Sangeh

Sangeh is a small village 20 km north of Denpasar, and home to one of the large attractions on Bali; the monkey forest Bukit Sari. The monkey forest is famous for it's old temple and of course the many macaque monkeys that rules the place. The temple, Pura Bukit Sari, is supposed to have been built in the 17th century, in the temple yard there is an interesting statue of the mythical Garuda bird.

According to Balinese tradition this place is mentioned in the Hindu epical poem Ramayana. The legend says that the monkey-god Hanuman took control of the gigantic cosmic mountain Mahameru in order to kill the evil demon Rawana. A piece of the mountain with monkeys clinging to it fell down on Sangeh, and since then the monkeys have lived here. The tall nutmeg trees that surrounds the temple is unique on Bali and is looked upon as sacred. Nobody can explain how they came here, adding to the myths that cling to the site. Another mystery is that supposedly no monkey or remains of a monkey has ever been found here.

The monkeys are of the same species as those in Ubud, but a lot more obnoxious. If you bring food they will more than likely jump on top of you to grab the goodies. By all means do not try to take it back or pet the animals, they may bite. If you follow these simple rules they make no problem and are just funny to look at. You can hire a local guide at the entrance who will show you how to treat the animals, and also scare away the most nasty of them. As usual do not have any loose belongings as they can easily be stolen by the monkeys, to be safe and sure you can bring a stick.

In front of the temple there are a lot of souvenir stalls, Sangeh is easily a tourist trap. They are however very easy to bypass. The forest closes five o'clock and is open daily.