The Bat Flight

Every evening in season, the sky over Carlsbad Caverns fills with a living river — hundreds of thousands of bats spiraling up out of the earth to hunt. The free Bat Flight Program is one of the most extraordinary wildlife spectacles in America.

A River of Bats at Dusk

Around sunset, the park's colony of Brazilian (Mexican) free-tailed bats — hundreds of thousands strong — pours out of the natural entrance in a dense, counterclockwise spiral to feed on insects across the desert. The exodus can last well over an hour. A 2005 count put the peak population near 793,000 bats.

The Free Ranger Program

It's watched from the Bat Flight Amphitheater at the natural entrance, where a ranger gives a talk before the flight — and the whole program is free, no cave ticket required. Arrive early for a seat and the talk; the bats keep their own schedule, so patience is part of it.

The No-Devices Rule

This is strict and important: no phones, cameras, or electronic devices of any kind at the bat flight. The signals and screens disturb the bats and can alter the flight. Leave the phone in the car, and simply watch — it's better that way anyway.

When to Go

The program runs roughly late spring through October (the bats migrate south for winter), nightly around dusk — check the day's timing at the visitor center. July and August bring the biggest flights, when the summer's young bats join the hunt. Early risers can also catch the morning return, when bats dive back into the cave at dawn.