Snow Monkey and Zenko Ji Temple Exploration with Sake Tasting in Nagano

Embark on a full-day adventure in Nagano, Japan, exploring the serene Zenko-ji temple, indulging in sake tasting, and visiting the famous Snow Monkey Park. Enjoy a typical Japanese meal and immerse yourself in the beauty of these iconic attractions.

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Zenko-ji Temple - Discover Zenko Ji Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples and a Registered National Treasure. With nearly 1400 years of history filled with legends and myths, your English-speaking guide will lead you through the temple, allowing you to explore its rich heritage.
  • MONZEN TERRACE ENYA - Experience luxury in Nagano with…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • entry tickets
Additional Information

On this full-day journey, see two of the great sights close to Nagano. Discover the serene grounds of Zenko-ji, a beautiful temple famous for its ancient Buddhist statue. Before traveling down a lovely woodland walk to the home of the snow monkeys, a troop of native macaques renowned for their ability to live in the snow and bathe in the nearby hot…

Location
Zenko-ji Temple
I-491 Nagano Motoyoshicho
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(42 Ratings)
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Vamn65
May 6, 2025
Trip to nagano - Very nice and smooth trip! Driver very caring and very easy person! Lot of information and interisting tour. Recommended for sure
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John
Apr 6, 2025
Visiting the snow monkeys - Had a great tour from Nagano with our driver and guide, Bhatti. We visited the snow monkeys, then stopped in Obuse for lunch and sake tasting, then back to Nagano for a visit to Zenkoji temple.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lee_h
Mar 22, 2025
Great tour - Bhatti was our driver, he was very friendly and made us all feel comfortable. Bhatti gave great travelling tips and was very accomodating/flexible throughout the day. We would highly recommend this tour was a great day out.
Review provided by Viator
14rexa
Feb 19, 2025
Snow Monkey Private Tour - It was an amazing trip. Bhatti, our driver, was so good. He was very friendly and thoughtful. He was a great driver and shared a lot of good stories. He also had great recommendations. Definitely a must try.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F1750afstephaniem
Feb 9, 2025
Great experience! - We had a lot of fun on this tour and did a lot! Seeing the snow monkeys was a unique experience. The food and sake in Osube town were great, and the Zenkōji Temple was beautiful. Bhatti is very kind and friendly and a great tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arno
Feb 5, 2025
Great day trip - Great sights and a good pace to go faster or slower at your own pace. Excellent restaurant recommendation. Bhatti was great she had good local insights and safe driving in snowy conditions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Megan
Jan 16, 2025
Snow monkeys - An amazing day, our guide Bhatti had fantastic local knowledge and showed us some amazing sights around Nagano. It was amazing to see the snow monkeys in their natural environment. Thank you Bhatti
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leonie_h
May 11, 2025
A long day! - It was a full day trip from Tokyo, unfortunately mainly driving. We should have done our research and chose to skip the temple to spend more time with monkeys. Our guide Bhatti was very quiet but also very polite and sincere, very attentive to our needs. Once at Nagano the 45 minute walk from car park to actual snow monkeys was pleasant and easy uphill gradient, although muddy in parts, I would recommend decent walking/hiking boots, thak goodness we had those. All rewarded when we saw the monkeys in their natural setting, roaming the forest freely and going about their natural instincts. Saki stops were a great end to the day before the 3.5 hr drive back to Tokyo. We did this day trip at the end of our holiday so it was nice to not have to walk up 1000 stairs to our destination (IYKYK), we could sit back and relax in the comfort of Bhatti's large "family van".
Review provided by Viator
Jordand
Mar 30, 2025
The monkeys are great, the tour company isn’t - Visiting the snow monkeys was amazing and highly recommend. However be warned that this is in no way a wheelchair accessible, stroller accessible or if you’re unfit in any way physically to go, as it requires you to walk 1.25 miles each way in muddy/wet terrain and cold depending on times of year. The driver was abysmal and didn’t offer any actual guide, it was the same as booking a taxi. There was little to no communication and a call at 6:40am demanding we come down because he arrived, when our time was set for 7pm. To top it off he texted and looked on his phone the entire drive (4h there and back) and then I received a text of them telling me to pay 15,000 yen extra because they decided my pickup location was outside the bounds of their pickup.
Review provided by Viator
Ying_z
Jan 27, 2025
Our tourist guide is... - Our tourist guide is Tahseen Muhammad. During the tour, several instances raised concerns: 1. Tahseen is not able to provide answers to specific questions about history, Buddha Sculpture, Tomb of the Tokugawa shogun family, etc. Lack of detailed information about historical sites and local culture! 2: Tahseen is unable to assist with English to Japanese translation due to his limited reading proficiency in Japanese. Tahseen provided a driver's service and limited "guide" service. Given the premium cost of A$922, which significantly exceeds the value of a standard driving service, I feel that the pricing was not justified by the services rendered. This discrepancy between the cost and the actual service has led to a disappointing experience.
Review provided by Viator
From $608 (Per Vehicle)
up to 6 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).