Monfort Bat Sanctuary has been the house of a large colony of 2.3 million Rousette fruit bats since recorded history. They cover 75% of the ceilings and walls of their 245 ft-long cave. The sanctuary is located on Samal Island, about 1 kilometre east of Davao City, Philippines.
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At first I was hesitant to go to Monfort Bat Sanctuary because I'm afraid of bats and I might not be able to tolerate the smell, but the tricycle driver cum tour guide told me that it's in the Guinness World record so I was convinced. There's an entrance fee of 200pesos (less 20pesos for Senior Citizens). You can buy some souvenirs at the entrance. The tour starts with an orientation by a very knowledgeable tour guide, she talked about the history of Monfort, and about bats - the habitat, characteristics of fruit bats. There are several caves - one for kinder bats, another for flying school, one for the aging bats and more... I was expecting the place to be smelling with bat urine but luckily the wind blows to west direction. Overall, I had a great...
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If you love bats or want to see colony of bats or bat kingdom then you should visit this place when in Samal Island in Mindanao. It is a guiness world record holder of highest number of fruit bat colony living here. Entrance fee is 150php as of March 2020. Orientation of dos and donts is given prior to tour. There are 5 caves where you can view all bats in different angles. You can smell them and its really stinky coz you also smell their pees. Silence is very importance. I never thought there would be so many bats living in this kind of pace. It is actually a short walk to see all the viewing site. Parking space is available outside. But due to the location pf this bat sanctuary, Private vehicle or car rental is necessary...
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For me one of the very best places to go in Samal Island, especially if you like animals and nature. You can't go inside the caves, but you can get near enough to see the bats which are situated near the entrances anyway.
There are five caves, and there is a great briefing session which explains much about the caves and the bats. The bats are Fruit Bats which help a lot in the pollination of the Durian Fruit in Davao.
The only issue is there is a bit of a smell from the Bat Guano (or Bat Droppings) which may turn off some people. It wasn't an issue with me, some of the locals there cite it as an issue for them.
Still for me the highlight of my visit to Samal, along with the Taclobo Sanctuary. Must see, highly...
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