Paniki Festival (Bat Festival) Samal Island Davao Del Norte
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Image courtesy Martyn Willes
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The Paniki Festival (Bat Festival) celebrates the World’s largest colony of fruit bats that inhabit the Monfort Bat Cave on Samal Island, Davao del Norte. Guinness World Records have this year recognised the uniqueness of Samal Island’s Monfort Bat Cave and have accorded it due certification (see previous Samal Island Fruit Bats Into Guinness World Records story)
As many as 1.8 million Geoffroy’s Rousette fruit bats (Rousettus amplexicaudatus) occupy the Monfort Bat Cave (to a density of 645 bats per square meter!) and leave their bat cave on Samal Island every evening in a veritable cacophony of skin flapping, to forage for wild fruits across the expanse of the provinces adjoining the Davao Gulf.
The Bat Festival celebrates the value of the fruit bat in creating the diverse and bountiful harvest of tropical fruits that have made Davao famous to travellers for centuries.
Fruit bats, by eating the fruits and then depositing the consumed seeds as they fly home, complete with fertilizer, have been responsible for populating the provinces of Davao with naturally occurring wild fruit trees for eons. The Paniki Festival (18th 22th June) will combine research opportunities with educational forums and visits to Monfort Bat Cave (The Bat Sanctuary) and other bat caves on Samal Island. The Paniki Festival will culminate in the dance of the bats, street dancing extravaganza (22nd June).
If you want to discover the world of fruit bats then come to the Paniki Festival (Bat festival) Samal Island in June, explore and learn.
Samal Island is also famous for snorkeling and scuba diving so before the sun goes down and the bats take to the air you can also explore the wonders beneath the waves including, resident hawksbill turtles & dugong, and visiting whale sharks.
The Paniki Festival (Bat festival) at Babak on Samal Island is less then one hour from Davao International Airport.
How To Get To Samal Island Bat Cave
- Fly to Davao International Airport
- Take a taxi to the Sasa Ferry Pier (less than Php100)
- Take the ferry to Samal Island, Babak town pier (Php13)
- Ask any tricycle driver to take you to the Bat Cave (approx Php50)
Why is a fruit bat festival a GetWet event? Well it is rumoured that Bacardi Rum, you know, the guys with the bat logo, will be sponsoring this year’s event in Samal Island. Bat cocktails anyone?
As an aside but related, if you find a fruit bat (or any other wild animal) in distress within Davao area then take it to the Davao Crocodile Park rescue center (operated in conjunction with DENR), where your Good Samaritan act will be rewarded by a three-month pass to the Crocodile Park for up to five people. I know, because I rescued a distressed fruit bat.
Links:
The nearest webcam to the Bat Cave is Hof Gorei Beach Resort, Samal Island
How To Fly to Davao International Airport
The Bat Sanctuary Samal Island