In the heart of Nepal’s Lamjung District, the Gurung people uphold a centuries-old tradition that is as breathtaking as it is dangerous honey hunting from Himalayan cliffs. This unique cultural practice involves harvesting wild honey from colonies of Apis laboriosa, the world’s largest honeybee, found in vertical rock faces and remote mountain crevices.
Skilled hunters, known locally as Khudke, scale these sheer cliffs using handcrafted bamboo ladders and ropes, often hundreds of feet above the ground. Armed with little more than smoke torches to calm the bees, they brave swarms and heights to carefully extract the honeycombs, an act demanding extraordinary courage, balance, and ancestral knowledge.
The wild honey they collect is not only rare and valuable, but also revered for its medicinal and hallucinogenic properties, especially the first harvest of the season. This tradition is deeply embedded in Gurung cultural identity and livelihoods, often accompanied by rituals that honor nature and spirits.
Yet, this ancient practice is under threat. Deforestation, climate change, and modernization are disrupting bee habitats and discouraging younger generations from learning the craft. Without sustainable protection, this remarkable tradition may disappear into history.
ACCOMODATION
TRANSPORTATION
After having breakfast, we will start our journey by road drive to Besisahar in a private jeep or van. Road conditions are not so good so it will take us around 8 hours to reach our destination for the day, Besisahar.
ACCOMODATION
TRANSPORTATION
MEAL
Leaving the city area, we will head towards some of the rural villages of Lamjung district. We will drive around three hours by private jeep on bumpy roads to reach our destination village. We will explore naturally and culturally reach alleys of the village in the evening and overnight there at homestay.
ACCOMODATION
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The village is inhabited by the indigenous Gurung people who are renowned for their skill in honey hunting from Himalayan cliff beehives. The village retains its traditional lifestyle and unique ethnic culture with mud-brick houses, subsistence farming and livestock rearing practices. The village offers stunning views of the Annapurna Himalayan range and serves as a base for trekkers on the Annapurna Circuit trail.
ACCOMODATION
MEAL
We will depart from the village, embarking on our extraordinary honey hunting expedition. Our journey will take us deep into the heart of the Himalayan forests, where we will pitch our tents and spend the night amidst the untamed wilderness. With eager anticipation, we will witness every intricate process of this ancient tradition, as the skilled traditional hunters fearlessly scale the treacherous cliffs to harvest the precious wild honey. This rare and immersive experience will etch itself into our memories, leaving us with once-in-a-lifetime recollections that will forever be cherished.
ACCOMODATION
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Upon completing our awe-inspiring honey hunting expedition, we will make our way back to the village, eagerly anticipating an encounter with the unbelievable traditions that unfold only on the full moon of a specific month each year.
ACCOMODATION
DURATION
TRANSPORTATION
MEAL
Finally after completing our expedition we will drive back to Kathmandu. It will take us around 12 hours to reach Kathmandu
