The short tour
SHIBS TOURS runs the only tour on this site that starts in the valley. It takes about four hours and visits the park, stops at a café for soba and ends with a bath in Shibu Onsen. You can join in Yudanaka, or in Nagano or Iiyama if you are coming in for the day. It suits people who want a guide on the path and a local meal without giving up a whole day. The listing does not say whether the park ticket is included, so check the inclusions when you book.
Walking up on your own
The forest path starts at Kanbayashi Onsen. Before it, allow 7 to 10 minutes uphill through the village. The path itself is about 1.6 kilometres, mostly level, with a climb of about 20 metres at the start and steep steps at the park entrance. In the green season the walk takes 20 to 25 minutes; from December to March, on packed snow and ice, plan 30 to 40 minutes each way. Ice spikes are sold at the trailhead. No vehicle drives up to the park.
From November to March the park is open from 9:00 to 16:00, from April to October from 8:30 to 17:00. In winter, tickets may need to be reserved for a time slot, so check before you go, and buy your ticket for the day you will actually be there.
Who a night in the valley suits
Photographers and anyone who wants more than an hour at the pool gain the most. Families do too, because the walk is the same, but no one in the family spends seven hours on a coach. The trade-off is getting there: a night in the valley means organising your own journey from Nagano and booking a room there. If you only have one day and want it all arranged, a tour from Nagano Station is simpler.
In the park
Keep a distance of one to two metres from the monkeys, do not touch or feed them and do not eat or drink in the park or on the path. Flash photography and selfie sticks are not allowed. Bathing with the monkeys is not allowed either, however inviting the steam looks. More on the path, the ice and what to wear.
