To the batcave Robin! Battambang, Cambodia

The second big attraction at Phnom Sampeau is the extensive cave system that houses an extremely large population of wrinkle-lipped bats. The three large caves of the mountain are home to over 6.5 million of these bats and has the largest individual colony (only 13 colonies of this bat species exist in Cambodia). Every day at dusk there is a mass exodus of these bats from the caves. The mouth of the cave that we viewed this exodus from has over 3 million bats that leave every evening to scour the country side for insects. The event takes roughly twenty minutes from the first bat leaving till the last straggler is out. It is simply an amazing sight to see and totally like none other I’ve ever witnessed. At one point it looks as if there is a hose just shooting a constant stream of bats from the mouth of the cave. They all leave in the same direction and create a virtual bat river in the sky. Though they all leave at the same time in such a glorious manner, they return individually over the course of the night till the sunrises. A wonderful way to end the day.

Check out the baby monkey that suprised Sarah and I!