Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano day tour

We loved this tour! It was fun but also easy and stress free having Dillon as our guide, and transportation via bus to all sites. Dillon had an incredible wealth of knowledge about all things Snow Monkeys, Sake, and Zenkoji Temple. We enjoyed this experience and is a highlight of our trip! Be mindful the walk to see the monkeys is long but worth it, and if you do the dark passage at the temple, it takes up a bit of your free time that you may otherwise prefer to use for exploring shops and food options.

This tour was more than just a stop to see the snow monkeys—it transformed our Hakuba-to-Tokyo relocation day into an unforgettable adventure. With the option of pickup in Hakuba, luggage stored, and drop-off at Nagano Station, everything flowed effortlessly, letting me fully enjoy the moment without stress. The guides, Sijung and Endo, were incredible—easygoing, naturally engaging, and full of insight. Their stories, tips, and playful humor made the day lively yet relaxed, and they helped me notice details I’d have missed on my own, like the matriarch of the monkeys, making the encounter truly special. Every part of the day was rewarding: wandering Zenko-ji Temple, tasting local sake, savoring a shabu-shabu lunch, exploring streets and shops, and strolling the forest to see lively monkeys. Optional free time extras like the temple tunnel or apple pies added delightful surprises Thanks to the Snow Monkey Resorts team, a routine travel day became immersive, joyful, and deeply memorable.

We really enjoyed the tour, we aren’t people who usually do organised tours but we were only in Nagano for a day so it made sense. Our guide was great, he was there with all the information but also allowed us time on our own. The trip to the snow monkeys was great, so many moneys.

excellent. visiting the anow monkey is a must when in Nagano. its a long walk, but worrh it. Kevin and Teddy, our tour guides were very good. the included lunch, shabushabu was likewise very good. a choice of beef, or seafood or vegetarian. its easier when joining a tour for this activulities. no stress aa compared to do it yourself trip.

Had a fantastic experience. guides were both very knowledgeable and fitted in very well with our group. I would definitely recommend.

What an amazing tour! The history of the Zenkoji temple, the delight of the sake tasting, the delicious lunch and last but not least the Onsen enjoying Japanese macaques! Ren and Rei were excellent tour guides! Thank you for the great memories!

Jevin our guide was excellent, the temples was lovely, lunch amazing and then saw loads of monkeys, could not have asked for more - 5 stars all round!!

Ticked this experience off my bucket list! Seeing the snow monkeys in their onsen was the cutest thing. They do also wonder around the park. Great tour guide and knew great english! Sake tasting was very interesting and fun to learn how each sake was made. Visited one of the first temples created in Japan and it was such a good experience. Would do it all over again! Food provided was also very delicious.

This is a great way to see Nagano and the snow monkeys. The tour is often self directed as you get brought to a place, told a little about the history and architecture, and get the rest of the time to wander. My tour guide seemed a little nervous but he did a great job. Definitely worth my money.

My sister and I participated in the tour on the 11th of december 2025. We both loved it and agree that it was the highlight of our 10-day trip to Japan. Seeing the cute monkeys was of course amazing but we also really enjoyed the sake tasting! You get to learn more about sake and you can buy the sake you liked from the tasting (we even got help to ship it to our hotel in Tokyo the next day). The lunch was also incredible (it makes me wonder how this tour is making any money considering the price). I also recommend trying to find the "key" at Zenkoji. We both also want to especially mention our great guide Dylan, who made the day extra fun and was very knowledgeable, and our great driver Sato-san, who took us on a beautiful scenic route on our way to lunch!