Monkey Hill

Monkey Hill in Phuket Town is a fun little afternoon trip. What makes it nice is just how un-touristy it is. Most of the people you see there will be middle-aged Thais getting some exercise climbing the hill.

There are two monkey spots on the hill. The monkeys seem to beg for food on the lower section of the hill closer to town. Here they simply line the streets and wait for any fruit handouts that people happen to throw them.

The monkeys' actual home seems to be at the top of the hill. Here you can see them running around in the trees, just hanging out in the branches, and some of the bigger males will walk along the forest floor pretty near you to see what you're about.

The monkeys themselves are not spectacular in any way, but it's neat to see them out there swinging in the trees without any barriers. One of the monkeys even had a neat trick of balancing on top of one of the metal suspension wires on the telephone pole and then slowly sliding down it.

I preferred the second location because you get to see how agile the monkeys are in their native habitat. They're not really so impressive begging for food alongside the stray dogs at the bottom of the hill.