The Fearless Honey Hunters of Nepal

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The Gurung men do their work without any protection from the bees.

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Before a hunt can commence the honey hunters are required to perform a ceremony to placate the cliff gods. This involves sacrificing a sheep, offering flowers, fruits and rice, and praying to the cliff gods to ensure a safe hunt.

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Helpers light fires at the base of the cliffs in a bid to smoke the bees out.

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The honey hunter clings precariously to the rope ladder while he waits for the rising smoke to drive the bees out of the nests.

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Once the bees have been smoked out of their nest the honey hunter is able to cut the exposed honeycomb away from the cliff face.

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Clinging to a ladder of braided bamboo well over 250 feet above ground, the men work for four hours to gather the honey by hand.

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The honey hunters use sharpened bamboo poles to slice through the honeycomb to dislodge it from the cliff.

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Taking a smoke break some 200 plus feet above the ground.

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Using precision and skills mastered over many years the ‘cutter’ jousts tentatively at a bee’s nest with a sharpened stick known as a tango.

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One of the Gurung men watches from the base of the cliff as the cutter repositions himself on the rope ladder 200ft above.

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Braided bamboo baskets haul in their prize, the toxic rhododendron honey produced by the Apis laboriosa bee.

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Hauling in the fresh honeycomb.

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Worker enjoying the fruits of his labor.

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Blood, blisters and bee stings are synonymous with this treacherous tradition.

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Ready to protect their harvest by any means necessary.

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Man hauling some freshly cut honeycomb.

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A young boy from the nearby village feasts on a piece of freshly cut honeycomb that has fallen to the ground.