Overview

Just outside of San Antonio, a grassy sinkhole gives way to a 100-foot-wide gaping cavern. At a glance, the entrance to Bracken Cave resembles what one might imagine the earth would look like mid-yawn—but despite its sleepy exterior, it’s pulsing with life. By dusk, the estimated 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats that roost in Bracken Cave from March until October will begin to make their nightly, high-speed exodus to track down dinner. It’s believed that these soaring mammals scarf down so many insects that they save Texas’ cotton farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars on insect control each year.

Join us on an illuminating four-day journey into the caves, karsts, and aquifers of central Texas, where we’ll witness firsthand how these magnificent mammals help to maintain balance within the Hill Country’s fragile ecosystem. Alongside local experts and bat biologists, we’ll venture into caverns, wade through healing springs, and kayak out to bridges brimming with bats—following the ethereal, aerial commute of these wondrous winged creatures.