Yathaypyan Cave is a large cave pagoda south of Hpa-an on the road toward Mount Zwegabin. The cave itself is impressive — high ceilings, a reclining Buddha statue in the first chamber, and multiple internal passages to explore. But the cave's most spectacular feature is its bat colony, which emerges at dusk in one of the largest bat flights in Myanmar.
The timing is worth planning around: arrive at the cave in the late afternoon to explore the interior, then wait on the steps at dusk as the bats begin to emerge. The spectacle lasts 20-30 minutes as hundreds of thousands of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats stream out in a continuous line. Combined with a sunset over the rice paddies, it makes for one of the more memorable evenings in Myanmar.