Carlsbad Caverns - Bat Flight

We arrived in Carlsbad just in time to check into the hotel and then go to Carlsbad Caverns to see the bat flight. From mid-May to mid-October, at dusk, the bats fly out of the Natural Entrance of the Caverns to begin their feast. Photography is not allowed and they really mean it. We could only take pictures up until the time that the park ranger spoke. So, these pics show the amphitheater and the Natural Entrance prior to the bats. As the park ranger explained, in addition to seeing the bats, you can hear their wings flapping and can smell them. Also, there are Cave Swallows that live in the entrance. We were amazed to see how the bats flew out - in a swirling, funnel out of the cavern. Once in the air, the bats were organized into groups of hundreds of bats each. They looked like swarms of bees or locusts descending upon the desert. Each group went in a different direction. It was AMAZING. At one point, the bats flew overhead. That, too, was great!

This was a fantastic experience. We recommend it to anyone who does not have either a bat phobia or a guano phobia.