Admin
“Nothing great ever came that easy.”
Imagine you are out on a sunny day for a hike in the forest and out of the blue, you find yourself amidst a swarm of honeybees.
It’s a horrible figment of imagination – anyone would want to get out as soon as possible. But, the indigenous group called the Gurungs face honeybees as twice as the regular honey bravely as a part of their work and as the only means to preserve their ancient culture.
The giant honey bee can have a size up to 3 cm, and they stink prickly can cause fatal accidents sometimes, causing blisters and even bleeding at times.
Twice a year, the native Gurungs embark on their bloodcurdling journey of honey hunting. As they approach a step on flimsy braided ropes, they also walk towards every chance of the unhappening. But, despite the risk, they use the rope ladder to hunt honey every Summer and Winter.
Honey hunting is not only a matter of earning for the Gurungs but also their way to pay homage to their ancestors — following the steps of their forefathers, they wish to do the same with the upcoming Gurung generation. Therefore, they manage to take younger Gurung chaps for sightseeing or honey hunting.
For about 10,000 years now, bee hunting, honey hunting, or honey harvesting has been considered a prestigious art for the heroic and quite staunch Gurung community their effort towards the ancient honey harvesting is commendable.
The Mad Honey Hunting Tour
The mad honey hunting tour is usually organized by travel & tour companies as well as some companies that sell Mad Honey from Nepal. The tour is organized for two seasons per annum where a selective few gets the chance. The hunting ritual involves local honey hunters climbing down high cliffs using makeshift rope ladders and bamboo scaffold. Having to hang off a rope sometimes hundreds of feet in the air these expert bee farmers dislodge large bee hives through the use of long poles and sustain countless bee stings.
The entire experience not only exceeds a hunt but is an essence of sacred ritual followed down the centuries through generation after generation, with each journey being undertaken with great reverence to nature and what are considered to be spirits guarding the mountains.
Mad Honey Hunting Tour usually follows the route of 3 to 5 days and starts in Kathmandu and follows along and deep into the Himalayan foothills particularly in the villages of Lamjung, Kaski or surrounding districts. On the route, one goes through beautiful rhododendron forests, terraced slopes and isolated Gurung settlements, being permeated with the local culture.
Tour Highlights:
Guided Trekking: Trek through luscious green forest guided by experts on a local trail.
Cultural Immersion: Aiming to immerse in the local culture, you will be staying with
homestays, sharing their meals, learning about local traditions, shamans and traditional medicine.
Adventure: It is a one time adventure that not many travelers get to observe.
Photography & Storytelling: The imagery–pictures of the hanging hunters to the hives on the cliffs are amazing and memorable.
Responsible Travel: Led by the local expert who knows the roundabouts and is responsible enough to take care of the visitors
Experience the Honey Hunt: See how the expert climbs and skillfully collects the mad honey from high cliffs.
Try Mad Honey: More adventurous people can taste, under the advice of the locals, a small measured portion of fresh mad honey.
Is it safe?
Although the honey hunting is very dangerous to the persons involved in it, people visiting there as tourists will never be expected to scale or take part in the hunt itself. Sustainable tours that focus on the safety of the passengers, sustainability, and respect toward local traditions are being arranged. Mad honey is served in small portions and any responsible tour operator that deals with the honey will see to it that the bees and the environment will not be impacted negatively through the process of obtaining the honey.
Final Thoughts
Mad Honey Hunting Tour is not a usual holiday on takes a break from. It is an adventure packed, authentic, daring and life-changing tour. Are you a cultural traveler, an adventurist or just someone interested in learning more about lesser known practices of the world then this trek into the heartland of Nepal will show you something you have never witnessed the true real world that remained unknown to time.
Read More Gorod
