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Falconry and Fly

 

Where:
Maya Devi, Lakeside, Pokhara, Nepal
When:
From November through to March
Available to:
Anyone, all ages welcome.
Price:
£95 GBP per person

There are times when the ever popular Parahawking Experiences are fully booked. But don't despair! It's still possible to do some raptor related activities with us and even get to fly, up close alongside the Parahawking flight.

Falconry Experience:
The Falconry and Fly day was created to ensure that no one misses out on our renowned raptor and flying experiences. Your day will start with the Falconry Experience at our beautiful home on the banks of Phewa Lake. During a 2 hour session, your experienced instructor will teach you the basic training methods, special handling techniques and how to use the equipment. You’ll then get to fly and exercise our birds, a great way to spend a morning and get some fantastic photos for a lasting memory.

Lunch is provided at our restaurant where you get a chance to relax and take in the beautiful views across the lake.

Paragliding Flight:
After lunch you'll be taken up for your special tandem Paragliding flight. It's special in the sense that your specially trained pilot will fly with and follow as close as possible that afternoons Parahawking flight. This will give you a totally unique perspective of Parahawking in action. You won't have a glove or food to call the bird in to you but you will have your hands free to take some incredible photos.

On landing, you'll be presented with the same detailed information on Vulture Conservation and how The Parahawking Project is contributing to the conservation effort, as are all our passengers and guests.

 

Whats included:

  • Transport from Lakeside to Maya Devi Vallage in the morning
  • Falconry Experience
  • Lunch at Maya Devi Village
  • Transport to the paragliding site
  • Regular paragliding tandem flight
  • Vulture conservation presentation
  • Transport back to Lakeside in the afternoon

 

READ THE REVIEWS

 

 

Are you also interested in?

The Parahawking Tandem Experience

Ranked the #1 activity in Pokhara on Trip Advisor, featured on the BBC, Nat Geo, Discovery Channel and recommended by the Lonely Planet as one of Pokhara's highlights. Parahawking is essentially paragliding and interacting with a trained bird of prey in it's own natural environment. It was developed and pioneered in 2001 in Pokhara by Scott Mason. By combining paragliding with the ancient art of falconry, we have trained birds of prey to fly with us and guide us through the sky as we fly.

READ MORE...

Photos and Video

Our Parahawking photos and videos have been seen all over the world. We use special wide angle HD cameras which are set to capture every moment, perfectly framed with you, your pilot, the scenery and of course the bird.

On landing we'll copy your pictures and movie onto a DVD. Your picture may even make the Facebook Picture of the Day. Photos and Video can be arranged on the day with your pilot. The price is 2500 rupees.

Check out the pictures in our FACEBOOK PAGE to see the PICTURE OF THE DAY.

Domestic Flights in Nepal

BOOK YOUR DOMESTIC AIR TRAVEL WITH US - CONVENIENT AND HASSLE FREE

It's important that when you book with us you arrive in plenty of time for your parahawking experience, and that you return to the airport in plenty of time for your onward journey.

We know how difficult it can be to arrange domestic travel in Nepal from overseas.  We have partnered with the leading flight ticket agency in Pokhara to offer you the best service and competitive prices.

READ MORE...

Accommodation

Do you need accommodation whilst you are in Pokhara? Maya Devi Village is the home of The Parahawking Project in Nepal, but it's also a lovely guest house and restaurant. It was built approx 20 years in ago in the traditional Gurung style to blend in with the local surroundings. Maya Devi was acquired by us in 2003 and has been carefully restored and renovated to provide modern facilities and some home comforts whilst retaining it's traditional theme.

READ MORE...

 

Booking Form

Please use the form below to make a booking, if you experience problems with the booking form, please send an email to - info@skywingsfalconry.com.com

Please read the Frequently Asked Questions

PLEASE NOTE: We are no longer operating in Nepal. We are now only operating in Spain
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Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Parahawking?
Parahawking is paragliding with a trained bird of prey. It was pioneered in Pokhara, Nepal by renowned bird trainer and paraglider, Scott Mason. Now basd in Algodonales, southern Spain, birds of prey such as American Black Vultures are trained as part of an award winning enrichment program, to fly with paragliders and, by using their incredible ability to conserve energy, can guide the paragliders to the best thermals. They will then land on the passengers gloved hand for an inflight reward. Parahawking is a perfect mix of adventure, eco-tourism and conservation. A Parahawking Tandem Experience is more than just a paragliding flight with a trained bird, it's an education into vultures and the problems they face in the wild.

How does it work?
Birds of prey have a natural instinct to conserve energy wherever and whenever possible. During a flight, a bird will burn more energy than it would if it was just sitting in a tree, this means it has to eat to replace the used energy. Sometimes birds will travel long distances to find food. To conserve energy whilst flying, birds of prey use thermals. Thermals are rising currents of warm air that are created by the sun heating the ground. Birds can gain height and travel long distances without flapping their wings by using thermals. Paragliders also use thermals when they are flying and will often use wild birds to guide them to where the thermals are. Our trained birds are no different, they will find the thermals in order to stay aloft and conserve energy whilst flying. We as paragliders harness their ability to conserve energy by following them as we fly.

Our birds need to be rewarded for guiding us into the thermals. During the flight the passenger will place small morsels of meat onto his gloved hand, the birds will come and gently land on the hand to take the food, and then gracefully fly away to find the next thermal. A perfect symbiotic relationship.

Is there a weight and age limit?
All Paraglider wings have an upper and lower weight range, when the upper weight range is exceeded, it can make the glider difficult to fly in some situatons and conditions. Parahawking tandem flights are different from regular tandem flights, our weight limit for passengers is 100 kg/220 lb. The only other requirement is that you are able to run a few steps for the take off and landing. You do not have to be a qualified pilot, you will be a passenger attached to a qualified tandem pilot. We reserve the right to refuse to fly any passenger that does not meet our requirements.

When can I do it?
The Parahawking season runs all year round.

Where can I do it?
You can do Parahawking in Algodonales, Spain only.

How does it help Vulture Conservation?
Vultures are in serious decline, in the last 15 years the numbers have dropped by a staggering 99.9% in some parts of Asia whilst vultures in Europe and African are experiencing similar declines. This catastrophic decline is due to a veterinary drug called Diclofenac. This anti inflammatory drug is routinely administered to sick and dying livestock including cows and buffalo and has proven to be very effective in reducing pain and suffering. However, when the animal dies with Diclofenac still in it's system, the vultures that feed from the animal carcass will ingest remnants of the drug which is poisonous to them and kills them within 24 hours.

Vultures are important in our society, they play a vital role in our ecosystem by cleaning up all of the dead animals that would otherwise be left to rot. Millions of tonnes of animal carcasses are disposed of each year across Asia, which if not cleaned up, would pose a real risk to human health. Asia's vultures are declining faster than the Dodo and could be extinct in the next 5-10 years, unfortunately not enough people know about the problem. Vultures are considered to be quite unsavory creatures because of this, these prehistoric looking birds are difficult to empathize with. We want to change that!

Parahawking provides a unique opportunity to see vultures in a different light, to understand about the importance of them in our society and to learn about their behavior in the wild. Parahawking is our mission to raise more public awareness to the plight of Asia's vultures and in doing so halt the decline and prevent their extinction.

We support vital Vulture conservation projects, proceeds from Parahawking go to Vulture conservations projects.

How is this different from normal paragliding?
Parahawking gives you the unique opportunity to interact with these birds and see the world through their eyes while you share the sky with them. Paragliding is an exciting adventure activity on own but this takes Paragliding to a whole different dimension.

How do I book?
Book your Parahawking activity directly with us via this website to gaurantee the best chance of a spot.

How much does it cost?
A Parahawking Tandem Experience costs: €170

How long does the flight last?
Parahawking flights are not based on time in the air but the overall experience of sharing the sky with a trained bird of prey. The weather can determine the length of the flight as can many other factors, especially when working with birds. We make no guarantees about flight times however we always try our best to stay in the air for around 20 to 30 minutes.

Can I take a Parahawking course?
We do not currently offer Parahawking courses. If you're not already a pilot and you want to learn to paraglide then there is no better place to learn to fly than here in Algodonales. Fly Spain - http://www.flyspain.com - offer beginner courses. If you want to learn more about the birds then you can take a Bird of Prey Experience or Falconry Course with us. You can do a 2-3 hour session or 2-5 days courses.

What birds do you use?
We use a variety of Vultures and hawks for Parahawking.

Where do the birds come from?
All of our birds are bred in captivity. Parahawking is an award winning project, it was voted Best Enrichment Behaviour by the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) in 2011.

Is it dangerous?
Paragliding and Parahawking is an adventure activity but it is not dangerous. We use only the best pilots for Parahawking. All of our pilots are internationally licensed and insured. 

What do I need to bring?
All you need to bring are a pair of training shoes or boots and a sweatshirt or jacket depending on the time of year. 

Can I take a camera?
Yes, you can bring your own camera or we can take inflight pictures and movie from our onboard cameras, at a small additional cost. 

Do you provide accommodation?
Yes, we have accommodation right on site at the Skywings Falconry Farmhouse.

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