About thirty kilometers from Loei lies Wat Tham Pha Ya, famous not for its architecture or Buddha statues, but for a phenomenon that occurs every evening just before sunset: the flight of millions of bats that live in a cave in the mountain behind the temple. Between 5 and 6 p.m., the exact time varying depending on the season, a veritable cloud of bats descends upon the plain. Truly impressive! It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the cave to empty. The animals hunt at night and return at dawn. Access to the cave is via a staircase to the left of the temple's ordination hall. You can choose whether to observe the black cloud from the cave up close or from a distance. As you can see from my photos, I opted for the cave entrance.

No entrance fee. Bring a flashlight, as visibility can be very poor at the end when you descend from the cave.

The flight of millions of bats takes place between 5 and 6 pm. There is no public transport to Wat Tham Phaya temple; you will need either your own transport or to hire a tuk-tuk (given the distance, a round trip between the town of Loei and the cave costs approximately 1200 THB).

The Bat Temple (Wat Tham Pha Ya) is a temple, and when visiting a temple in Thailand there are some rules to follow: appropriate clothing (knees and shoulders should be covered), take off your shoes when entering the building, be quiet, do not hug or kiss, do not point your feet at the Buddha statue, do not smoke.

How to get there

How do you get to the Bat Temple (Wat Tham Pha Ya)? The flight of millions of bats takes place between 5 and 6 pm. There is no public transport to Wat Tham Pha Ya; you will need your own vehicle or to hire a tuk-tuk (due to the distance, a round trip between Loei and the cave costs approximately 1200 THB).