Backpacking Phnom Sampov ភ្នំសំពៅ, Battambang Bat Caves, & the Killing caves of Phnom Sampeau 4k60

BATTAMBANG BAT CAVES – AT A GLANCE Number of bats | between 1 and 1.8 million (ish) per cave (there are three caves) How long they exit for | 30+ minutes Type of bat | Asian Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats (chaerephon plicatus) Distance from Battambang | 14.5 kilometres south-west How far the bats fly each night | nightly foraging radius of 25-50 kilometres Number of visitors per day | 250-300 in 2019 (debatable, though) Cost to visit | free What are the Battambang Bat Caves? Battambang is Cambodia’s third largest city and is home to some of the country’s largest colonies of southeast Asian cave-roosting bats. These specific bats, called Asian Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats, roost in huge groups within limestone karsts. The bat caves near Battambang are located within a karst outcrop called Phnom Sampov (sometimes spelt Sampeau). This is easily reached by car, self-driven tuktuk, or motorbike, along a short, 14.5-kilometre drive south-west from the city. There are three caves in total, but tourists typically only visit the one on the eastern face of the mountain. Every night of the year, the colony of 1.8 million bats exit the cave, streaming out at twilight on the hunt for a meal. They then return a short time later, after dark. This incredible daily event has become a bit of a spectacle, with hundreds of people a day coming to watch. Note | there are several mountains that house bats in Battambang. Three are found at Phnom Sampov (where the Battambang bat caves are), one at nearby Banan Mountain, and two at the adjacent Crocodile Mountain just to the west. The killing caves of Phnom Sampeau are a Khmer Rouge (KR) execution site on Phnom Sampeau, a hill 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Battambang in western Cambodia. KR killed their victims on top of the cave at the rim of a daylight shaft or ceiling hole and threw the corpses into the cave. Men and women were placed in separate caves and clothes in another. Phnom Sampeau (Sampeau Hill) has multiple caves that traditionally served as Buddhist temples. A large glass memorial in the cave next to the skulls and bones and a golden reclining Buddha mark the massacre. A memorial assembled from cyclone fencing and chicken wire contains human bones. Geography View from the top of Phnom Sampeau The caves are located on the Mountain of Phnom Sampeau, about mid-way up the mountain along a 250 m (820 ft) road. The mountain is of karstic limestone and features a group of temples. The approach is 12 km (7.5 mi) to the west of Battambang city on the road to Pailin. The mountain is home for a group of macaques, which feed on bananas left by pilgrims. A natural arch made of stalactites offers views of the deep canyon. The valley has vegetation of vines and is inhabited by bats.