Published on Mar, 2024

Worth going again , wonderful experience, would get shoe clamps at the shop before the climb as the path was very slippery ,wrar shoes that don't slip on ice path.

Published on Mar, 2024

Despite the long drive, it was worth it to see the really cute monkeys. They are definitely not shy, though only one was taking advantage of the hot springs. The sukiyaki lunch was one of the best of our stay in Japan. I would recommend renting the spikes if the path is icy. I got away with trail shoes, but other people were slipping and sliding.

Published on Mar, 2024

When we got to the snow monkey park there were so many monkeys in the hot spring and running around it was quite amazing. Better than expected. The 1.7km walk through snowy woods was all very beautiful

Published on Feb, 2024

This was a brilliant tour! We travelled as a family (2 adults, 2 teens) in 2023. The bus pick-up was easy to find and the bus itself was comfortable and cosy for a December 24th long drive with a cold early-morning start. It took about 4 hours with a few rest stops along the way to reach the lunch destination around 11:30am, and the Beef Sukiyaki was absolutely delicious. One of the nicest meals we had in Japan! After lunch, we reached the starting point of the Snow Monkey Park walk at 1:00pm, and it's about a 45 minute walk through a gorgeous forested area. This was particularly lovely the day we went as it was so snowy. Take cleats and sensible shoes if you're going in Winter - lots of people were slipping on the ice so we were very grateful for ours, and they weren't at all expensive. The guide sets off first to organise the tickets and then you make your own way in your own time, just knowing to factor in around 1.5 hours for the round trip walk, and that you need to be back at the bus by 3:30pm. This gives you a good hour with the monkeys if you walk at a decent pace. A few sections of the walk can be steep and with (icy the day we were there) stairs, so make sure you're in good health. The Snow Monkeys themselves were just amazing - absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we were thrilled to see so many in the Onsen. The whole valley is spectacular - we hadn't expected it to be as large and beautiful as it was. We departed back to Tokyo right on time but weren't back in Shinjuku until closer to 8:00pm due to Sunday traffic. My only criticism of the whole day was there was an overabundance of rest stops, at least 2 more than necessary, and had we not done that we'd have been back a lot earlier. Our tour guide was lovely and gave us just the right amount of information without overloading us or speaking constantly and the bus drivers (two!) were safe, friendly, and considerate. We'd recommend this trip to anyone - so much easier to do it as a day trip from Tokyo than organising transport yourself and the lunch really was lovely (and a fun apple-themed gift shop included too!). Thank you Viator for such a great experience!

Published on Jan, 2024

Leaving aside the Snow Monkeys, our guide was a highlight of the tour. His name was Masa, he was always helpful and informative, and with a sense of humour. A long enjoyable day made better by Masa.