La Vallée des Singes or Valley of the Monkeys, is a large 15 hectare monkey and ape park where many of the 350 primates who live here travel freely through the trees and along ropes strung between them, or are enclosed on large islands which allows them to move as they please.

Almost as soon as you arrive at La Vallée des Singes you are handed a zipable bag, and advised to place all your belongings in it and hang on to it tightly – because you never know when a pesky monkey might swing down and grab something!

There are 30 species of primate to see, from the gorillas – the park has the largest gorilla group in France and a number of young have been born there – to the tiny pygmy marmoset which weighs just 125 grams. Other animals you will see are squirrel monkeys, woolly monkeys, Titi monkeys, white-faced saki monkeys, Gelada baboons, Barbary macaques, lemurs, siamangs (the largest species of gibbon), white-cheeked gibbons, colobus monkeys, white-nosed and roloway guenons, mandrills, capuchins, marmosets, golden lion and emperor tamarins and the white-bellied spider monkeys, which are rarely seen in zoos.

The monkey park also has a group of chimpanzees that were rescued from a Danish laboratory. In 2011 the park became home to a group of bonobos – similar to chimps but of a very different temperament – more gentle and tactile. In the wild they are found in the Congo but are now one of the most endangered species in the world.

La Vallée des Singes is a great day out for families but also for adults of any age. It’s lovely to be able to get close to the animals without bars in the way and have them scampering around you as you walk along the paths. And as they’re primates, they’re full of personality so they’re very entertaining to watch. You mustn’t touch them, though, and park staff are around to make sure everyone stays safe.

When you need sustenance at la Vallée des Singes, choose from two picnic and restaurant areas, both of which come with a children’s playground – one is near the gorillas, the other at the far end of the park by the chimpanzees. The restaurant by the chimps is larger, with a bigger menu and an indoor sit-down area. The children’s playground here is also more developed with climbing frames, wooden towers and a flying squirrel – perfect for your own little monkeys!

Address and Contact Information
Le Gureau
86700 Romagne, Vienne

Tel: +33 05 49 87 20 20
E-mail: info@la-vallee-des-singes.fr

Photo 1: courtesy of La Vallée des Singes, image cropped; Photo 2 by David O’Leary / CC BY 2.0 image cropped