The denizens of this nutmeg forest with trees that date back centuries are macaques who are the guardians of the 17th century Pura Bukit Sari and said to be the descendants of the monkey king Hanoman’s monkey army.

Sangeh Monkey Forest or ‘Obyek Wisata Bukit Sari Sangeh’ is a sanctuary of grey long-tailed macaques in the village of the same name. The monkey forest boasts six hectares of fertile forestland with primordial, giant nutmeg trees, which grow to a height of 40m.

The sanctuary is considered sacred, where the macaques inhabit both the woods and the 17th century Pura Bukit Sari, a temple located deep within the greens. The Bukit Sari temple is the largest of four temples; the others are Pura Melanting, Pura Tirta and Pura Anyar.