Monkey Mountain Landskron

North of Villach lies the adventure monkey mountain Landskron on Lake Ossiach. Here you can immerse yourself in the world of the Japanese macaques. Around 160 animals live in the four-hectare outdoor enclosure below the castle ruins. As only a small part of the enclosure is open to visitors from April to October, the primates can behave in a completely natural way and also have retreat possibilities.

The Monkey Mountain thus offers a glimpse into the life of the macaques as they would be in the wild. You can watch them grooming their fur, raising their young or even fighting. On warm days you can even see them swimming and diving in the two ponds.

If you want to visit the monkey mountain, you have to take part in a guided tour. This lasts about 45 minutes and is offered every 20 to 30 minutes during the peak season. Experts explain interesting facts about the animals and feed the monkeys. On a longer private tour, you have the opportunity to feed the primates yourself and explore the enclosure off the beaten path.

The monkey mountain "Affenberg" Landskron was opened in 1996. At that time 40 Japanese macaques were brought from near Osaka to the area of the castle ruins. This macaque species is also called snow monkey. They were chosen because snow monkeys, as the most northerly occurring non-human primates, can cope with the cold temperatures of the Austrian winter. Since 1998, the monkey park has been cooperating with the Universities of Graz and Vienna. Thus, the Austrian Research Center for Primatology was established here.

From Salzburg take the A10 to Villach. Take the Villach-Ossiacher See exit and turn left onto the B94 towards Annenheim. After about 2 kilometres turn right onto St. Andräer Straße. In St. Andrä you turn left onto the Schloßbergweg, which leads you to the Monkey Mountain. There is a parking lot at the Monkey Mountain.