Monkey Park

More than 2,000 long-tailed macaques live in the rubber tree groves around Wat Thammikawas — locally nicknamed Wat Suan Ling, the “monkey garden temple” — on the bank of the Mae Nam Noi in Chainat’s Sankhaburi district. This isn’t a managed sanctuary or a staged feeding show: the troop is genuinely free-ranging and fully habituated to people, closer in character to Lopburi’s well-known monkey population than to a wildlife park with an admission gate.

Experience

The setting is a tall rubber plantation running down to the river, with temple buildings scattered through it. Monkeys move constantly between the canopy and the ground — troops forage, groom, and squabble over territory, and mothers carry infants that are born throughout the year rather than in a single season. The temple doesn’t run organised feeding sessions or shows, but visitors commonly bring bananas and other fruit, and the monkeys approach readily since decades of contact with people have made them unafraid of both humans and passing vehicles.

That habituation cuts both ways. This is a genuinely wild, uncontrolled population rather than a curated wildlife encounter — there’s no keeper managing behaviour, no barrier between you and the troop, and no guarantee an individual monkey stays polite around food. Treat it as observing wildlife, not as a petting-zoo visit.

Atmosphere & Timing

Cooler morning hours bring the most activity, as the troop forages before the day heats up. Afternoons in the hot season are quieter, with more monkeys resting in shade. The site is rural and low-key — there’s no formal visitor centre, so arrive expecting a temple ground with an exceptionally large resident monkey population rather than a built attraction.

Watch out: Secure everything before you get out of the car. Macaques here are experienced at unzipping bags, snatching phones, sunglasses, and food straight out of hands, and cornering or teasing them can provoke a bite. Keep a respectful distance and don’t try to touch or pick up any animal, especially mothers with infants.

Practical

Entry is free. The site is about 16 km from Sankhaburi district office along the Sing Buri-Chainat road, then about 500 m down a side road to Wat Thammikawas — a private vehicle is the practical way to reach it, since it’s well off the main tourist circuit. Bring water for yourself; there’s little for sale on site.