Wildlife wealth of the Falklands

The fabulously remote Falkland Islands offer a unique travel destination with epic landscapes and spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities. This is about as off-the-beaten-track as you can get for a holiday destination.

This archipelago of more than 740 islands off the south-east tip of the South American continent has the clear light and colours of an unspoilt natural environment, as well as the world's most southerly capital city in Stanley.

For wildlife lovers and photographers there can be few more enjoyable experiences than observing the eccentric habits and characters of penguins at close-quarters in a completely unspoilt environment.

The Falklands have nearly one million penguins, including five different species - the tall and elegant king penguins; the magellanic penguins with their jackass calls; the gentoo penguins which nest inland; and the noisy little rockhoppers and macaroni penguins.





If you sit quietly on the beach these entertaining creatures may even come right up to you.

The huge black-browed albatross is another drawcard for wildlife spotters as the Falklands is the world's main breeding ground for these magnificent birds.





Wandering the beaches here won't just bring you close to penguin colonies and an incredible array of birdlife (the islands boast over 220 species of birds).

Large groups of elephant seals and sea lions gather on the shore, as well as the shy fur seal. And from the coast you can also watch orcas hunting seals.

Take a 4x4 safari to Volunteer Point to watch the penguins playing in the turquoise waters and on the white sandy beaches.

Bluff Cove Lagoon Tours, run by Hattie Kilmartin, offer great penguin-spotting safari adventures by Land Rover from Stanley, including home-baked cream teas at the world-famous-in-the-Falklands Sea Cabbage Cafe.

Boat trips to the smaller islands are available, as well as island-hopping domestic flights with the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) 9-seater Britten Norman Islander light aircraft.

The pilots are always happy to take a closer look when wildlife spotting opportunities arise.

Or explore this wild landscape on foot or on horseback. The islanders refer to everything outside the capital of Stanley as "camp", derived from the Spanish word for countryside – el campo.

Other visitors come to the Falklands for true wilderness fishing; to find out more about hundreds of years of maritime history; or to revisit the 1982 conflict with Argentina on a battlefield tour.

The best time to visit the Falkland Islands is October to April, with average summer temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius and plenty of sunshine.

How to get to the Falkland Islands

There are two flight routes to the Falkland Islands. LAN Airlines fly via Santiago and Punta Arenas in Chile.

Or you can catch a twice-weekly MoD-operated flight from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire via Ascension Island. The Tornados based on the Falklands often greet the plane as part of their training exercises.

A number of cruise ships include the Falkland Islands in their itineraries en-route to the Antarctic or South America.

Where to stay on the Falkland Islands

Full board (£70 to £130 per night) and self-catering lodges (£15 to £30) are scattered throughout the islands. Self-catering holidaymakers can purchase homemade meal packs for £25 per day. There is also a hotel in Stanley.

For more information about holidays in the Falkland Islands see the Falkland Islands Tourist Board website.