Downtown Austin Kayak Tour: Sunset Bat Viewing

Experience the magic of downtown Austin on a 2.5-hour kayak tour. Paddle along the skyline at golden hour, watch the sunset, and witness the incredible bat flight. Stay to explore the illuminated cityscape at night.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Watching - The Congress Ave bridge is home to 1.5 Million Mexican Free Tailed Bats. Come watch them from the best vantage point in the city - on a kayak in the middle of the river!
  • Austin - The entire kayak experience is paddling along the river going through downtown Austin. You can see the rapidly changing…
What's Included
  • Kayak, paddles, life jackets, and lights provided
  • High-quality photos taken and sent post-tour
Additional Information

Welcome to the most sought-after experience in Austin.
This magical 2.5-hour kayak journey through the city center begins with a paddle along the length of the Austin skyline during the golden hour, followed by a pause to enjoy the sunset.
We then position ourselves for prime bat viewing and deliver a talk about the bats just before they take flight….

Location
5 East Ave
East Avenue
This link has the info you need including a google maps link, a video tour of where to park and meet me UNDER THE BRIDGE and more. The exact start time changes with the sunset so contact us if you need further assistance.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(189 Ratings)
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Kimo191
Mar 8, 2026
Worth it! - Easy and great experience! Thank you Ross!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krystal_b
Feb 25, 2026
Boats & Bats is Awesome! - Boats and Bats was a fantastic experience! The guides were very helpful and knowledgeable without being intrusive into our own family experience! Highly recommend and will book again! A+++
Review provided by Viator
Carlosgsalce
Feb 13, 2026
Unique - Great experience with Channing; spent a good evening getting to know downtown Austin and this was a fantastic end of the day activity, I would definitely recommend - also incredible photo spot and beautiful views during the way to the bridge where the bats come out of.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephanie_p
Nov 22, 2025
Incredible Bats! - This was such a wonderful way to kick off our quick stop in Austin before our morning flight! The bats were absolutely incredible to see. The tour felt relaxed and intimate—there weren’t too many people on the water, so it almost felt like a private experience. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Shannon_s
Nov 19, 2025
After a day of work this... - After a day of work this was a fantastic way to enjoy and relax. Time on the water and watching bats was wonderful.
Review provided by Viator
P4955cbklaudiak
Nov 16, 2025
If you do the bats in Austin, make sure it's with Boats and Bats! - Unbelievable experience from start to finish! The river is beautiful at sunset and we enjoyed the paddling as much as watching the bats. When it came to seeing the bats, Hannah absolutely made our experience! She is so knowledgeable and passionate, not only giving amazing guidance and information but thoroughly answering any questions we had. It was a while before we turned around and noticed that all the other tour boats had left! Hannah allowed us to stay right to the end of the main event, and was still giving fascinating info as the last bats trickled out from under the bridge (we were provided with red lights so we could still see them). The paddle back was fun and relaxed, we never once felt rushed by Hannah. She was a dream guide for this kind of experience! It was a bonus to have our photos taken by Hannah throughout the experience, which were uploaded to an accessible drive for us to download that same evening!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauren_s
Nov 15, 2025
Great tour! - Extremely organized and accurate with excellent communication. We saw all of the bats on time as promised.
Review provided by Viator
Richard
Nov 15, 2025
Bats under the bridge in Austin - We arrived from Sacramento and went to the kayaking location an hour later. The tour guide was well informed and knowledgeable about the area and the bats We kayak frequently and had no problem with the tour. The bats came out from underneath the bridge as the sun set. We were hoping to see them fly across the sky but they swarmed around the bridge. It was still very impressive
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mgmcmahon
Feb 23, 2026
Nice experience - Very easy to find the location and the experience was really fun. Recommended Bangers to eat after. And it was excellent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jasmine_s
Nov 19, 2025
Unique Kayaking in Austin! - Such a unique experience! Our guide was very knowledgable and was prepared with red light to see the bats in the dark. Would recommend adding lights to the kayaks as they can be hard to see by other boaters in the night.
Review provided by Viator
From $59
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).