Already in the mountains for skiing? Then the monkeys are a day trip without any train. Here is what leaves from Hakuba and from Nozawa Onsen.
The short answer
From Hakuba, the usual snow monkey tour is the Machinovate day with Zenko-ji, sake and lunch, which collects guests at hotels in the Happo area by a shuttle that runs only in winter. From Nozawa Onsen, Machinovate runs the same combination with its own pickup and brings you back in the evening. Groups who want their own vehicle can book a private day of about eight hours from Hakuba.
From Hakuba
From Nozawa Onsen
Pick the day you want to see the monkeys, or the first and last day of your trip. We look at the booking calendar of every tour from Tokyo, Nagano and the ski resorts and list the ones that still take bookings.
Starts at: Nagano Station or Hakuba
Starts at: Nozawa Onsen
Starts at: Hakuba
Skiers have the shortest way to the monkeys of anyone coming from outside the valley. No Shinkansen, no coach from Tokyo: the tour picks you up where you are staying and brings you back the same day.
| Photo | Tour | Starts at | Pickup | Besides the park | Length of the day | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji and Sake Machinovate Japan Ltd | Hakuba or Nagano Station | Hotels in Hakuba (Happo), shuttle in winter only | Zenko-ji, sake, lunch | 8 to 12 h | ★ 4.9 (992) | $137per person | Book now |
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Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji and Sake from Nozawa Machinovate Japan Ltd | Nozawa Onsen | Nozawa Onsen | Zenko-ji, sake, lunch | About 10 h | ★ 4.9 (16) | $137per person | Book now |
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Private Snow Monkeys, Onsen and Heritage Tour Private tour jp | Hakuba | Not stated | Onsen and heritage stops, private | About 8 h | New tour, no reviews yet | $409per group | Book now |
Each price is the one GetYourGuide or Viator shows right now, taxes and fees included. Shared tours are charged per person and private tours usually per vehicle; the line under the price tells you which.
Open a card for the start point, the stops and what the tour leaves out.
Hotel pickup in Hakuba (Happo) by the winter shuttle, or start at Nagano Station. Zenko-ji, sake, lunch and the park ticket.
A group day trip that starts in Nagano, not in Tokyo. Pickup is at Nagano Station or, for skiers, at hotels in Hakuba. The day combines Zenko-ji temple in Nagano city, a sake tasting, lunch and the walk to the monkey pools at Jigokudani.
Guests coming from Tokyo take the Shinkansen to Nagano on their own; the train is not part of the tour.
Nagano Station, or hotel pickup in Hakuba (Happo area) for the Hakuba option.
Facts from the tour listing on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
Pickup in Nozawa Onsen, then the park, lunch, Zenko-ji and sake, about ten hours.
The ski-resort version of the Nagano day trip: pickup in Nozawa Onsen, then the monkey park, lunch, Zenko-ji temple and a sake tasting, and back to Nozawa in the evening.
Nozawa Onsen.
Facts from the tour listing on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
A private day of about eight hours from Hakuba. New on the platform.
A private day from Hakuba for skiers who want the monkeys without joining a group. New on the booking platform, no reviews yet.
Facts from the tour listing on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
Where each tour starts and ends, how you get there from Tokyo, the time at the park and whether ticket and lunch are part of it. "Not stated" means the listing does not say.
| Tour | Starts at | From Tokyo | Whole trip | Time at the park | Ends at | Park ticket | Lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple and Sake Day Trip from Nagano | Nagano Station or Hakuba | Shinkansen to Nagano on your own | 8–12 h | 3 h | Back at the start point | Included | Lunch |
| Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji and Sake Day Trip from Nozawa Onsen | Nozawa Onsen | Starts in the mountains | 10 h | Not stated | Back at the start point | Not stated | Lunch |
| Private Snow Monkeys, Onsen and Heritage Tour from Hakuba | Hakuba | Starts in the mountains | 8 h | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Taken from the tour listings, checked in November 2026. The length of the whole day is the operator's figure.
The Machinovate tour is the shared option. In winter its shuttle collects guests at hotels in the Happo area of Hakuba and you get the same programme as from Nagano: Zenko-ji with a guide, a sake tasting, lunch and the park, with the entrance included. Counting the drive from Hakuba, the day is longer than from Nagano, and the listing gives 8 to 12 hours depending on the pickup point. Outside the winter months the shuttle does not run; you would then need to reach Nagano Station yourself.
The private tour by Private tour jp is the alternative for groups who want their own car. It covers the monkeys, an onsen and heritage stops in about eight hours, and it has no reviews yet. Its listing does not say whether the park entrance is included.
Nozawa Onsen has its own Machinovate departure, with the same idea as the Nagano tour: the park first, then lunch, Zenko-ji and a sake tasting, and back in Nozawa in the evening. Snow on the roads can stretch the return, so leave some room before a dinner booking.
Luxurious Travel Master, whose private car tour normally starts in Tokyo, also mentions pickups in Hakuba and Nozawa Onsen. Entrance fees and meals are extra on that tour. Private tours compared.
Ski boots are no use on the path to the pool. It is a forest walk of about 1.6 kilometres from Kanbayashi Onsen, packed snow and ice in winter, 30 to 40 minutes each way. Winter boots with a good sole or ice spikes are what you need. What to wear for the path.
What a skier's day off looked like: the lunch stop, the crowds at the park and the temple.
“Kei was an absolutely amazing guide, and we loved our trip so much! The lunch was much better than we expected considering it wasn't the main attraction, and it was in a beautiful old building … The timing for the monkey tour wasn't too crowded and the temple was wonderful! …”
Real traveller reviews from GetYourGuide.
Yes. The Machinovate Zenko-ji and sake tour picks up at hotels in the Happo area of Hakuba by a shuttle that runs in winter only, and Private tour jp offers a private day from Hakuba.
Yes, Machinovate runs a day from Nozawa Onsen with the park, lunch, Zenko-ji and a sake tasting, about ten hours in all.
Not with these tours. They are full days of eight hours or more, so plan the monkeys as a day off the slopes.
Every snow monkey tour with start point and inclusions.
See the comparison