Rainy season, safety and preparation
May, Aug – Oct
Cave mouth — Guano smell
1–2 hours
Good
6 days ahead
When to go
this week
Tap a day card to see that day’s weather, rain, haze and hourly forecast
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day
Holiday — traffic on the way up and parking fills fast; leave early
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–15:00 Little rain
Holiday — traffic on the way up and parking fills fast; leave early
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–16:00 Little rain · light drizzle possible at times
Thick morning fog with visibility under 1 km — use headlights and drive slowly
Holiday — traffic on the way up and parking fills fast; leave early
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day · light drizzle possible at times
Thick morning fog with visibility under 1 km — use headlights and drive slowly
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Best window 06:00–14:00 Little rain · light drizzle possible at times
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Best time to go Fine all day little rain through the day · light drizzle possible at times
No warnings today — normal road and weather conditions
Hour by hour
Green band = hours used for the score
Starry sky
How likely
Scored from cloud cover at every level and tonight’s moonlight — the darker the sky, the clearer the Milky Way · tap another night below for the next 7 nights
Khao Chong Phran Bat Cave
Bat cave at Wat Khao Chong Phran, Tao Pun, Photharam, Ratchaburi.
- Climb for views before the bats emerge
- Bats begin to stream out
- Dark; the stream thins
Arrive 17:30
- Open ground west of the caveBats against the sunsetEvening
- Hilltop chediThe bat river from aboveEvening
- Tham Phra NonReclining BuddhaDaytime
Gallery
Photos from Wikimedia Commons and contributors · full credits inClassic page
Good to know here
Guano smell
Monkeys and steep steps
- Arrive before 17:30; timing follows sunset
- No flash, shouting or drones near the cave mouth
- Bring insect repellent and a torch — it is dark when you leave
- Explore Photharam in the morning, bats at dusk
Adults 0 THB · Time needed 1–2 hours
Weekend evenings
- Kids Good; a dusk show kids love
- Seniors Watch from the ground; no need to climb
- Wheelchair Viewing from the ground is possible
- Pets Temple grounds; not recommended
- Temple evening marketSome days
- Little Home Cafe @PhotharamAbout 3 km
- Old Photharam MarketAbout 12 km
- Dress modestly — it is a temple
- Stay out of the bats' flight path
- No flash or drones
- Do not touch or disturb the bats
- Monkeys on the chedi stairs
- Guano smell and dust near the cave; sensitive visitors may want a mask
- Mosquitoes at dusk
- The 499 steps are tiring in the heat
Late Nov: bat-cave light-and-sound festival (some years)
Best months
Tap a month on the wheel to see weather, rain, haze and crowds from 10 years of records
Best time · Nov–Apr for clear skies and bats against the sunset · arrive before 17:30
Watch out · Rainy evenings can delay or thin the exodus · the 499 steps are very hot in the afternoon
21°Jan
22°Feb
24°Mar
26°Apr
26°May
25°Jun
25°Jul
25°Aug
25°Sep
24°Oct
23°Nov
22°Dec
Oct by the records 24–31°C · avg rain 275 mm (24 rainy days) · clear 2 days · avg PM2.5 12
The story of this place
The bat cave is at Wat Khao Chong Phran, Moo 2, Tao Pun, Photharam, Ratchaburi, about 25–30 km from Ratchaburi town. The temple owns and protects the cave; no state agency runs it. "Chong Phran" means "hunter's gap": the pass between Khao Chong Phran and Khao Khwang where wild animals once came down to drink at a large swamp (today Nong Sa) and hunters lay in wait. Chronicles of the 1774 Battle of Bang Kaeo, when King Taksin besieged a Burmese army for 47 days, name "Khao Chua Phran" — Khao Chong Phran — as a water source where the Burmese kept elephants and horses on their supply line; Taksin sent Phraya Inthara-aphai to hold it and cut the enemy's supplies.
Read more 4 more paragraphs
The bats are wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats (Chaerephon plicatus), numbering in the millions; the provincial slogan's "hundred million bats" is a figure of speech and has never been counted. Every evening around 17:30–18:30 they pour out of the cave mouth in a smoke-like ribbon for 45–60 minutes to hunt insects, returning before dawn.
Around 1981 guano output fell because poachers were netting bats at the entrance for restaurants. The American bat conservationist Merlin Tuttle advised the temple to hire a guard — the bats' first protection. Guano income rose from under US$13,000 a year to about US$135,000 in 2002 and over US$200,000 by 2019; the temple uses it for upkeep and scholarships. Today villagers may collect guano only once a week, and the income supports the temple, the community and two schools; several other bat species share the cave.
Besides the bat cave, the temple has Tham Phra Non, about 120 m deep, with a reclining Buddha about 8–9 m long, hundreds of other images and cave formations. On the summit, 499 steps lead to the golden Phra Borommathat Bowonwisut Chedi, a viewpoint for the bats and the sunset. A 2023 academic paper says the temple was begun around 1866 and completed in 1872 by Phraya Thep Prachun, ancestor of the Panyarachun family, and Phra Khru Ramanya Bodi (Achan Sala), with local relatives of Mon descent.
In 2023 the Ratchaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation held the second "Hundred-Million Bat Cave" light-and-sound festival at the temple on 24–27 November, with the provincial tourism and culture offices and Khao Khwang Subdistrict Municipality, including a light-and-sound drama about King Taksin. The bats still emerge every evening year-round, with timing and direction shifting with the season and weather.
- 1774Battle of Bang Kaeo: Khao Chong Phran held to cut Burmese supplies
- c. 1866Wat Khao Chong Phran begun
- 1872Temple completed
- 1981A cave guard hired on Merlin Tuttle's advice
- 2002Guano income about US$135,000 a year
- 2015Trees near the entrance trimmed to stop collisions
- 2019Guano income over US$200,000 a year
See 1 events
- 24–27 Nov 2023Second bat-cave light-and-sound festival
Check-ins & visitor photos
Arrived? Check in, collect a stamp and tell others what it is like right now
Check your location first, so you do not fill in the form for nothing
Location must be on and within 3 km · One check-in per place per day · come back on other days to check in again
Post photos from anywhere — no need to be here · Up to 20 photos at a time · JPG / PNG / WebP · GPS location data is removed automatically
How to get there
Paved; ordinary cars are fine
Phetkasem, Phra Tham Ram junction, Mae Klong bridge, Rt 3089 · Fuel
To Photharam station, then a car · Metered
Hwy 4 (Phetkasem), turn at Phra Tham Ram junction, cross the Mae Klong bridge, then Rt 3089
Large temple car park
Photharam or Ratchaburi town
Good
Temple open daily · bat viewing about 17:30–19:00
around 28 km fromRatchaburi town
Khao Chong Phran Bat Cave
0 THB
Stays near Khao Chong Phran Bat Cave
Approx. nightly price for 2 adults (next week) · final price depends on your dates
FAQ
Before you goKhao Chong Phran Bat Cave
Answers travellers want before they go — a one-minute read
What time do the bats come out?
About 17:30–18:30, following sunset; the flight lasts 45–60 minutes. Arrive by 17:30
Are there really 100 million bats?
"Millions" is safe; "100 million" is a slogan and has never been formally counted
What kind of bats?
Wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats (Chaerephon plicatus), which eat insects such as rice planthoppers
Is there an entry fee?
No — donations are welcome
Can I go into the bat cave?
The roost is protected; visit Tham Phra Non and climb the 499 steps to the chedi instead
Does it happen every day?
Yes, year-round, though timing and direction vary with season and weather
Ready to go to Khao Chong Phran Bat Cave?
Best day this week: Wednesday 28 Oct · Check in when you arrive to collect a stamp