Bat caves near Sukhothai

[KTMphil]

Visit to the Bat Caves near Sukhothai

This was a bike trip BobS did a while back to some bat caves near Sukhothai, might be interesting if you're in the area.


"This is an interesting side trip if you are near Sukhothai. This is actually a local park near some small mountains. Every evening, millions of bats come flying out of caves on the mountains.

They started flying about 5:25 pm, and took over 20 minutes to finish.

To get there, head west on Route 12 from Sukhothai towards Tak. In Lan Hai, turn right (north) just after a brown building and just before the police box.



There are some craters along this road, but most are avoidable, and the rest are not deep. But, remember that you will be riding out in the dark.

After 19 km, there is a marked 4-way intersection - turn left. After 6 km, this road ends at a dam. Cross the dirt road on the dam and turn right. You will come to a gate house 1 1/2 km after leaving the pavement. The park itself is another 5 km on a dirt road.

All the dirt roads were quite good - no ruts, and minimal gravel. Easily doable on a sport bike.

We left Sukhothai at 4 pm, and got there at 5:10. About 10 minutes longer coming home in the dark.

BobS"

 

[DrGMIA]

I went out there a couple of years and times after that post. It was easy to find and the road was fine.

However, there was a manned gate at the entrance to the park just past the end of the dam and the charge was the usual farang rate for me, and Thai rate for the locals. Might be gotten around with a Thai driving license, but the gate guard didn't seem to believe that tale.

 

[Lone Rider]

Well, I am getting a bit confused but that is quite normal for me. When I read the instructions on how to get there including distances to travel I get here when I use the ESRI GPS Map:

When I do a search on the Cha Ram Cave I find pictures on Panoramio which suggests that this is the cave (pictures by googong).


When I do a Google search on "Bat Cave Sukhothai" I am referred to the Khang Khao Cave in the Sisatchanalai National Park (see also the website of the National Parks Division: http://web3.dnp.go.th/parkreserve/asp/s ... action.asp) When I use again the ESRI GPS map I find that the cave is 112 km from Sukhothai which seems to be quite a distance to do it in 1 hour. Maybe BobS/DrGMIA can confirm to which cave they went.

 

[KTMphil]

Auke - he told me last night there were thousands of bats, odds are it's the same place i'll find out.

 

[BobS]

Auke - it was the Chao Ram Cave

The left turn 19km north of Route 12 is defitely a 4-way intersection. Not sure why your map shows a T junction.

But either way, you will get there.

BTW - I was there in 2004, and there was no admission charge.

 

[DrGMIA]

This is "an old response post"(2007) but three years fresher than that starting this thread:

"Yep, millions of bats, never seen so many, worth the side trip and Bull Dust Bob S had the kilometer markers right.

Some notes though:

In Lan Hai, it's a brown "wooden" building just before the police box.

The fee at the gate house to get into the park was 200 baht per farang, free for Thais, and 20 baht for the motorcycle.

Left Sukhothai at 4:00 PM, arrived at the bat place (a glen with a parking lot, some tables and guard) at 5:00 PM. The last 5 k's have been paved!

The 19 km from Lan Hai to the 4 way intersection is still bombed out in places, pot holes and a couple of sink holes.

On Jan 4 the bats came swarming out of their caves at 5:30 PM and by 5:50 the show was over. I was able to just barely make it back to the main highway (#12) by dark, so could see most of the pot holes.

And really, I liked the bats better than the Wats at Sukhothai. There really must have been a million or more of the bats. I gave up counting after 543,216....
This place is not in the tourist books (so there were no farangs walking around with guide books). There were only about 20 -30 people there to view this show, one car and a pick-up truck, plus my bike."

The second time I went out there the road was even better, entry fee the same. Local Thais were making a picnic out of the viewing with blankets on the ground and lunch baskets for snacks. I was again the only farang I saw.

I'll add that it was not 1,000s of bats, but more like 1,000,000s.

 

[Lone Rider]

Thanks guys for the heads up - will put the bat caves in the North Thailand Offroad GPS map.