Monkey Hill Viewpoint — Attraction in Ratsada

This is a spectacular and special way to see monkeys. And you will see monkeys, lots and lots of them.

In case you’re not enthusiastic about walking to the top of the hill, just know that you will not have to walk far to see monkeys. I walked to the top where the view of the city is nice, but if you’re there just to see monkeys it is not necessary.

The locals advised me (belatedly) not to go alone. Know what to do in case the monkeys get pushy and aggressive which they will definitely do if they think you have food: do not smile (they think you’re baring your teeth), do not make direct eye contact, hold your palms up and out up so they can see you have nothing and slowly back away.

If you make the mistake of shouting and using threatening gestures, it will be you against a pack of monkeys. You will lose the battle. I know this unfortunately from experience. A local man with a slingshot had to came to my rescue.

My recommendation is to not bring or buy monkey food. They tend to ignore you if you do not have food (but not always). There will still be many playful monkeys to watch and photograph.

They are wild creatures. They are unpredictable. Please remember that. Any move you make for your backpack will attract motivated monkeys who think you have food for them and they will jump, claw, unzip, and bite to get that food.

It is not advised to carry a bag in your hands because monkeys will grab it from you, no matter what is in it.

If you do take food, make sure you do not have to spend too much time getting it out of your backpack or unwrapping it. The monkeys will not wait and it will be a frightening experience when they rush at you aggressively. Keep your children close to you.

Be careful getting too close to the mother monkeys with babies. There might be an aggressive male watching.

Keep these critical things in mind for your safety and enjoy this truly magical walk.

There are dogs, like others have mentioned in their reviews. I found them to be docile and...

Wild monkeys inhabit this place. They will snatch any food and drinks you have with you. If you've brought anything like that, be prepared for them to take it away. Some say they even grab shiny jewelry or gadgets. In my case, they only took food; they didn't care about necklaces, phones, or rings.

Please, do not provoke them. If you willingly give them all your food, don't shout, show no aggression, and don't brandish sticks at them, they won't harm you. You can hold a stick in your hand to deter them, but if you have food in your hands, the stick won't stop them. If you attempt to strike them, you'll only anger them. Monkeys also get agitated if you keep your hands in your pockets. In that case, simply slowly take your hands out and show empty palms. They will back off immediately. If you're concerned, make sure your insurance covers all necessary vaccinations in case of a bite.

In the beginning, it can be frightening, but after you run out of food and drinks, you'll see that the monkeys no longer care about you.

When you reach the top, you'll enjoy a beautiful view. The climb can be challenging, especially with children, as you have to go uphill, and the monkeys will initially slow you down.

If your stress level is high, there's a very cozy café along the way with delicious coffee. There are no monkeys there, so you can relax and enjoy the views. Again, do not take food and water from there or show it to the monkeys; they'll take it all.

The essence is not just in the view at the end of the climb, but in the...

A lovely place if you want to see Phuket from up above.

From the starting point it's about a 40 min walk up to the first view point and another 10-15 for the second one that it's in the village up top where we didn't see any monkey. (the second view point it's kinda hard to find, just follow the asphalthed road until you see a gated place that's always open and go to the far back of the yard or ask people up there for indications, they will gladly help you) The time may vary because the walk is up hill and very warm. Make sure you stay hidrataed.

We went there around 12pm and there were no monkeys half way up the hill but after that started to appear, and many of them. On the way back around 2:30 were a lot of them until the gated entrance at the bottom of the hill.

The monkeys were OK, not to friendly though. Be sure you have no gear visible like bags, water bottles, crisp/chip bags or any kind of food, pack everithing in a backpack. They look for food so they will gonna follow you or in the worst case scenario they will harass you for food (I'd advice you to just have a cane stick with you just to gently push them around to get rid of them). Don't be showing aggressive behaviour because they will attack you (nobody wants bites and scratches... Not from them), be chill and they'll be chill.

Overall a nice experience to feel close to the nature and see up close the macaques.

PS: they like to have sexy time from time to time so be prepared...