Monkey Forest – Make the most out of your visit
We might have 140 AMAZING monkeys to look out for, but did you know what else Monkey Forest has to offer?
See the below tips to help you make the most out of your visit to Trentham Monkey Forest!
Walk amongst our 140 free-roaming Barbary macaque monkeys – but take your time!
Obviously, when you visit Trentham Monkey Forest, you have to see the fascinating Barbary macaque monkeys. That’s why you come and explore the forest right?
One thing we’d advise though is to take your time when walking through – as fascinating behaviours can happen at any given time, we’d hate for you to miss something spectacular!
Make the most out of your unlimited visits into the enclosure (on the day of your visit), you can go in as many times as you like. Maybe go in early doors, go back out and grab some lunch, then pop back in after, we have 140 monkeys all of which freely roam so it is highly likely that you will see monkeys that you haven’t seen before on your previous visit. Make sure you see as many of our monkey residents as possible.
Our advice, find one of our benches, sit down and observe their natural behaviours. Entrance yourself and feel as though you are living in a David Attenborough film!
Talk to our friendly, knowledgeable guides
Throughout your 3/4 of a mile walk, you will see a yellow dressed person with a monkey on their back (no not literally!) Please ask them as many Barbary macaque related questions as you can think of. Our guides are very happy to chat with you about our amazing monkeys and the research/conservation work conducted within our park. Our guides see our monkeys everyday and know the ins and outs of Barbary macaque behaviours – some even know specific monkeys based on their facial pigmentation alone! It is well worth having a little chat as you’ll get little nuggets of information that will help to complete your educational visit.
Be patient…look out for our babies and aww at their cuteness!
This year we have welcomed SIX adorable baby monkeys and if you’re lucky… you might spot one! As the monkeys have 60 acres to freely roam we cannot 100% guarantee that you will see a baby monkey, but if you spend at least 2 hours in the park, what we can say that it is highly likely that one will make an appearance. That’s why we’d strongly advise you to nip into the forest at least twice during your visit – before and after lunch. Babies are born during the late spring/early summer and are incredibly cute to see – so are definitely worth being patient for!
Enjoy our peaceful meadow
Outside of the Monkey Forest enclosure, is our lovely, tranquil Meadow Walk. During the golden hours, this area makes for a very relaxing summer stroll. You can hear the birds chirping in the sky and the crickets rubbing upon the grasslands as you walk along the meadow bank. Take it in, breathe and forget about every day life in fresh meadow filled with the ever present nature on Trentham’s grounds.
See our REAL Barbary macaque skeletons & watch the monkey movie
After visiting our monkeys, why not learn more about them and their bodies? In our Primate Pictures and Monkey Movie room, we have two real skeletons of monkeys that actually lived in our park years ago that we have kept for scientific evaluation. This gives visitors a real insight into the anatomy of a Barbary macaque! Look closely at the bone structure of the primate and compare with ours. Also in this room is a 10 minute monkey movie where you can see the forest through baby season and the other seasons throughout the year. It is well worth the watch as you can see HD footage of monkeys big and small exploring their Trentham habitat.
Let your little monkeys go BANANA’S on our brand-new primate themed play area
Last year, we opened a brand new state of the art primate themed play area! The exciting space was designed for children to explore and replicate various primate behaviours whilst they are having fun. Let your cheeky little monkeys go WILD in our fun space! There are plenty of picnic benches around the area too making it the ideal spot to set up camp for a quick family picnic in between activities.
You can read more about the play area here.
If you’re lucky, you might spot a dragonfly up by our pond
At the top of our Meadow Walk, lies our thriving nature pond. Our pond is an absolute biodiversity wonderland. In peak summer, lots of Dragon Flies can be seen gliding about the surface of the water, which makes a delightful viewing for keen nature enthusiasts. Feel free to take yourself up there and see bits of nature you don’t get to see elsewhere here at Trentham Monkey Forest.
Grab a bite of delicious grub in our Banana Café & then mooch around our Jungle Shop and find the perfect primate souvenir!
Our Jungle Shop and Banana Café are situated right next to each other. So it makes sense to do both one after the other! Our Banana Café has a variety of foods on offer including gluten free and vegan options. The sweet treats like the muffins and cookies are also perfect for those with a sweet tooth. In our Jungle Shop we have exclusive product ranges for that monkey loving friend or family member! Feel free to have a mooch through to find the perfect gift whether it be for yourself or someone else. From key rings, to cuddly toys all the way to fine bone china mugs – find something for everyone!
Help your child learn with the Monkey Forest Quiz and Brass Rubbing Sheet
As you enter through the kiosk gates, make sure to pick up a free quiz & brass rubbing activity sheet to keep your little ones entertained! The adventure quiz has a few head scratching questions for your little monkeys to fill in. If your child fills in the quiz, post your answer slip in the box at the Jungle Shop to be in with a chance to win a cuddly Barbary macaque! Not only can your child pick up this quiz but they can also get a brass rubbing activity sheet too for even MORE monkey fun ! The sheets and the rubbings themselves have a QR code on them. When scanned, a short clip of the monkey that they are drawing appears. Each rubbing is linked to a part of our new awesome primate-themed play area. Kids can watch how these fascinating monkeys behave, draw them & then go bananas on the play equipment – re-enacting the monkeys. We hope your children have some good fun with this amazing new feature.
Find out more in our Conservation Centre
Interested in the scientific side of our monkeys? Delve into some interesting Barbary macaque facts in our Conservation Room. Each wall has info boards on our monkeys and their behaviours. Also in this room is our Conservation Tree. This tree was installed as part of the park’s new adoptions campaign which launched in late 2021 and is now ready for adoptee’s to hang their leaves on. The new baby monkey adoption pack supports organisations that help save the world’s threatened primates through conservation and research. Those that purchased a baby monkey adoption pack get a ‘legacy leaf’ within, which they can then hang on this tree when they next visit Monkey Forest. This allows their protective legacy to be shared with other visitors of the park for years to come. Hopefully inspiring the next generation to protect wildlife. Monkey Forest wanted to give a nod to these primate superhero’s that have contributed to helping support the world’s threatened primates through conservation and research
Get a selfie with our Willow Monkey
This year we welcomed a primate of a different kind, a Willow Monkey! This Willow Monkey has quickly become a fan-favourite at the park, with many visitors posting a picture with the fantastic art piece on their day out. The willow sculpture is located at the centre of our patio area and resembles one of our Barbary macaques. Patrick at Redstone Willow kindly made this for us during the Winter and has found itself being a super addition to our park. Make sure to get that ever so desired snap on your next visit and tag us so that we can see it!
Pop by our van and get a Snugberries ice cream or a delicious coffee
Just as you enter the patio area, on your left will be our Ice Cream / Hot Drinks Van (only open during spring/summer weekends, school / bank holidays). This van stocks a delicious selection of mouth watering Snugberry ice creams perfectly prepared for them hot days in August should you need to cool you down. On the flipside, if you’re looking to warm up or need some caffeine in you, the van also has a variety of tasty hot drinks available to perk you up!