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!

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.