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Honey hunting festival is being held in Pokhara this December. Generally, the northern part of Nepal is surrounded by the Great Himalayan Range. And there are numerous trekking destinations in those areas.

Among them, Annapurna Base Camp is one of the major tourist destinations of Nepal. On the route to Annapurna Base Camp, there is a typical Gurung village called Landruk. Gurungs are an ethnic group in Nepal and most of them live in the hilly areas of Nepal.

Landruk is about 24 kilometers away from Pokhara. In fact, Landruk used to be crowded with lots of trekkers in the old days. However, since the Covid-19 epidemic, the number of visitors have drastically dropped. So, in order to attract the visitors, they are organizing a Honey Hunting Festival this year.

Landruk is a beautiful village situated in the Annapurna Village Development Committee about 2 hours distance from Pokhara. You can have a magnificent view of Mt. Annapurna and beautiful Ghandruk village from Landruk.

You can take a local bus from Hari Chowk, which leaves three times a day. The first bus leaves at 9 o’clock in the morning, then the second bus leaves at 12 p.m. and the last bus leaves at 3 p.m. However, you can hire any means of transport to reach Landruk from Pokhara.

Honey Hunting Tradition

There are many bee hives on the rocky hill, along the banks of Madi river in Landruk. Honey hunting is an old tradition among Gurungs in different parts of Nepal. The gurung people of Landruk also used to hunt every year from a long time. The local villagers usually hunt twice a year, in the month of May and December.

Actually, the traditional honey hunting festival was once organized 13 years ago in Landruk village. This is the second time, that the local villagers are again organizing this unique festival. They believe that this festival will help in the economic development of the village.

Gurungs have their own traditional way of hunting the bees. They worship their ancestors and gods before the hunting. In fact, it is a risky task, so they believe that they will be protected by their ancestors and gods. Thus, it will be a lifetime experience to view such an adventurous activity.

Lodging

The honey hunting festival will be of three days. The festival starts from December 7 to December 9. There are several lodges and guest houses in the village. However, the local villagers are offering for the homestays in a lower price.

The homestays are offering a package at NPR 800 per person, whereas, the hotels are offering at NPR 1250. Therefore, going to the traditional Honey Hunting Festival in Landruk Village would be the best experience of a lifetime at such an affordable price.

Honey Festival Preparation

According to the festival publicity coordinator Kamal Gurung, the villagers have prepared various programs for the visitors such as cultural dance program and the traditional musical show.

Besides, they have also arranged for guiding the visitors to the historical and holy places of Landruk village. According to Gurung, there are about 40 to 45 bee hives on the rocky hill of Kotesang. He also says that the honey is lot better in taste and costs NPR 2500 per liter.

Conclusion

Well, you can return to Pokhara by following the trekking trail, if you get interested in a hike. You can explore several beautiful places and villages during the journey. Also, you can have an adventurous hike across the dense Rhododendron forest.

You can reach Pritam Deurali in three and a half hours, from where you can rent a jeep. It is also a good place to stay. Or from there, you can continue your hike to Pothana and then, from Pothana to Dhampus. Local bus can be found from Dhampus to Pokhara.

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