Congress Avenue Bat Bridge Kayak Tour in Austin

Overview

Experience the world’s largest urban bat colony emerge from under the Congress Avenue Bridge! This colony made up of 1.5 million Mexican free tailed bats is an amazing sight to see and hear. From the meeting point, join your professional guide at 6pm where afterward, you will paddle and observe one of nature’s wonders and learn about how these nocturnal creatures help create a better ecosystem for everyone. The tour lasts 2 hours and food and drinks are not included.

City: Austin

Sun 22 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $69.00

Make a reservation

Sun 22 Dec

Starting at $69.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Paddle lesson and safety instructions

Professional guide

Life jacket

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Operates in most weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Recommend you wear swimsuit, windbreaker jacket, or lightly layered synthetic clothing
Bring sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, waterproof camera, bottle water, bug repellent, towel, and extra change of clothes

What To Expect

Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Watching

You will see the world's largest urban bat colony that peaks at around 2 million bats during the peak of the season. The bats take off around sunset and always head towards the eastern part of downtown.

Austin

You will see a number of buildings on the Austin Skyline including the Hotel Van Zandt, The Austonian Tower, and a multitude of residential and commercial buildings.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (98)

debbierI6018VF

Oct 2022

DON’T BELIEVE THEM THERE ARE NO BATS!!! After the bats have migrated in September, they should call it an evening kayak tour of Ladybird Lake. It would be nice to have real guides that have interesting information that is presented in a professional way. Not two guys anxiously spewing random info that NO ONE cares about. We already know the two or three streets that tourists should visit—seriously—we should go to Congress Street! And on the way back please don’t say I hope you didn’t come just to see the bats. Our friend called to see if they were booking a tour for tomorrow and asked if there were bats last night (the night we went) and the person booking the tour said yes, normally there are 1.5 million, but now we’re down to a few hundred thousand. We saw two! They are liars and cheats. Don’t book your tour after September! Shame on them!

Response from Host

Oct 2022

So I'm not sure where you got this information because if you search Austin bat rescue which monitors the bats year round you can see they're in the bridge year round. It includes a full schedule of detailed flight patterns through 2021 and 2022. Here is the link if you'd like to read it: https://austinbatrefuge.org/congress-ave-bridge/ Additionally, if you search Mexican Free Tailed Bat Migration Patterns you'll see the first response is Texas Parks and Wildlife. They state that the bats species is typically there through the end of October. Again if you'd like to read about the correct information here it is: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/resources/keep-texas-wild/hanging-around-with-bats/a-year-in-the-life-of-a-mexican-free-tailed-bat Additionally, you did just miss the bats unfortunately! On the night of the 30th the bats took off at 7:10 pm roughly and y'all did not arrive on the 29th to the bridge until 7:40 pm. We saw the bats around that time on the 28th, but we got a freakishly early take off time on your tour date. Additionally, if you look at how long we offer the bat tour it does stop in November well before the bats officially typically migrate. Lastly, you spoke to a receptionist who did not go out on the tour, and does not speak to the tour guides on their previous experience from day to day typically. When you called you should also mention you were pretending to be a new booking and the receptionist clarified that the tour wouldn't be like the videos you had said you watched online. If you wanted to you could of also gone out on another tour to see them instead of harassing a small business online and threatening them in private messages and phone calls.

MBR60

Oct 2022

RIP OFF! Description of the tour says you’ll see “more than a million bats fly out of the Congress Avenue Bridge on an evening kayak tour of Austin that’s timed to catch the spectacular natural show.” WE SAW ZERO BATS! And what’s more, afterwards we learned that the bats are usually gone by the end of September. This tour was booked at the end of October. We called the company the next day and asked if they had seen bats last night. We were told, yes, hundreds of thousands of bats were seen last night! NOT TRUE! While kayaking back from the disappointment of seeing no bats the tour guide commented that he hoped we didn’t come kayaking just to see the bats. YES! THAT’S EXACTLY WHY WE BOOKED THIS TOUR! And people are continuing to book after September with the expectation of seeing bats. The tour guides act as if the bats were there just the day before. So sorry they must have just left! Don’t get fooled into doing this tour after the season has passed.

Response from Host

Oct 2022

Chrissie_H

Oct 2022

Caleb gets 5 thumbs up! 👍 He was super friendly and his bat knowledge and Austin knowledge was beyond amazing! 👏

Response from Host

Nov 2022

We'll let him know you appreciated your time with him on the water!