
Trentham Monkey Forest
📍 Stoke-on-Trent, North West
The UK's only cage-free primate walk puts 140 Barbary macaques loose across 60 acres of woodland. Staff guides post up along the trail explaining behaviour, feeding, and conservation.
Nice place to visit. We loved to see monkeys roaming free next to us and the picnic area with the playground. The Good Close Encounters: we love that there are no cages or bars, allowing for up-close viewing of the monkeys as they cross paths and interact. Knowledgeable Staff: Many reviewers highlight the "yellow-jacketed" guides who are eager to share facts and point out hidden monkeys. Family Friendly: The site includes two large primate-themed play areas and a scavenger-style activity for children. Baby Monkeys: Visits during the spring and early summer are highly rated due to the presence of newborn babies. Yeah Lifestyle Yeah Lifestyle +7 The Bad Visit Duration: Several reviews note it is not a "full day out"; most people finish the 3/4-mile walk and explore the facilities in 1–3 hours. Accessibility: While the paths are paved, parts of the forest have steep inclines that some find challenging for manual wheelchairs or prams. On-Site Costs: Complaints occasionally mention "rip-off" prices at the Banana Café and the gift shop, which mostly sells soft toys. Rules & Safety: Staff are strictly protective of the monkeys; you cannot eat, drink, or touch the animals inside the enclosure.
🏆 Family Action Verdict
Best for animal-curious families with children of any age who want a genuinely different wildlife experience. Spring visits for baby monkeys require advance planning as seasonal dates vary.
ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →9,854 Google reviews
Andrei Baciu
a month ago
“Nice place to visit. We loved to see monkeys roaming free next to us and the picnic area with the playground. The Good Close Encounters: we love that there are no cages or bars, allowing for up-close viewing of the monkeys as they cross paths and interact. Knowledgeable Staff: Many reviewers highlight the "yellow-jacketed" guides who are eager to share facts and point out hidden monkeys. Family Friendly: The site includes two large primate-themed play areas and a scavenger-style activity for children. Baby Monkeys: Visits during the spring and early summer are highly rated due to the presence of newborn babies. Yeah Lifestyle Yeah Lifestyle +7 The Bad Visit Duration: Several reviews note it is not a "full day out"; most people finish the 3/4-mile walk and explore the facilities in 1–3 hours. Accessibility: While the paths are paved, parts of the forest have steep inclines that some find challenging for manual wheelchairs or prams. On-Site Costs: Complaints occasionally mention "rip-off" prices at the Banana Café and the gift shop, which mostly sells soft toys. Rules & Safety: Staff are strictly protective of the monkeys; you cannot eat, drink, or touch the animals inside the enclosure.”
Kyrylo Kazarinov
a month ago
“We visited Monkey Forest with our kids and absolutely loved it. The whole place feels nice, well organised, and genuinely family friendly. The highlight for us was the staff along the trail - they were brilliant at explaining interesting facts about the monkeys, what to watch for, and how to behave respectfully around them. It made the walk both fun and educational. Feeding time was another big favourite. It was exciting to see the monkeys up close, and the team handled everything calmly and professionally, so it never felt chaotic. After the trail, the children were just as happy with the playgrounds - really nice play areas where they could run around and recharge. Overall, a fantastic day out with children: engaging, well run, and memorable. Highly recommended for families.”
Adam Winterton
a month ago
“Great day out on opening day of the new season! Monkeys are so much fun to watch and are everywhere once you get in the enclosure (which is huge) Would say if you have mobility issues there is a steep enough hill to navigate to complete the loop around the main areas they do the feeding but there is an alternative (much shorter) option if required. Cafe was good but limited range of options for us however there are sandwiches (kids had the snack boxes) and some hot food options (shame pizza van and ice cream can were not open as we were looking forward to both)”
Steven
a month ago
“Was good, prices are a bit steep especially for the visit taking only about 1-2 hrs. We got to see all the monkeys in one spot once being fed, Staff are very friendly The cafe is like school dinner meals suppose you can’t complain when there is a shopping village around the corner. Gift shop was good, it was slightly pricy but got a couple souvenirs.”
Reviews from Google
Overview
Visitors walk an unmarked woodland trail through the macaques' living territory — no cages, no barriers between humans and animals. Staff stationed at intervals provide running commentary on individual monkeys, family dynamics, and conservation status. Baby macaques are visible in spring and early summer. A Nature Tots programme runs sessions for toddlers. Morning with Monkeys early-access experiences offer smaller group sizes.



