Watch more than a million bats fly out of the Congress Avenue Bridge on an evening kayak tour of Austin that’s timed to catch the spectacular natural show. Observing the Congress Avenue Bridge bats from a kayak means you don’t have to find a spot among the crowds on the riverbank, giving you a front-row seat as the Mexican free-tailed bats take to the sky.

No experience needed: Included lesson gets you out on the water
See the Congress Avenue Bridge bats from the river
Great chance to see the city lights after dark
Convenient departure point in a central location

What's Included

Professional guide
Life jacket
Paddle lesson and safety instructions

Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

East Avenue
East Ave, Austin, TX 78701, USA
We will meet under an overpass/I-35 and launch from there. There is plenty of parking in the area! If you have any trouble with the location please put Chicano Park in to get as close as possible. When you come to the water we'll be on the left hand side of the shoreline.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Watching

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Austin

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Operates in most weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Recommend you wear swimsuit, windbreaker jacket, or lightly layered synthetic clothing
Bring sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, waterproof camera, bottle water, bug repellent, towel, and extra change of clothes

Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Alix_G

Rives and Freddy were awesome guides! My parents and I loved this tour. It was beautiful to see the sunset and skyline from the river, and we saw a good amount of bats! I would definitely recommend this tour to other family and friends!

Reviews

4.5

163 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 163 reviews

Awesome

Rochelle_R, Apr 2024

Mike was so engaging and knowledgeable about the history of Austin skyline. Had an amazing time waiting and watching the bats emerge from the bridge. Highly recommend

Bats

Corbin_S, Apr 2024

The bats were not the most exciting part but the experience was wonderful. The tour guide gave a great history lesson about the bats and of the city.

An Absolute Must

Kristen_W, Apr 2024

The crew was incredibly friendly and informative. They gave great tips on how to kayak for beginners. Being under the bats was AMAZING

Great experience

Emmi_O, Apr 2024

The tour guides did a great job getting us a good spot to see the bats and telling us some interesting Austin and bat facts. We were lucky with the warm nonwindy weather since it meant tons of bats and an easy paddle. I felt very safe the whole time on the water!

Fun with Bats

Frank_O, Apr 2024

Nice folks. Good equipment. You will get wet, not soaked, but wet. Pay attention to their apparel recommendations. You’ll have a great time.

Congress Bridge Bats Kayak Tour

Nick_B, Apr 2024

Great evening kayaking and fantastic way of seeing the bats. Great for individuals, couples and families. Guides were amazing and engaging - thanks team!

Awesome experience

Becky_d, Apr 2024

Reid and his team were great! They contacted us a few hours before departure and answered all of our questions. They currently don’t offer dry bags for keys, phones ect., but nothing got wet in the back of the kayak in my bag. The views were amazing and watching the bats was awesome. Thanks Reid! Highly recommend.

Started half an hour early, did not give intro and safety instructions

Andreas_L, Oct 2023

They called me that they decided to go half an hour early. When I arrived the group was already gone. One instructor waited for me, but did not give me any instructions and information about the tour. When I caught up to the main guide he was very reluctant to provide me information about the tour.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hi there I wish you would communicate the full truth in your review. You were contacted hours in advance that the tour time was at 6:30 had you arrived in advance of the trip or responded to your guides message you would of had this information. You received a full refund for your mistakes and even got to go on a partial experience. I strongly recommend you check your text messages as our guides will update you about the bat's expected take off time the day of the trip. The bats are wild animals that we're beholden to their schedule, not the schedule of a late individual.

Kayak evening tour viewing the bats

Kimberly_C, Oct 2023

This tour was so educational and fun! Being out on the water as the sun going down and then the magical flight of the thousands of bats was a very unique and an amazing adventure!

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thanks so much for coming out on the water with us we hope you'll join us out on the water again soon!

Great kayak-bat experience

Jorge_H, Oct 2023

JC was an excellent host! Great attitude, friendly and make the real difference for this experience Beautiful place

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thanks so much for the awesome review! We can't wait to have you with us again in the future!

Fun night

Dana_D, Sep 2023

JT and Jessie were great guides and very knowledgeable. We had a small group so it made easier to follow and listen. Definitely worth the money. Thank you

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thanks so much for the amazing review! We appreciate you coming out on the water with us!

Beautiful City Lights - Smart Bats

Becky_H, Sep 2023

Beautiful trip to see bats and city! Having light/guidance on way back would help as we got stuck in seaweed and it was hard to get through it in the dark. Guide was very knowledgeable and nice but hard to hear - a megaphone could have helped.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Unfortunately there are other tours on the lake and it would be disrespectful of them to use a megaphone. I believe all of our guides are outfitted with lights currently, but unfortunately we've had issues with guests running off with headlights in the past.

Easy paddle and lots of bats

Laura_S, Aug 2023

I was absolutly amazed. The paddling was fun and the guide was very knowledgeable about the lake. There were far more bats than I expected. Also, there were no bugs thanks to the bats.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thanks so much for joining us out on the water! We hope you'll join us out on the water soon!

Amazing experience!

Jolene_L, Aug 2023

I was amazed at the number of bats that came out of the crevices in the bridge!!! It went on for about 15-20 minutes. It was the highlight of my trip! I would recommend they get lights on the back of each kayak though. It was a bit challenging to see heading back in the dark since the leader was so far away.

Great fun, what an...

Kathlene_B, Jul 2023

Great fun, what an experience. Kayaking was a blast. It is quiet on the lake at night and the city light, beautiful.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Please let us know what we can do to earn 5 stars next time!

A must do in Austin

Minerva_H, Jul 2023

JT and Dallan the tour guides were great! Very knowledgeable of the city and the bats. We will definitely come back next time we’re in town!

Response from Host, Aug 2023

We'll let them know you had a great time!

JT was incredibly...

Mary_W, Jul 2023

JT was incredibly knowledgeable about not only the bats but Austin in general! You could tell that he loves his city and sharing it with visitors!

Response from Host, Aug 2023

We'll let him know you had a great time!

Austin kayak adventure

Steve_C, Jul 2023

Really cool experience and had 2 great guides! Learned a few things about bats and buildings, also good skyline view! Recommend a must do when visiting Austin!

Response from Host, Aug 2023

We're so glad you had a great time! We hope you'll join us again in the future!

Conner and crew were ...

Lelah_J, Jul 2023

Conner and crew were knowledgeable and kept things interesting and funny. Stops along the way to the bridge with interesting facts and tips about the city. Highly recommend this tour group!!

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thanks so much for the awesome review! We hope to see you again soon!

A gem of an experience

Daryl_C, Jun 2023

Fantastic experience, JT is a native to the area and extremely knowledgeable and shared lots of one-of-a-kind information. A truly unique experience.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thanks so much for the awesome review! We hope you'll come join us out on the water again sometime in the future!

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