Learn about bats during this unique night-time walk in Mumbai

Leschenault’s rousette (Rousettus leschenaultii) is a species of fruit bat

Move over, flamingos. There is a new misunderstood superstar in the Mumbai wilderness, and it's time to meet them face-to-face. While most of us spend our weekends tracking the movements of birds or trekking along the well-trodden paths of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a new nature experience has emerged right above our heads. You can now go on a bat walk in the city's caves. It's an eye-opening, nocturnal expedition led by handful of Maharashtra's bat scientists, Rajkumar Patel.

If you are thinking of pointy teeth and spooky Victorian tropes, wipe the slate clean. "Bats are truly fascinating," says Masira Shaikh, program curator for Naturalist Explorers. "They are the only flying mammal. They are also one of the only land animals that know how to do echolocation. And they are super, super diverse."

Bat walks are conducted in ancient caves across Jogeshwari and Borivli

For the uninitiated, the bat is a master of adaptation. While we bustle through our urban lives, these creatures silently navigate the city's concrete maze, feeding on moths and midges, and finding sanctuary in the most unlikely of places: the ancient Buddhist caves of Mumbai. Shaikh explains, "With the researcher, we decided to visit all of the caves that are found in Mumbai. You have several ancient caves in the city. We found bats in almost all of them."

Masira Shaikh

Perhaps the most gripping part of the experience is witnessing these mammals' resilience. Many of these sites, carved centuries ago by Buddhist monks and later adopted into diverse religious spots, are now bustling hubs of human activity complete with clanging bells and the clamour of daily prayers. Yet, the bats remain. "Despite all the human movement in these caves, these bat populations have stayed in them," says Shaikh.

If you have ever wondered why bats evolved to fly or why they rely on the sonic ping of echolocation when they could simply call out to one another, you will find yourself in good company on these walks. "There's a lot of questions that even participants ask, and these questions have no answers yet," Shaikh notes.

"Because we don't have enough research... There's a lot of unanswered questions. How are bats surviving and how are they unbothered by the human noises and pollution?"

By joining the walk, you will be contributing to a growing pool of amateur observationalists that can help shed light on an understudied aspect of Mumbai's biodiversity. You will be guided by Rajkumar Patel, a rare specialist in a field that boasts fewer than 50 active bat researchers across all of India.

PRICE: Rs 550 onwards
TO BOOK: Call Naturalist Explorers at +91 8976451433