Earning Your Wings
Hawks and Paragliding in Nepal

There's really no other way to put this: if you're going to be suspended above a Nepalese lake with nothing but a third of a mile of air between you and the ground, you'll probably want a guide who knows what he's doing.

For instance, a hawk.

In which case, you'll want to take a look at Parahawking, a Wes Anderson–worthy aerial jaunt that brings you to the Nepalese sky alongside a trained hawk, taking flight now.

Your journey begins with a hike up Sarangkot Mountain, where you'll set sail aboard a steerable parachute driven only by the wind. Your guide: a specially trained hawk, who will find his way to the natural air currents and updrafts that let him stay aloft without flapping his wings. If you follow his lead, you can float along all day—and when he's done, he'll land aircraft-carrier-style on your arm like any dutiful sidekick. (Go ahead: nickname him Goose.)

When you're ready to land, you'll have a third of a mile (or roughly one half-hour) of vertical drop. And because you'll probably want a record of your death-defying achievements (and newfound friendship), they'll even strap cameras to your bird's back and your parachute's rig, and present you with an edited video when you leave.

It's a coming of age story about a young man and his hawk…