Snow Monkey Tours in Nagano: The 15 Best Day Trips

1.1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,020 reviews · from $151Our pick

Spend about eight hours with an English-speaking guide at Zenko-ji Temple, a Nagano sake brewery, and Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Guides such as Tom, Kieran, Nadine, and Endo have helped make the day informative and easy to follow. Lunch, transport, sake tasting, and park admission are included. Expect a forest walk and icy footing in winter.

“This excursion surpassed our expectations and added cultural experiences to our day. We were leaving Japan the next day so it really enhanced our trip.”

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2.Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 833 reviews · 8 - 12 hours · from $135

Spend a full day exploring Nagano with guides such as Dylan, Brent, Tom, or Hiroshi, depending on your departure. Visit Zenkoji Temple, sample several sakes, enjoy a generous local lunch, then walk 1.6 km through a forest trail to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Transport, entry, lunch, and sake tasting are included.

“I had a brilliant time exploring Zenkoji Temple and seeing the snow monkeys! Hishiro and Shin were brilliant!”

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3.Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 295 reviews · 1 day · from $151

Travel from Shinjuku to Nagano for beef sukiyaki, a snowy forest walk, and Jigokudani Monkey Park. You may see Japanese macaques soaking in hot springs, though sightings in the water are not guaranteed. Winter departures from Jan 23 to Mar 1, 2026 also visit Kamakura snow huts. Expect a long coach ride and icy walking paths.

“We had a great experience on the snowiest and coldest day of the year! Seeing the snow monkeys enjoying the hot springs was definitely the highlight of the day. Our tour guide was very kind and humorous and had jokes, commentary and even a song sheet for us all ready in case there were any hiccups along the way. Hats off to our tour guide and driver for making the day amazing and go smoothly despite icy roads and traffic jams.”

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4.Private Tour Snow Monkey Park & Zenko-ji Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 184 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private Toyota Vellfire, Crown, or Land Cruiser with an English-speaking driver. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple, Matsushiro Castle Ruins, Shibu Onsen, and Obuse. Guides such as Waqas and Bilal are praised for patient service, local tips, snacks, and flexible stops.

“Bilal - our guide - picked us up early morning for a long drive to the snow monkeys. He is polite, respectful, helpful and went out of his way to ensure that we had every experience possible on our tour. We had a fantastic day, snow monkeys and the walk to them was a highlight. We can recommend Bilal highly.”

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5.Hokkaido Seasonal: Lake Toya & Noboribetsu Jigokudani Valley

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 173 reviews · 1 day · from $55Best value

Travel from Sapporo to Lake Toya, Lake Hill Farm, Showa Shinzan, and Noboribetsu Jigokudani with a guide speaking English or Chinese. Add a snowmobile ride at your own cost when conditions allow, enjoy winter views and local snacks, and finish among steaming volcanic vents. Guides such as Mila, Sunny, and Mr. Hong are praised for clear advice and friendly help.

“our guide, Max, was knowledgeable about the places we visited and very nice. The trip is well organized and you have enough time during the various stops. would recommend!”

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6.Snow Monkey & Nagano Customiseable Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 138 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo or nearby resorts in a private Toyota Vellfire or Crown with an English-speaking driver. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple, Obuse, Shibu Onsen, and Matsushiro, with time and lunch adjusted to suit your group.

“Alex has been accommodating as a driver and did a wonderful job at aligning with our schedule and plan - he showed us around local sights and gave us wonderful recommendations for lunch. Thank you for the experience !”

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7.Nagano Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 123 reviews · from $151

Travel by comfortable coach from Shinjuku to Nagano’s Jigokudani Monkey Park, where Japanese macaques may bathe in hot springs. Enjoy beef sukiyaki at Shinshu Fruitsland, with pork, vegetarian, and vegan meals available. The park requires a snowy uphill walk of more than 30 minutes, so bring grippy footwear. Seasonal departures may include illuminated Kamakura snow huts.

“This was an amazing experience. To organise this kind of a trip on your own from Tokyo to the Snow Monkey Park would be time consuming and very hard. We met our tour guide and bus at a very central location in Shinjuku, right down the road from our hotel. The tour was on time all day. We had a very yummy traditional Japanese lunch of Sukiyaki. We got to spend an hour with the Snow Monkeys, which was ample time. Thoroughly enjoyed my day! Would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to visit the Snow Monkeys 🐒”

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8.1-Day Snow Monkeys & Snow Fun in Shiga Kogen Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 94 reviews · from $184

Spend about nine hours in Nagano with an English-speaking guide, playing in the snow at Shiga Kogen and watching Japanese macaques at Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. The day includes snow scooters, snow bikes, sleds, lunch, park admission, and transport from selected meeting points. Guides may include Jens, Endo, Dylan, Joyce, or others.

“Endo san was very lovely. Not only that he taught us how to use various sledging equipment, he often volunteered to take photos for us. He provided interesting fun facts about the area and looked after everyone well on the tour. Arigatougozaimashita Sensei. 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️”

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9.Nagano Tokyo: Snow Monkey Private Day Tour Hotel Pick & Drop

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 84 reviews · 10 hours

Travel by private Toyota Prado with an English-speaking driver such as Alex, Baba, Kashi, or Jazib, depending on availability. Visit Jigokudani Monkey Park, Zenko-ji Temple, Shibu Onsen, Obuse, and Matsushiro Castle Ruins. The 10-hour tour includes hotel pickup, Wi-Fi, refreshments, tolls, and fuel, with time to adjust the route to your group.

“our guide was Kashi. He reached out before our tour to confirm pick up details. on the morning of pickup he also checked in to make sure nothing had changed. he picked us up on time in a clean car. he asked us where we wanted to go first and we planned the day together. he was very considerate and kind. During the drive to the snow monkeys we talked about the city of Nagano and Japan in general. He also kindly took pictures of our family for us. The snow monkeys were a highlight and highly recommend. Kashi was a great guide and would happily use him again.”

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10.Private Nagano 1-Day Tour:Snow Monkeys,Zenko-ji,Obuse,Sake,Onsen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · from $337

Spend about eight hours with a private English-speaking guide visiting Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Zenko-ji Temple, Obuse, and the Hokusai Museum. Guides such as Hori, Mutsumi, and Emi have helped shape flexible days around food, sake, family needs, and walking pace. Choose an onsen stop when available, with admissions and lunch extra.

“Being a nature lover, the snow monkeys of Nagano were among the last unique experience left in my bucket list. Although September is clearly not the ideal time for it, my brothers and I enjoyed the walk in the forest before reaching the park and there were enough monkeys frolicking in the pond to make it a worthwhile experience. After that we were treated to an excellent tonkatsu, chestnut ice-cream and sake degustation which made for a very nice day. Our guide Hitomi was very accommodating, and gave us good advice on how to optimize our tour content. She was also very friendly and used a translating software a lot…”

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11.Snow Monkey Private Customize Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private, air-conditioned van with an English, Japanese, or Hindi-speaking driver. See the snow monkeys at Jigokudani, Zenko-ji Temple, Shibu Onsen, Obuse, Matsumoto, or Matsushiro Castle Ruins. Hotel pickup, Wi-Fi, highway fees, fuel, and drinks are included, with room to adjust your day.

“Everything is fine 🙂 Ali was a great guy. we had plenty of time to enjoy the money park and the temple. I recommend this service and Ali guide in particular to everyone. thank you”

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12.Nagano/Tokyo: Snow Monkey and Zenkoji Temple Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 54 reviews

Travel from Tokyo to Nagano in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver. See Jigokudani’s snow monkeys, Zenkoji Temple, Obuse, Matsushiro, Yamanochi, and Shibu Onsen. Guides and drivers such as Ali, Sunny, Raza, Hadi, and Fahad have been praised for patience and flexibility. Expect a long day with about seven hours on the road.

“Ali was an exceptional tour guide! Polite, patient, and incredibly accommodating. Despite booking the tour 2 days prior, the company and Ali were very responsive and helpful with organising the day. He went out of his way to ensure everyone felt comfortable and engaged throughout the tour. He made sure we arrived at the snow monkey park early enough before it got super busy, and was flexible as we decided to go to Obuse instead of Zenkoji Temple. The day didn’t feel too rushed considering it’s a ~ 11 hour tour from Tokyo with about 7 hours total driving time. Highly recommend!Read more”

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13.1 Day Tour: Snow Monkeys & Snow Fun in Shiga Kogen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 52 reviews · 9 hours · from $165

Spend nine hours in the Japanese Alps with an English-speaking guide such as Endo, Kieran, or Dylan. Play in Shiga Kogen’s snow, eat lunch beside the slopes, then walk 1.6 km to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. The day suits families and first-time winter visitors, but warm waterproof clothing and careful footing are essential.

“It was absolutely amazing! Our tour Lyndsey was great! The whole trip was really fun and worth the money. 10/10”

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14.1-Day Snow Monkey & Cherry Blossom Tour in Spring

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 51 reviews · 9 hours · from $135

Travel from JR Nagano Station to Jigokudani Monkey Park, where Japanese macaques roam freely, then enjoy lunch and visit cherry blossom sites chosen for peak bloom. English-speaking guides such as Dai, Kevin, and Kunihiko Endo keep the day moving and add local context. Plan for a long walk to the monkeys and no guarantee they will enter the hot spring.

“Great guide and driver, beautiful day to see the macaques and the cherry blossoms 🌸”

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15.Snow Monkey Park and Miso Production Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 45 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Tokyo or nearby Nagano-area bases to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Zenko-ji Temple, Matsushiro Castle Ruins, Obuse, and Shibu Onsen. Your private English-speaking driver handles the long mountain journey, with flexible stops, hotel pickup, Wi-Fi, drinks, and room for up to six people.

“We had an excellent experience visiting Jigokudani Monkey Park in January with my family, and our trip was made even better with Sarfraz as our guide. He was friendly, communicative, and incredibly knowledgeable, ensuring our visit to the park was seamless and enjoyable. Sarfraz also guided us through Zenko-ji Temple, sharing fascinating history and insights that made the visit truly special. His professionalism and warm demeanor made the entire day unforgettable. Highly recommend Sarfraz for anyone planning to explore Nagano!”

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