18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
SWEET GOLD

There are rare tribes in Nepal that have been haunting honey from Himalayan cliffs for centuries. A tradition that's carried on for generations. Wrapped in a tornado of angry giant bees, hanging with bare hands to a bamboo rope hundreds of meters high, these people risk their lives to collect the precious spring ‘red honey’, famous for its medicinal, aphrodisiac and hallucinogenic properties.⁣⠀

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2018
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Myagdi District, Nepal
Copyright: © Mauro De Bettio