Thanks to a community-led management program, the site is well-maintained.
More than 10,000 tourists visit the Ubud Monkey Forest each month. Visitors are strongly advised to be mindful of their belongings, including cameras, bananas, and sunglasses, as the macaques are known to grab anything they can if given the opportunity.
A family from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, experienced a memorable moment during their dream holiday in Bali, Indonesia. While visiting the popular Ubud Monkey Forest, a monkey took their camera, snapped a selfie, and even made a cheeky gesture by giving them the middle finger.
Judy, 37, Simon, 36, and their three children, Elijah, 13, Jimmy, 11, and Kayleigh, 8, visited the sacred forest, home to hundreds of monkeys.
They requested a local guide to take photos of them throughout the day. They were surprised when they reviewed the photos to find a curious monkey making a rude gesture by flipping its middle finger.
After looking back at the pictures, mother and administration worker Judy said her family burst out laughing.
Judy said: ‘We were only in Bali for a week and thought it would be fun to go on a day tour around Bali.
‘As part of the tour, we went to the monkey forest. I thought it would be a fun experience.
‘While we were there, a guide offered to take our photo. But as he did, a monkey suddenly came in front of the camera.
‘The guide had peanuts in his hand and then began feeding him. It was really funny.
‘As I was flicking through the photos afterwards, I noticed that in one of them the monkey was actually giving us the finger.
‘I showed my husband and we both started laughing. We thought it was hilarious.
‘The monkey definitely had a cheeky persona going on.
‘We had such a great time there and these funny photos made it even better.’
The unforgettable photo was taken during the family’s holiday to Bali in December 2018 and was shared online for the first time this week.
Judy said that the unforgettable image was one of the highlights of their entire trip – and added that it would not be long before she and her family returned to Bali.
The mother added: ‘I posted the photo to my Facebook and Instagram and all my family and friends thought it was hilarious.
‘The experience was one of the highlights of our trip, and the photo itself is something we can look back on to remember forever.
‘Bali is such a beautiful place and we can’t wait to go back one day.’