Visiting the Bat Temple

Over the recent school holidays (on our way to Jim Thompson Farm) we stopped off in Chachoengsao province to visit Wat Po Bang Khla, also known as the “bat temple” because of thousands of fruit bats (flying foxes) that live in the trees all around the temple grounds.

I first came across the temple in Richard Barrow’s wonderful blog, Bangkok Day Trips, which highlights “unseen” attractions that appear in Thai guidebooks but are less known among farang.

Since telling my kids about the bat temple, we’d had it on our list of things to do for months before we were able to find the time to get out of town over the holidays with friends (two other moms plus kids, making our group 3 adults and 6 kids ranging in ages from 2-7).

As soon as we pulled up to the temple, we noticed the bats in the trees hanging over the road.  We were all amazed at their size and number.

Upon entering the temple grounds, there is a small two-story pavilion whose top floor puts you right at eye level with some of the bats.  My almost 4-year old daughter clung to me at the top, but became completely comfortable again once we were back on the ground where she could run through the temple grounds.

Though I had read that the bats fly off in the evenings in search of food, we were surprised how active some of the bats were in the daytime, grooming themselves, eating fruit in the trees around the temple, and flying around.

In addition to the main attraction, the children also spotted some turtles, cats, roosters and dogs around the grounds and enjoyed feeding the fish in the Bang Pakong River behind the temple (incidentally a lady in town told me there is a floating market further up the river that she encouraged us to come back to see on weekends)

We spent about forty-five minutes wondering the grounds and taking pictures and then ventured into the tiny “downtown” of Bang Khla town for a tasty Thai lunch at some food stalls opposite the market.

Since getting home from that trip, the kids have been asking when we can go back to see the bats.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the outing and it’s one I definitely plan to repeat.

Getting there

Leaving Bangkok on a weekday morning about 9:30, it took us about an hour to get to Bang Khla.  Following Richard’s excellent directions and the clear road signs for the town and temple, it was very easy to find.

Further reading

Richard’s post on Wat Pho Bang Khla gives more detailed descriptions as well as directions.

If you’re not sure if this will interest your kids, check out this short documentary video which provides more background on the bats at Wat Po Bang Khla and captures the feel of the area.