Honey Hunting: Traditions for Gurungs and Ghales of Nepal

Honey Hunting is the real and frequent activity of indigenous Gurung and Magar Community in Bhujung and Pasgaon for honey hunting from which they are able to solve their problem of bread and butter. This ancestral job of honey hunting still continues in many remote villages of Nepal while offering high tourism potential. A large section of travelers are increasingly showing their interest in honey hunting thereby ensuring staple sources of local revenue generation, besides Ghalegoan Bhujung and the hole of Annapurna region, Dhading and Jharlang across Ganesh Himal Arun valley in Makalu and other trekking areas have become Popular for honey hunting, a new tourist activity but in Nepal except Bhujung area of Annapurna region, special package of Honey hunting for tourist is not developed yet. Nerveless few lucky tourist get chance to observe honey hunting on spot while traveling along the trekking routes. There are myriad be nests found in the inner and outer rings of different trekking areas which if professionally scientifically and technically managed, provides an immense potentiality of promoting honey hunting as an add- on product.

Honey Hunting, the collection of Honey from the nests of wild Bees built on steep cliffs, is an age-old tradition. Local honey hunters show their exceptional skills by hanging themselves from cliffs as high as 300 meters using Bamboo ladders and hemp ropes, while harvesting the honeycombs. Everyone is thrilled to watch honey hunters at work.