Flying around the Falklands on FIGAS

Unless you’re going to stay in Stanley and East Falkland Island for your time in the Falklands, you’re going to fly on a FIGAS (pronounced FY-gus) plane.  They have up to five of them in their fleet, but because they’re constantly being used, they need maintenance occasionally and it takes a while to get them back into commission.

Waiting for a flight outside the very small Stanley airport.

There are many great things about flying FIGAS, the greatest of which (to me) is how simple it is.   No security lines, no taking off your shoes, and you don’t really even need to show your photo ID.  This is a VERY SMALL territory after all, and the friendliness of the islands shines through here. Simply show up, give them your name, and weigh your luggage.

You’ll survive, don’t worry!

All of your bags must way 20 kilograms or less, otherwise you’re charged a little over a pound for each additional kilogram.   I had three bags and they weighed about 25 kilograms, so I just gave some of my unnecessary items to my travel agency to hold for me, and I was good.  Also, you’ll only have them weighed at two places – the airport in Stanley and at Mount Pleasant Airport (the military base).

On-board, the plane is rather spartan, as you would expect an 8-seater plane to be.  You’ll have a window or an aisle, and you’ll be offered ear plugs (I didn’t need them, but most people opted to pop them in their ears).

Inside a FIGAS plane.  You’re guaranteed a window seat!

You’ll never get super high off the ground compared with a jet plane (I estimated about 5,000 feet off the ground) so you’ll have a little bit of bumpiness on the flight.  If you’re nervous about flying in a major airline jet, you’ll want to take some Dramamine/mood relaxers prior to getting on one of these flights.  I had no problems, but some people might.

While there is no on-board entertainment, you’ll be sure to get sweeping views of the islands, even on a cloudy day.  There’s not a whole lot going on below the plane as far as visible wildlife (I did spot a few running sheep), the landscape is striking.   And the cooler thing is that most of these lands are places you won’t get to go (because of their remoteness) so it’s your opportunity to see it all!

If you can, try to get a spot at the front of the plane, you’ll get even better views and will be able to put on the same headset the pilot uses (and chat with the pilot if he’s not too busy!

The prices for flights can vary, but the longer the flight, the more expensive.  In total for all four of my flights, I paid £600 for my flights, and my longest flight was about 45 minutes (from Saunders Island to Bleaker Island).  You can book directly with FIGAS, or your travel agency will sort out the details.

Because of the small fleet and the variance in demand, the timing and availability of your route will vary.  So book early if you can, but be aware that flights are subject to change. When I to the Falklands without my bags making it onto the airplane, I was lucky that there were two different flights to my next stop (Saunders Island) that day.  Had there not been, I would have had to stay in Stanley for a day, then head to Saunders the next day, which would have been really disappointing.

While flying around, know that the departure time of your flight will vary, but you’ll know about what time you’ll depart the night before.  Each night before I left an island, I was told what time my flight would be.  So be flexible and go with the flow- something hard for me to do, but once you’re on the Falkland Islands without a telephone or internet, it becomes much easier to do!

Enjoy your flights on FIGAS- the ride might be a bit bumpy, but you’ll get fantastic views of the islands, and you’ll never be in the air for more than an hour anyway!

For more information on FIGAS, visit http://www.fig.gov.fk/figas/

Below are a few photos I snapped from the plane.  You won’t get a better view!

Stanley and It’s Surroundings – The World’s Friendliest Capital

An aerial view of Stanley I shot from one of my FIGAS flights.  (In the background are clouds.)

Ah, Stanley.  You will get to experience this charming small town for at least one night, and it has plenty to offer for that night.  Stanley (formerly Port Stanley, though they dropped the”Port” ages ago) is home to over 2000 people and growing.  With increasing work opportunities, immigrants are coming in and you can tell the town is quite multicultural.

Truth be told, it’s not a place with tons of touristic opportunities- there are a handful of hotels, restaurants, gift shops, stores, bars, and one museum, but there’s enough to keep you relaxingly busy for a couple days.

To start, I stayed at the Pale Maiden B&B (named after the official flower of the Falkland Islands), which was stunning.  Teresa, the owner, went to Scotland to purchase all the furnishings.

The beautiful flowers you’re greeted with are a harbinger for what’s to come at the Pale Maiden!

I wish I had taken photos inside, because it was beautiful.  I had the nicest shower I ever had under the rain shower head, and she made croissants and had a selection of home made jams (including diddle dee jam!) every morning.  PLEASE stay here if you’re in Stanley (and no, she’s not paying, I just can’t recommend this place enough!)

Once you’re settled in, it’s time to explore Stanley and it’s surroundings!  Stanley is basically shaped like a long rectangle along the harbor, and so it’s not hard to navigate.  The major things you’ll want to see are along the main road (Ross Road) that’s just along the harbor.  On this road you’ll find everything, including two hotels (with restaurants), the West Store (one of the two major stores in Stanley), to the churches (St. Mary’s and the more famous Christchurch with the whalebone arch), the post office/bank/town hall, four souvenir shops, and the Historic Docklands Museum.

A few photos from the museum.  Don’t ring the bell- it will cost you £100!

One place you MUST visit is the Historic Docklands Museum.  It’s basically the only museum on the Falklands, but it’s in one of the oldest buildings in Stanley and holds some impressive artifacts from the Falklands of old and a more impressive collection of stories, videos, and artifacts from the 1982 British-Argentine conflict.  If you’re interested at all in the history of the Falklands, pay the very small price (5 pounds) to stop by, and plan to spend an hour or two.

A few other places you should stop by (besides souvenir shops) are the Whalebone Arch in front of Christchurch (an interesting site, though the bones aren’t quite from the Falklands), a stop by the wharf to get your photo with the “Welcome to the Falkland Islands” sign, and if able, a trip to Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay.

The travel maps call it a scenic walk to Gypsy Cove.  And while part of it may be scenic (you’ll get a look at the harbor and some residential areas of Stanley), most of it is not very scenic and you’ll be walking 12 kilometers each way to get there.  So if you decide to head out there, please take a car.  I took the walk, and it took me about 1 1/2 hours each way walking, and by the end would have given someone all my money to drive me back to Stanley!

The Lady Elizabeth- she just won’t sink!

 

However, once you get to Gypsy Cove, you won’t regret it.  Along the way you’ll pass by the Lady Elizabeth, a semi-sunken ship with an interesting history.  I’ve never been a place where an early 1900’s ship is just sitting half sunken in a harbor!

But going to Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay is more about seeing more penguins (of the Magellanic variety) from a distance.  Out of an abundance of caution, you are forbidden to actually go down and see the penguins in case some stray Argentine sea mines, but you’ll still get a fine view of them.  You’ll also likely spot a few dolphins in the cove and bay.

A peek at Yorke Bay, where the Argentines first landed .

Magellanic Penguins, protected from the likes of us!

Look closely and you’ll see some orcas!

A lot of history is to be found here as well.  Dotted along the path are some information posts that let you know that the artillery guns were installed after the Germans attempted to take the Falklands during World War I, and it was Yorke Bay where the Argentines landed first in their assault on the islands.

So what else to do in Stanley?  Take a walk around the town, stop in one of the restaurants, visit one of the 3 bars, enjoy the peace and quiet!  And most importantly- start up a conversation with one of the locals!

I found more about the Falklands just by talking to locals than any other source, and people in Stanley are so friendly it probably won’t take too much effort.

Oh, and don’t forget to see the memorials- there’s one for the Falkland’s effort in World War II and of course for the 1982 conflict.

And if you want to be that guy (or girl), stop by the Sign Post, where people from all around the world (primarily in the UK) post how far they are from their specific location.  Bring a ladder though,  most of the real estate on the lower end is taken.

So yes (from my experience) Stanley is the world’s friendliest capital, and worth a relaxing day or even more relaxing two days to explore.

 

 

 

 

Sea Lion Island – More than the name implies!

The name of this island alone implies this is an island where Sea Lions rule the land and not much else.  But this couldn’t be further from the truth!  Sea Lion Island is an appropriately named name- it holds the lions-share (see what I did there?) of the sea lions and sea elephants of the Falkland Islands.  But not surprisingly, there is much more than just sea lions on Sea Lion Island!

Your chariot is just steps away from your lodging.

One of the great things about Sea Lion Island is that your FIGAS flight will land literally about 100 meters away from the lodging on Sea Lion Island.  So once you’re off the plane and get your bags, you’ll set up in your room.

One striking thing about Sea Lion (compared to other islands) is that the lodging hosts more people than others, but still not nearly as many as 95% of the hotels in the world (my own estimate).  The lodging holds 28 tourists, so if the lodging is full, you’ll meet a lot of new people and might have to share the island with more people than you’re used to.

Your lodgings while you’re on Sea Lion.

Despite this, the lodging is quite comfortable and spacious, and you’ll have everything you need, including a private bathroom and full board.  At Sea Lion, you can be served lunch as opposed to getting a bagged lunch (which you can get too), which is a nice touch.  The food at Sea Lion was lovely (had a taste of Toothfish here too!) and they also offer coffee at tea and smoko, which the term used in the Falklands that is basically a snack between lunch and dinner.  In our case, it was cake and cookies.  This should of course be accompanied by the complimentary coffee and tea.

Another wonderful thing about Sea Lion Island is that a short tour of the island is included, so you’ll likely be whisked away on a land rover to see some of the points of Sea Lion with one of the staff at Sea Lion Lodge.  Mikey, the manager (and soon to be owner, from what I heard) of Sea Lion Island may be the one to take you, but another worker (Jackie, who was equally knowledgeable about the island and sea birds) took the group I went with.

You’ll notice that Sea Lion Island is quite flat, but has the peat fields and bogs like all the islands.  So walking about the island (which is the smallest I was on) is quite easy, though if you wanted to circumnavigate the island, you’d take the entire day.

Two paths diverged in the diddle dee field…

There are some interesting things at all points on the island, but there are a few in particular that are most interesting.

The sea lions are coming, but you’re likely to encounter penguins and cormorants first, particularly the cormorants.  The first stop on your tour will be to sweeping cliffs on the south east coast of  Sea Lion Island.  Here if you look out over the ocean, the next stop directly south is Antarctica.  Pretty cool.  But once you get over that, you’ll notice that there are loads of birds!  Cormorants abound, as well as dozens of rockhopper penguins!

If you move a bit to the west, you’ll find the cliffs hold more than just birds, but also a great number of–wait for it–sea lions!  You might even see a few elephant seals resting with them.

Sea lions doing what they do best- relaxing.

Sea Lions and Elephant Seals are enormous and can be dangerous, but from this vantage point, you’re not going to get very close to them (unless you’re a champion rock climber).  And you’ll want to spend more than a few minutes observing this beautiful creatures- they don’t move a lot and at first glance you might think they’re all dead.  But fear not- they’re just resting and enjoying the sun.  If you stay a while, you’ll observe them turn over, move around (to get more comfortable I’m guessing) or playfully fight with each other.  But that’s about it.

Around this point is also a memorial to the British HMS Sheffield which was sunk nearby during the conflict with Argentina in 1982.  It was my first encounter on this trip with any relic of the conflict.  A reminder that these islands were not always quite as peaceful as they are today.

Moving on from these cliffs are a beach about a 5 minute walk away from the lodge, where you’ll find loads of penguins.  This is a place you’ll want to spend quite a bit of time, because not only are their penguins, but the beach is directly next to elephant corner, where (you guessed it) are elephant seals!

First the penguins.  As with most islands, there are colonies of gentoo penguins and Magellanic penguins, and most circles have a mix of both.  The beach is actually directly across from another beach (at a neck of the island) where penguins go from one beach to the other.  This creates a penguin highway of sorts, where I spent hours sitting and watching the penguins waddle from one side of the neck to the other.  Incidentally, this is a spectacular place to witness the sunrise (and listen to “Morning Glow” from the musical Pippin as I did!) .

But here also is Elephant corner, where dozens of Elephant Seals rest.  You’ll notice Elephant Seals are a bit bigger than Sea Lions, but are just as lazy.  And not surprisingly, they STINK!  I covered my nose and breathed through while gazing at these majestic and smelly creatures to avoid losing my lunch!  But if you can withstand the smell, by all means spend some times observing the magnificent beasts.  You’ll be rewarded by seeing them interact in their belligerent yet playful way.

If you tire of penguins and sea lions/elephant seals, or just want to see something different, the walk west and north won’t disappoint.

While these are the major areas for seeing wildlife, there are a few other places to walk about.  If you walk west then north from the rockhopper area, you’ll see some spectacular vistas as well as numerous Striated Caracaras (aka Johnnie Rooks) and even some Magellanic penguins in their nests.  I was there in February, but if you’re there prior to then, you will probably see more.  There are a few ponds about with waterfowl and Magellanic Penguins (who will jump into the pond when they spot you, which is quite a funny thing to behold!).

One thing to note about Sea Lion island is that it very much in transition.  Once there were loads of sheep and cattle on the island, but now there are NONE.  This makes a tremendous difference- there are a lot fewer droppings to dodge as you’re walking and there’s more space for penguins and the like.  This seems to be spearheaded by the manager of the island.  However, if you walk a bit off the beaten path as I did, you’ll find some of the legacies of previous management of the island, including rubbish in the open.  As you can imagine, disposal of garbage (rubbish if you’re British) is a challenge on these remote islands, so I guess it just made sense to find a spot on the island and leave them there.  But it’s something to be aware of while you’re walking about the island.  Other islands may have had spots like these too, I just didn’t see them.   However, there were large places for rubbish on the Falklands I saw as flying over the islands.

With that one small caveat, Sea Lion Island was spectacular in the breadth of wildlife, the wonderful accommodations, and easy terrain to traverse.

For more on Sea Lion Island, visit the island’s website: www.sealionisland.com

Bleaker Island- Anything but Bleak!

The name invokes some rather unpleasant thoughts, but the word “bleak” has nothing to do with this lovely island!  Another island owned by an incredibly friendly Falkland Islander couple (Mike and Phyl) and is smaller and flatter that Saunders or Sea Lion, but incredible all the same!

The sign that welcomes you to Bleaker Island.

Arrival to Bleaker is the same as with any other island- by FIGAS plane (be sure to check out the post on flying about the islands).  The landing strip is a bit far away, but this just gives the owners an excuse to take you on a tour of the island on the way to the lodge.

Mike and Phyl’s son Nick (a UK-educated environmental scientist and equally friendly host) took me on a solo ride in a Mitsubishi Shogun (seemingly the second-most popular vehicle in the Falklands) and showed me the sites and pointed out a number of birds along the way (of which I remember very few.)

Once I arrived at the lodging at Bleaker Island, I was quite impressed.  The buildings are quite new, and there are two options for lodging- Cassard House and OTHER NAME House. I stayed in Cassard House, which luckily housed the kitchen and eating area. 

The buildings on Bleaker (all on one area) are quite new and have interiors to match!

Both are quite nice, and had very new fixtures and furniture.  This island offers full board, so breakfast, lunch and dinner are all provided.  I actually had some of the best food on this island, including the exquisite toothfish (which you must try at least once on the Falklands, as you probably won’t be able to afford it anywhere else!

Bleaker Island is much smaller than Saunders Island, but it would take quite an effort to talk around it in one day, so two days are the minimum here.

An image of Bleaker Island on the bulletin board inside Cassard House. It’s shaped quite like a banana with a few tourniquets about it!

The east and northern parts of the islands don’t have much as far as birds, so you’ll likely not touch them.  However, the south and west of the island are quite scenic, with some amazing features.

To the west, you’ll find some amazing cliffs and a number of cormorants and Rockhopper Penguins.  In the south, you’ll find a beautiful sandy beach (along the aptly named Sandy Bay) and along the beach and to the north, you’ll find loads of Magellanic and Gentoo penguins, as well as a few sea lions if you’re lucky.

The flatness of the island is apparent once you land on the islands, and walking about it you won’t find more than a few hills.  Where you go first is up to you, and because of the smallness of the island, you should have time to revisit a spot if you’d like.

Some photos of the sweeping views and birds you’ll see on the west coast.

One spot is to to the west with sweeping cliffs and large populations of Rockhopper Penguins and Cormorants.  You’ll see incredible cliffs with slate-like stone and also a ton of kelp along the coast (which is everywhere!)

From the west coast, you can move along to sandy bay and the hundreds (if not thousands) of penguins.  On this walk you really get an idea of the vast plains (mostly with peat fields and bogs) that make up a majority of the Falkland Islands.  It’s quite a sight to behold, and if you can make your way out in the dark, would be a spectacular place to lie down and admire the stars (with almost no light pollution.)  Just watch out for the droppings along the way (almost unavoidable in the Falklands!)

Once your through with your walk, you’ll likely come along Sandy Bay and the beach that borders it.  This is an interesting spot as it’s a haven for many penguins, as well as a few sea lions.

Some visitors sat at the beach for hours sitting among the penguins, and if you have the patience for this length of bird watching, you’ll be rewarded with penguins coming up to you and walking around you as if you’re part of the landscape.  This will be particularly rewarding if you want any chance of getting close to a Magellanic penguin, who are scared of their own shadow!

Beyond Sandy Bay as you walk north is the “Magellanic Highway,” which is a path that penguins take to go to their various colonies of both Magellanic and Gentoo penguins (with a King penguin coming by once and a while).  Here once again you could sit for hours and watch your own “March of the Penguins.”

The ponds offer some great peeks at wildlife and some interesting grassy lumps!

But that’s not all, there are two ponds- large pond and small pond (even Nick had a laugh at the simplicity of the names) offer some peeks at some non-penguin wildlife.  I never quite caught onto the names of the different ducks/geese/teals/etc. birds, but Bleaker Island (like all of the Falkland Islands) has so many waterfowl unique to southern South America and Patagonia.

So Bleaker Island is not bleak at all, and offers a very walkable excursion on an island not far from Stanley (about a 20 minute plane ride) and an abundance of wildlife with very fine accommodations.

For more on Bleaker Island: www.bleakerisland.com

 

 

 

 

Saunders Island – Rustic and Wild

My first stop on the Falklands was to Saunders Island, sadly only for less than 24 hours because of my one-day delay getting to the islands.  The ride from Stanley on a FIGAS plane (more about flying about the islands in another post) was about 45 minutes, and landed in a typical island landing site- a flat area with a little hut and a large, orange windsock.  On arrival the owners of the island (yes they own the whole island) Suzan and David met me and the other 3 passengers who were visiting the island.

Most of the islands in the Falklands that cater to tourists offer “full board,” where breakfast, lunch, and supper are included, but Saunders is a bit different- it’s entirely self catering.  They provided linens, coffee & tea as well as pots and pans and the like- you must provide and cook your own meals.

A few photos of the “Settlement,” a very old community that has been transformed in to part farm, part home for the owners of the island and part tourist accommodations.

Because Saunders is self-catering, we first stopped at the “settlement” (one of 3 locations where guests may stay) to get supplies if needed (they had a little storehouse with items to buy, all at about the same price as you’d find in Stanley)  I brought my own meal items from Stanley, but should have waited because it would have saved some of the space in my   It is thus named because it’s where they live (and was where the workers lived when it was a larger farming operation with over 30 people living there at one time).

A partial view of the rookery house.  As with most places in the Falklands outside of Stanley, the use of renewable energy is a big part of energy power.

Suzan took me in a land rover from the “settlement” to the “rookery,” which so one of 3 locations you can stay on the island.  It was a fairly wild 40-minute ride in the “camp” (derived from the spanish campo for countryside).   To me, the rookery was quite impressive in it’s facilities.  There were two rooms which had two twin-sized beds and a small desk with a chair.  The bathroom was also quite nice, with a modern toilet and shower (but the ever-present British style sink with separate faucets for hot and cold water–why do they do that???)

The kitchen was quite nice too, with a gas-powered stove, a full refrigerator, and cabinets with previous visitors’ supplies and loads of tea and instant-coffee (as good as you’re going to get in the islands for the most part- I never saw one Keurig machine!).

There was also a small room in another storage-unit sized building outside (wish I had taken a photo) if you wish to live even more rustically- no pluming but with electricity.

But enough about the facilities, on to the outdoors!  Saunders island is known for it’s abundance of birds–particularly albatrosses, Magellanic penguins, rockhopper penguins, and king penguins.  To see each of the birds you have to go to particular places, of which there are three- “the rookery” and “the neck.”  The rookery is near to albatrosses, Magellanic penguins, and rockhopper penguins.  The neck (a bit farther north, but not within reasonable walking distance) is home to Magellanic penguins and king penguins.

As smooth of a path as you’re going to get in the Falklands!

I set off from the rookery as soon as I could and headed to find some birds.  I started off on the path created by dozens of land-rover travels and headed to find some albatrosses.  It didn’t take long until I found them, and they were numerous.  They are quite big birds, and none too friendly either- get too close and they’ll start snapping their beaks at you.

One of hundreds of Albatrosses you’ll see in Saunders.  Don’t get too close!

While you’re walking from the rookery towards the birds and ocean, you’ll encounter some fairly steep and challenging terrain, so make sure you’ve got your best hiking boots on.  The image above with the path is the best-case scenario for walking, but if you really want to see the good stuff, you’ll need to walk on the sometimes rough terrain and rocks without a path.  The good thing is that because these cliffs have been used by penguins, albatrosses, and the ever-present sheep, they are very much walk able.  However, you’ll have to walk up some hills that have a greater than 30 degree angle.  No pain, no gain!

Not only that, if you’re lucky like me, you might spot some Sei Whales in the ocean.  They don’t come up often nor jump very high, but it’s surreal to be walking about not just albatrosses, cormorants, and penguins, but also whales in the background that give a very loud and strangely satisfying spout.

A Sei Whale coming up for air.

Like the albatrosses, you’ll find rockhopper penguins not too far away from the rookery (about a 50 minute walk).

Rockhoppers enjoying the sun on the cliffs of Saunders Island.

They also are quite young, and while they appear to be sitting on nests, they’re just resting.  Apparently I missed the egg laying and hatching season (between October and December).  And unlike the albatrosses, they are quite friendly.  At first I took heed of the insistence from the pamphlets I was given to stay 6 meters (about 20 feet) away from any wildlife, but Rockhoppers are much less skiddish than any other wildlife I encountered.

Not only are there rockhopper penguins, but there are also cormorants nestled around the rockhoppers.  I found cormorants on every island that I was on, as well as in Punta Arenas, so I’ll save some photos of those for a bit later.  However what I didn’t experience everywhere was the elevation.  While they wouldn’t be considered mountains, there were some pretty amazing hills that meant a pretty amazingly tough hike up to reach the peak.

Diddle Dee

Ferns

Balsam Bog

From left to right: Diddle Dee, Ferns, and Balsam Bog

The saving grace here (and in most of the island) is that the foliage is actually quite amenable to walking.  The pervasive plant “diddle dee” with little, edible red berries is actually quite soft to walk on.  And there were a few other plants that helped- the balsam bog and ferns.  Balsam bog looks like a big rock with some plants growing over it, but the whole thing is a plant.  It’s hard to the touch, but when it dries out it’s as hollow as balsam wood (hence the name).  The hard ones are easy to walk on, the dead ones crumble when you walk on them.  The ferns are a bit too big to walk on, but they create paths you can walk through on your trek to the top.

The sweeping panoramic view of Saunders Island from the top of one of the hills.

It was no easy journey to the top–I had to navigate some challenging rocks, the views were just stunning.  You can see nearly the entire island from this vantage point, as well as ocean.  Just make sure you get down before dark, because you don’t want to be walking down in the dark!

 

A few more shots of how incredible the views are from the tops of the hills in Saunders Island.  Not to be missed if you can stand the hike!

Besides the hills, there’s a beach near the Rookery where you can see loads of Magellanic penguins and a few other birds.  It’s a beautiful white-sandy beach that if transported about 1000 miles north it would be a tropical paradise.  But being in the Falkland Islands, the water is as cold as ice water and only suitable for penguins (unless you have a wet suit).

Some Magellanic Penguins enjoying the beach, about 20 feet away from me of course!

The thing with Magellanic penguins is that they are scared of their own shadow, and once they figure out you’re coming in their direction, they let every other penguin around them know about your presence and they disperse as quickly as you can.

One more note before ending this post.  As noted previously this island was primarily a farming operation before David and Suzan bought the island and made it a tourist destination.  It’s still a farm and many sheep and a few cattle roam the island (as on most islands.)

Cows eating kelp. They must get some healthy beef and milk from these bovines!

You’ll see sheep everywhere, as well as cattle (as I saw on the beach, eating kelp of all things!  They don’t really hurt anything and they exist peacefully with the wildlife.  The only thing is that you’re constantly dodging their droppings (which are EVERYWHERE on the islands where they live).

So that’s it, Saunders Island truly is wild and rustic!  I will definitely visit again on my next trip to the Falkland Islands, if for no other reason that you need more than one trip (or more than two days) to fully experience the island!

For more on Saunders Island, visit www.saundersfalklands.com

 

 

 

My Journey Begins (or how I got to the Falklands)…

I took off for the Falklands on a 3-leg journey.  My first flight was from New York’s JFK airport, the home of Latam in the NYC area.  It was a pleasant 10 hour flight on a Boeing 787 airplane, and the flight ended up being a nice and smooth ride.  If you’re like me, you’ll want to take advantage of being in South America, so I spent a full day in Chile’s

Santiago makes a nice little day trip.  If you have extra time, venture out of the Chilean capital to see the beach or many vineyards.

capital city.  If you do, please either speak fluent Spanish or go with a guide.  Very little English is spoken here.

The second leg was from Santiago to Punta Arenas, a 3 1/2 hour flight, again on Latam.  This airline has gone the way of many airlines, and offers only water for refreshment (but you can purchase beverages/snacks.) .  The Punta Arenas airport is one of the smallest I’ve been to (only 3 gates) but they’ve got a few shops, including a couple of souvenier shops and a small cafe.  If you make it to Punta Arenas, expect very slow (or non-existent) wifi, so don’t plan on sending too many e-mails while you’re here.

My last leg was from Punta Arenas to Mount Pleasant Airport in the Falkland Islands.

Thanks, Latam.

Supposedly anyway.  While waiting for my flight, a Latam employee etched the words “Cancelado” on the flight information sign and promptly walked away.  Luckily I was able to flag her down and she told me to go to the Lan desk for further instructions.

Thankfully, there was an agent who spoke English, and she said that indeed, the flight was cancelled and I needed to get a room in Punta Arenas for the night.  Thankfully I had travel insurance to cover incidentals like this, but it was disappointing to say the least.

A view of the cemetery in Punta Arenas, locally known as el Cementerio Municipal Sara Braun.  If you see nothing else, you must stop by here!

After a day in Punta Arenas (not the most exciting city in the world, but there’s an interesting cemetery with numerous mausoleums and interesting hedges, a Patagonian museum, and some great Chilean restaurants), I headed back to the airport.

If you go to the Falkland Islands and fly Latam, I hope the flight doesn’t get cancelled, because this small airport is simply not equipped to process the 200+ people on this flight.  I’ve never waited in queue for so long (over 2 hours), but luckily they held the plane past the departure time for us to board and land.

The flight from Punta Arenas is a pretty quick flight (about 90 minutes or so), and the great thing about landing in Mount Pleasant Airport (MPN) is that your plane is usually the only passenger plane there.  So you get off fairly quickly, but may not take photos once off the plane and through security.

All the photos I could take at Mount Pleasant Airport.  Not much to see anyway.

The facilities at MPN are generously called spartan, and are very bare bones, with a baggage pick up area in the same location as the queue for immigration (which seemed rather long, as there were only a couple people checking passports).  I didn’t have to wait too long because a funny thing happened- Latam left my luggage in Punta Arenas because the plane was too heavy and no one volunteered to leave the plane (who could blame them!) and as as a result 25 bags were thrown off the plane onto the tarmac right before take-off in Punta Arenas.  So I was whisked away to purchase necessities in Stanley.

The moral of this story is: be flexible, prepared and be early!  There were a lot of upset people because they were none of these.  A cancelled flight is an opportunity to see another city.  If I had shown up earlier for the rescheduled flight to Mount Pleasant (2 1/2 hours before the flight instead of  90 minutes) I would have gotten my luggage on and not panicked when I saw a line a mile long.  And, had I put my important items in my carry on bags (a.k.a. cabin bags), then I wouldn’t have had to buy so much stuff in Stanley.

So when you fly to Mount Pleasant Airport, please….

1. Be prepared to spend an extra day in Punta Arenas.  Nothing you can do about the winds so enjoy it!
2. Arrive particularly early to the airport.  Everyone says that, but it could make a real difference in this case.
3. Pack everything you will need in your carry-on bags.  If your bags don’t make it, you’ll be grateful you did!

Why Go to the Falkland Islands?

I mean why not?

But seriously, it’s a good question that you’ll likely be asked repeatedly, especially considering how challenging it is to arrive and how remote these islands are.  But from what I have determined, there are three principal reasons why you might wish to visit the Falkland Islands.

1. Penguins, et. al.

Penguin species in the Falklands (from the Falklands Conservation Website).

Of course you want to see penguins in their natural habitat, don’t you?  Look no further!  Five species breed and live here (Gentoo, Magellanic, King, Rockhopper, and Macaroni), but that’s far from all the unique and beautiful wildlife you’ll find here.  There are sea lions, elephant seals, albatrosses, cormorants, all manner of ducks and geese and other waterfowl, whales, dolphins, even some Patagonian foxes.  Unique vegetation abounds- particularly tussock grass and the fascinating diddle dee plant, as well as some other interesting (but rarer to find) vegetation.

That’s not enough?  What about the breathtaking landscapes, geological formations, and sandy beaches (which on a nice summer day are suitable for a swim!)?  For the naturalist, this place has it all.  From my observation, about 95% of the people who came to visit came for just this reason.

2. Military History

You may have heard that the Argentines tried to take the Falkland Islands in 1982 ( and failed miserably, in the same way Iraq invaded Kuwait), and along with their adversaries (the British) left quite a few military artifacts throughout the islands.  Falkland Islanders who lived through that sad time are still affected by those terrible 70+ days of the 1982 conflict, and there are numerous sites to visit throughout the islands.

Artillery gun above Gypsy Cover near Stanley installed after World War I (in case the Kaiser got any thoughts about coming back.)

But this wasn’t the only military event in the Falkland Islands.  Near Stanley, you can see artifacts from World War I when the German navy attempted to take the Falkland Islands (also failed miserably) and the islands were an important location in World War II.  So if you’re interested in military history, not a bad place to go if you’re in the neighborhood.

3. Let’s See What’s Down There!

This is basically where I fall (and got a lot of strange looks when I tried to explain why I visited the Falkland Islands).  These islands are some of the most remote, permanently-populated islands in the world, have an interesting history, and are a British outpost in what otherwise is a very Latinx region.   Furthermore, there’s very little to be found out about these islands besides some beautiful pictures of wildlife.

If you’re interested in a place that’s very much off the beaten path, actually has some great facilities for tourists, and is a place that likely none of your friends or family have visited, I can’t think of a better place than the Falkland Islands.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND…

Some of these may be obvious, but are worth noting:

• This place is relatively close to the Antarctic Circle (compared to other places, though not as close as you might think).  So, southern-hemisphere summertime is the best time to go.  Most places for tourists are closed for tourists outside of the October-March season, so don’t bother going between April and September.
• This is a remote location in the world, so things are a little different than in population hubs.  Nearly everything is shipped in, so prices are quite a bit higher

  

  The Harrods (or Macy’s if you prefer) of the Falklands.  A bit smaller though.  It’s got everything you need though, as I found out on my first day in the Falkland Islands!

  (save alcohol, which isn’t taxed and so is actually quite cheaper).  Also, outside of the capital Stanley there are essentially no stores, and even in Stanley the options for shopping are rather limited.  So bring everything you need minus food and drink!

• Internet/telephone connectivity is quite expensive and limited.  As of this writing, it cost 10 British Pounds for 60 minutes of internet usage, and speeds were equivalent to a 3G connection.  I hear this is going to improve in July 2018, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.  Also, your cell phone won’t work unless you are near an internet hotspot, so when you come, be prepared to enjoy being disconnected (I did!)
• The weather can be tricky.  Like in many places, the weather can be fickle and you might see 3 seasons in one day.  Many days there were really strong winds (glad I had a nice windbreaker) and you think it’s going to be a beautiful day, and then it is overcast and drizzly (or vice versa).
• Infrastructure here is developing. There are few paved roads outside of Stanley (where paved roads are in better shape than most places I’ve ever been) and because of the small population, there is little in the way of things we take for granted, like a sizable hospital or pharmacy.  There is no ATM on the islands, and many places to not accept credit cards.  So if you have a medical issue, it would be best to address that issue before visiting the islands, and stop by your pharmacy to get all the meds you’ll need and bank to get British Pounds before arriving.  And be prepared for some, shall we say, less-than-smooth rides in a land rover or equivalent vehicle (lots of Mitsubishis on the islands), unless you want to stay in Stanley the whole time.

 

Getting to the Falkland Islands

It ain’t easy.

There are exactly 3 ways non-millionaires can get to the Falkland Islands.

1. Cruise Ship

The easiest and most common for tourists who don’t have family or who aren’t working in the Falkland Islands is by cruise ship.  I visited in on December 28, 2012 just this way on the Golden Princess ship, and was accompanied by over 3000 fellow cruisers.

Cruise ship docked while a tender takes passengers to land.

This makes quite an impact on the Falkland Islands, which barely has more than 3000 residents TOTAL.  According to the British newspaper The Daily Mail, over 60,000 tourists and crew members visited the Falklands in 2015, and that number by all accounts has risen since.  The ships can have from anywhere from 50 passengers to 3100.

The challenge with this method is you can’t step of the cruise ship and walk on land, you must take a “tender” (a small ferry-like boat) from the ship to the dock.  You also only get to stay for a day and only dock at the capital Stanley (though some research vessels stay longer and visit other parts of the Falklands).  Most visitors only get to see Stanley (population around 2300) because of the limited availability of transport to tourist locations (more on that later).  Furthermore, I was told on my cruise there was a 25% chance of not being able to visit the Falklands because of choppy waters and wind (more on that too!)

2. Her Majesty’s Air Force

If you’re headed from Europe, the most efficient method is to take a Royal Air Force flight from the RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire, England (north of London) to the Falklands via Cape Verde (for refueling).  According to the Falkland Islands Government website, there are 2 flights weekly.  The price is rather steep- £2,222 round trip for an adult and £1,111 for a youth round-trip ticket.  Ask anyone on the Falklands (especially the more seasoned ones) and they’ll tell you all kinds of stories about this flight.  I got to speak to a fellow traveler from Switzerland and who took it on his trip this February, and he reported that the flight was (no joke) four days delayed.  Such is the fate of taking an air force flight- you’re left at the whim of a government agency.

3. Commercial Flight

That’s right- flight, not flights.  That’s because there’s just one weekly.  Every Saturday (with some exceptions!) there is a flight from Punta Arenas, Chile to the Falkland Islands with Latam (a Chilean/Brazilian airline in the OneWorld alliance, formerly Lan Chile).  It’s about an hour and a half flight from Punta Arenas (airport with 3 gates) to Mount Pleasant Airport (a Royal Air Force base about an hour west of Stanley) with zero gates.

Getting off the Latam flight the old fashioned way at Mount Pleasant Airport (no photos once off the plane, please!)

Recently the schedule was pretty consistent, until new machinery was installed at Mount Pleasant Airport, where northerly winds and westerly winds occasionally combine to create “rotary winds.”  When there is a 25% chance of these winds (from what I heard, and I heard plenty), they cancel the flight and postpone it until the next day.  You’ll learn this happened to both my arriving and departing flight (what luck!).  While this didn’t seem to happen very frequently during tourist season (October through March), there’s a risk that you might either be in Punta Arenas or in the Falkland Islands a day longer than you expected.

However, a good thing is that this flight is accessible from nearly every corner of the world with a partnering OneWorld airline.  I was fortunate to take Latam from New York’s JFK airport to Santiago, then to Punta Arenas, and finally to Mount Pleasant.  But I met people who flew Iberia to Madrid, then to Santiago onward, as well as from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific and Qantas from Australia.

If you are coming to the Falkland Islands outside of a cruise ship- this is how you will likely arrive.  It’s not perfect by a long stretch- Latam is a typical airline with poor and uninformed customer service, but it’s the best you’ve got.  Your experience will be significantly  better if you speak fluent Spanish because few Latam airline employees speak any language besides Spanish, so good luck if you need help and you’re not Spanish speaking, seriously! I personally thought my Spanish skills were adequate until I tried to communicate with Latam.  They do have an English-language customer service phone line, but their level of customer service and interest in your problem is somewhere between the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Internal Revenue Service.

But…. once you’re in the Falkland Islands, you’re there (and likely kissing the ground like I was that you actually made it!)

Welcome to a Week in the Falklands!

Always one of my most treasured photos- proof that I was in the Falkland Islands!

Thanks for visiting this blog!

This is a one-off blog designed to help travelers to the Falkland Islands plan for their visit to these fascinating and mysterious islands.

When I began researching the Falkland Islands in February 2017, there was very little information about what it was like to spend time in the islands as a tourist (or as a resident for that matter).  Sure, there were a few blog posts with a couple paragraphs, but nothing in depth.

So, here we are. I hope this blog will give you an insight into what it’s like, and ultimately leave you wanting to experience the Falkland Islands for yourself!

A few notes….

• I will give credit to any information I derive from other sources, but the lion’s share of the information on this site is from my experience, or another valuable source- word of mouth.  In a place with such a small population, word travels fairly quickly and I learned a lot by talking to locals or fellow travelers.  So, apologies if there is no citation or way of verifying the information I share online.
• The accounts are only my experience, and there are a few thousand people who visit the islands every year in the same manner I did.  Their experience may have been different than mine and they may not share my views exactly, but I’ll be as objective as I possibly can.