaurant in which case we would switch to another, comparable location. Please note that the restaurant may change their menu from time-to-time and the tour lunch may different to images shown on this page.
This tour is scheduled to conclude at Nozawa Onsen by 18:00. However, due to weather and road conditions in winter we cannot guarantee the end time.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 44 travelers