Jigokudani Yaen-koen

Jigokudani Yaen-koen (地獄谷野猿公苑), also known as the Snow Monkey Park, is a famous wildlife observation park for wild Japanese macaques in a remote mountain valley in Nagano Prefecture. Jigokudani is best known for its macaques bathing in a natural hot-spring pool during the cold winter months, often surrounded by deep snow. The free-roaming monkeys can be observed at close range throughout the year, although their presence and behavior vary with the season, weather, and availability of natural food. A roughly two-kilometer forest trail leads from Kanbayashi Onsen through the wooded mountain landscape to the park. Together with the nearby hot-spring towns of Yudanaka and Shibu Onsen, Jigokudani Yaen-koen ranks among Nagano Prefecture’s most distinctive wildlife and nature experiences.