Vampire Bats Habitat
Tamana Bat Cave

...one of Trinidad's top scary places to visit

The Tamana bat cave is prime vampire bats habitat. In fact the caves are home to 11 of Trinidad's 67 species of bat, including fruit bats (frugiverous), insect-eating bats (insectivorous), nectar-feeding bats (nectivorous), and of course blood-feeding bats (sanguivorous), the much maligned vampire.

Vampire bats do not live in Transylvania, so if Vlad the Impaler, Bram Stoker's infamous, blood sucking Count Dracula, did turn himself into a bat, it definitely was not a vampire bat. Vampires are small, sparrow-sized New World bats which live mainly in the Caribbean and Central America.

 Setting the Scene 

To set the mood for this adventure picture yourself in the first scene of the very first Indiana Jones movie, "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Now replace the tarantulas with millions of bats, then add a similar number of 3-inch long flying cockroaches, and you’ll begin to have some idea of how intense visiting the Tamana bat cave in Trinidad can become for those who choose to venture into it's depths. It is definitely one of the Caribbean's most unique tours and one of its top scary places to visit.

 Tamana Bat Cave 

If you're ready join us on this exciting journey to visit the creepy, crawly world of the vampire bats habitat.

You'll need a professional Trinidad tour guide for this adventure, where you'll test your courage in the wing storm of a million plus bats as they go on nightly foraging forays, each to his chosen dinner, fruits, flowers, the blood of fellow mammals or foul flying insects.

We're on a journey to locate the best vampire bats habitat in eastern Trinidad's. We are heading for the Central Range, just south of the islands third largest town, Sangre Grande.

Flat-topped Mount Tamana was once a coral reef, which thousands of years ago was pushed up to a height of almost 1,000 feet above sea level by geological action. It is this limestone mesa, with its underground network of caves, chimneys and interconnecting passageways (Tamana has 18 mapped sections) that makes such ideal fruit bat, insect, nectar and vampire bats habitat.

 Sacred Mountain 

Tamana is also a sacred mountain to the Guarahoons, a South American Amerindian tribe who left Trinidad centuries ago, fleeing Spanish efforts to civilize, clothe and convert them.

The Tamana mesa features prominently in the Guarahoons genesis myth, for it was here they believe that a single man and woman survived a great flood created by their god Jacahuna. This is where these two individuals, sustained on the fruits of the Mauritius Palm, created a new human race.

 Hiking to Tamana 

As you hike to the Tamana caves you'll pass through abandoned coffee estates, beneath towering silk-cotton trees, and occasionally witness some of Trinidad's most spectacular views.

The rainforest-hiking trail while steep and interlaced with roots, vines and stinging nettles is relativity easy. It's only during the wet season (June through December) that it becomes a little slippery, which can make decent a bit precarious.

 Into Tamana's Underworld 

The excitement of trekking up the mesa is mixed with apprehension and a little trepidation as we climb. The time is drawing near to decide whether or not you are going to venture into the depths of the vampire bats habitat.

I've heard that it is almost a life changing experience; a million plus bats overhead; flying cockroaches, frogs, millipedes, scorpions, lizards, snakes at your feet; and the overpowering smell of bat guano and decay, combine to assail your senses. But I am terrified of flying bugs, so I choose to stand aside and allow the more adventitious to venture forth into the cave.

Those who enter, return with tall tales of guano-covered floors that are carpeted with cockroaches, and bats whizzing by overhead. And while I see the exhilaration on their faces, I was glad I'd chickened out. Like me you may prefer to wait for the grand finale...

 The Grand Finale 

At approximately 5:30, as the sun dips low on the horizon, the nightly exodus begins.

It's time for the main event, when you'll get to stand at the mouth of the Tamana bat cave as the earth spews forth an armada of flying mammals into a star filled Caribbean night. If you stand still the bats incredibly sophisticated sonar keep them from contacting you directly. This is an experience which can only be described as exhilarating, a mixture of fear and wonder.

 Vampire Bats Habitat 

But scared Mount Tamana and its bat cave is more than just good vampire bats habitat, it's also home to the Greater Spare-Nosed Bat (the largest bat in the New World), Trinidadian Funnel-Eared Bats, Long-Nosed Bats and others.

In fact Trinidad's bat population is one of the most diverse in the world. You'll find bats on this Caribbean island, some rare - some not, with interesting names like Thumbless Bat; Dog-Faced, Wrinkle-Faced, Ghost-Faced bats; Pygmy Fruit bats, and Little Big-Eared Bats to name just a few.

Here's a short National Geographic video about vampire bats habitat and feeding habits, which you're sure to find interesting.

When you've finished watching the video there are a few bat watching tips below that should help to make your adventure more comfortable...

 Great Hiking and a Show 

Visiting vampire bats habitat and the Tamana bat cave was a rush, a bit like a roller-coaster ride through a haunted tunnel. It's incredibly exhilarating, but also one of the top scary places you’ll ever visit.
It definitely gets the blood pumping.

I'll be back, perhaps next time I'll even enter the bat cave...

Test your nerve...
Request more information about a visit to the Tamana Bat Caves.