Nanwan Monkey Island — over the raft village to the macaques

A peninsula for monkeys

Monkey Island isn't actually an island but the Nanwan peninsula south of Xincun, surrounded by the sea on three sides. Dense forest and scrub grow on a good ten square kilometres; almost the whole area is wooded. Rhesus macaques live here, a species protected in China.

The peninsula is the only reserve of its kind on a tropical island in China. Besides the monkeys, sambar deer, leopard cats, otters and pangolins live here, plus dozens of bird species and pythons. Every visitor sees the monkeys. Almost nobody sees the other animals.

A hundred monkeys that survived

That the monkeys still exist at all can't be taken for granted. In the 1930s and 1950s their habitat was severely destroyed twice, and they were hunted anyway. When the state set up a reserve here in 1965, only just over a hundred animals in five groups were left on the peninsula.

Today there are around 1,500, in 29 groups — some sources even say 2,500; the figure depends on who counts and when. Only a few groups live in the visitor area and are used to people; most stay in the forest.

The longest cable car over the sea

The real reason to visit is the way there. The cable car was built in 1999 with technology from an Austrian cable-car maker and is 2,138 metres long — for a long time China's longest cable car over seawater. In small, half-open four-person gondolas you float over the lagoon in a few minutes.

Below you lies the floating village of Xincun, and nowhere else do you see so well how big this town on the water really is: rafts like jigsaw pieces, narrow waterways in between and small boats. On the way there the lagoon side is the better seat, on the way back the other side. In strong wind the cable car stops and you go by boat.

How a monkey group works

Along the paths, park staff explain at set times how the groups are organised. Each group has a top-ranking male; young males leave their mother at about two, roam alone and later challenge a leader themselves. That can get rough.

Come in November and you'll hit a special time: roughly November to February is mating season. You can tell by the females, whose faces then glow particularly red. The animals are more active in this period — and sometimes more irritable.

Monkeys, feeding and shows

The monkeys in the visitor area live freely but are given extra food and are used to people, some far too much so. They steal bags, drinks and anything that looks like food, and they know how to open zips. There's also a pool where the monkeys swim and a small monkey museum.

The ticket also includes shows with trained monkeys, tricks and circus acts. You don't have to watch them. The forest, the view and the free-living groups are by far the more interesting part, and if you skip the shows you have more time on the paths.

Safe among monkeys

The most important rule: don't carry anything edible visibly, keep bags closed, don't feed them. Don't look the monkeys in the eye for long; direct eye contact counts as a threat to them. If a monkey grabs something, let go and don't fight over it.

As at Luhuitou: a bite or scratch means a rabies vaccination for travellers, and it should start quickly. So keep your distance, however cute a young monkey looks.

How to approach the visit

About two hours are enough for the peninsula, more like three with the cable car and viewpoints. The park is open roughly from 8:00 to 17:30. It's best to go across in the morning or early afternoon, when the light over the lagoon is clear.

The ticket covers the cable car or boat in both directions and is tied to your real name. Combine Xincun, the Tanka Museum and Monkey Island in one day and you've seen the whole world of the lagoon: from below, from inside and from above.