FAQ's About Monkeyland

… go on a guided walking safari

Visitors to Monkeyland are taken on monkey safaris in the forest by safari guides. On these safaris, you can expect to see a large variety of primates, ranging from the Gibbons of Asia, Howlers from South America to the Lemurs of Madagascar. At present, Monkeyland is home to around 550+ primates that roam the forest.

Our monkey safaris are fun, exciting and extremely informative. Our guests leave Monkeyland with a greater understanding of primates and the unrelenting threats they are facing in the world today.

… be educated about the primate species and other animals who live in our world today.

Our knowledgeable guides will tell you all about these fascinating creatures as you encounter them in their magnificent home. They will also point out, identify and explain the many wonders of life in the forest, from the rich diversity of bird life to the intricate workings of the forest itself.

… learn to appreciate your closest living relatives

The arrival of any new primate at Monkeyland is important, as this signifies possibly the only chance that individual primate will ever have of being free. When seeing Monkeyland’s primates moving about freely in the forest and enjoying their freedom, it is difficult to believe that most of them were previously in living in small cages.

One of the true joys of our safaris is finding and observing the various species in the forest, as they go about the foliage foraging and doing the things wild monkeys do. The instincts of animals born and bred in captivity become dormant. An important objective of the “Eden Syndrome” is the release of the primal instincts. Only then are these lovely creatures equipped to lead a natural life.

… lunch and shop

All safaris start and end at the reception building, and the reception area doubles up as a curio store. Our sanctuary restaurants are outsourced. 

… walk across the suspension bridge.

Monkeyland boasts that it has the longest suspension bridge in the hemisphere. It is 128m in length and a favourite place for visitors to snap holiday pics. Our primates love hanging out here also, have a look at this fun ‘once in a lifetime experience’ filmed by Monkeyland guests by clicking here

Our game rangers are all qualified safari guides, and conduct the one hour-long safaris into the heart of the forest with their visitor groups. Our guides are multi-lingual and can conduct safaris in a variety of international languages. 

It has never been the policy of Monkeyland to display particular species, but rather to rescue the neediest of the primates within our power. Notwithstanding this, you can expect to see around 550+ primates, including the following species: the indigenous Vervet monkey, Brown-hooded capuchin, Squirrel monkey, Spider monkey, Howler monkey, Hanuman Langur, Saki monkey, Black and white ruffed lemur, Ringtail lemur, and white-handed gibbon.

It has never been the policy of Monkeyland to display particular species, but rather to resca

All the exotic monkeys at Monkeyland come from captive conditions. After a rehabilitation and reintroduction period, known as the “Eden Syndrome”, they are released into the multiple canopy forest of Monkeyland to spend the remainder of their lives as free-roaming primates.

All the primates at Monkeyland are under the custody of The South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance (SAASA), formerly known as Touch A Monkey’s Heart Foundation, a section 21 non-profit animal welfare company.

At Monkeyland, we continuously strive to make the world a better place for our closest living relatives.

ue the neediest of the primates within our power. Notwithstanding this, you can expect to see around 550+ primates, including the following species: the indigenous Vervet monkey, Brown-hooded capuchin, Squirrel monkey, Spider monkey, Howler monkey, Hanuman Langur, Saki monkey, Black and white ruffed lemur, Ringtail lemur, and white-handed gibbon.

If there are too many monkeys for the area, they will cause a lot of damage to the forest. We do have more land (adjoining the Monkeyland forest) that we can expand into at a later stage, we have also spread our wings and opened a primate sanctuary in Ballito, KZN. We opened our new primate sanctuary in April 2019.  It is situated on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu natal in the Ballito/Kwazaduka region.

You cannot walk in the forest without having a safari guide, curator or sanctuary manager present. We offer one hour guided walks through the forest, where the guide will track down the primates and tell you more about them. Your entry ticket is a day ticket and this means that you are able to go on as many tours as you wish to on the same day.

Monkeyland is about an 1km stop and stroll walk through the forest.

Groups consists of 1 to 16 people per tour, this ensures personal attention. When the sanctuary is not too busy, any visitor is entitled to request a private tour. It is always best to pre-book a private tour to ensure that we can assist you – book your private tour with us by emailing info@monkeyland.co.za

We are often asked whether we sustain our sanctuaries on government funding and/or private donations. The answer to this is no. Both Monkeyland is totally self-sustaining by means of the tours we conduct in the forest. Every paying visitor entering our forest directly assists us to sustain Monkeyland and Birds of Eden. Furthermore, the funds we manage to save, after expenses, enable us to develop further sanctuaries.

Monkeyland strives to achieve an effective balance between conservation and economic reality. As result of this, our sanctuaries are tourism driven, totally sustainable and will never rely on hand-outs.

Dictionaries define a sanctuary for animals as merely a place where animals are protected from hunting. A true sanctuary for wild animals should, however, also be a place of refuge to protect them from much more than hunting. They must also be protected against exploitation, abuse, neglect and improper care.

At Monkeyland, care surpasses the feeble regulations regarding animal welfare. Our sanctuaries are safe havens where animals are rehabilitated, both physically and emotionally. Part of this rehabilitation is the reintroduction to members of their own species, through a process known as the “Eden Syndrome”. If the wild animal is to behave naturally in a free environment, it must first be allowed to return to its natural state.

We only create places where the wild animals can live as natural as possible. Places where wild animals are naturalised, where they are not petted, prodded and posed with, places where they are not caged.

No, touching and/or feeding of the bird is strictly prohibited. We don’t condone wildlife petting at our sanctuaries.

The answer is NO, we do not have any affiliation with the trade in wild animals.

There are no wild animals that are well suited as pets. Primates become frustrated when kept as pets. Just like you, they would prefer not to live in a small cage.

Yes, at Monkeyland, we have easy access ramps for wheelchairs and we provide wheelchairs (to use) at our sanctuary for the elderly and visitors who walk with difficulty. It is always better to pre-arrange the use of our wheelchairs, so please email us on info@monkeyland.co.za if you would like to pre-book the use of a wheelchair. 

We have no overnight accommodation available. There are wonderful establishments nearby that can be made use of. If you need assistance with accommodation options near Monkeyland, please visit the local website “Cruise The Crags“.

The primates cannot live off the berries and grubs they find in the forest. There are feeding platforms throughout the forest for the birds primates of Monkeyland. A variety of copped fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables are laid out each day. Most primates forage through the forest eating leaves, seeds and insect prey, but 99% of the food they consume we supply. Our annual sanctuary food bill exceeds 1 million.

Part of the visitor fee funds the buying of the food from various local outlets. Don’t fool yourself to think they eat food which is past its sell by date. The food our birds eat is the same fruit, vegetable, nuts etc. that you would purchase for yourself.

As with humans, birds have taste buds so why on earth would they want to eat inferior food?

There is a 6.5-meter fence surrounding 12 hectares of forest at Monkeyland for two reasons. Firstly, to keep the primates in and secondly to keep predators or other wild animals out. The primates are happy at Monkeyland, they have everything they need, and therefore they have no reason or need to leave.

Most of the primates in Monkeyland come from captive environments, mostly zoo surplus, and private homes where they were kept as pets. Some of our primates also come to us via other sanctuaries such as Stighting AAP in Almere, Holland.

Anytime between 8am and 5pm is perfect for a visit. Our tours depart every 15 to 20 minutes starting at 8am and last tour at 4pm. Our primates are wild (naturalised) and continue with their day-to-day activities, come rain or shine so you won’t miss anything.

Monkeyland opened its doors to the public on the 6th of April 1998.

Yes, there is lots of parking and the road is tarred. We also have a car guard on duty everyday.

Returning the primates back to the wild is incredibly difficult. Firstly, they will become part of a vicious cycle, there is the threat that they will be recaptured for the pet trade or killed for bushmeat. Until we can solve that problem it is impractical to release them to the wild. Secondly, the forests throughout the world are being destroyed for human benefit, soon there will be no natural environment for them to live in. If it is however possible we can assess the situation and join reintroduction programmes if and when the situation is right to do so.

Wear flat shoes – ladies – leave those stilettos at home.

If it rains, you can use an umbrella, but we recommend a rain jacket or poncho. Disposable ponchos are available at reception for R15.

Parents – we find it’s easier to use a kiddie backpack carrier than a pram.

Charge your cameras and phones, visitors tend to take many photos.

Purchase an ID booklet for R20 at reception. It will be handy for identifying photos.

Enquire about our sanctuary membership programme. If you plan to visit more than once a year, it will make sense to become a sanctuary member. Email Lara for more info.