Antarctica is a truly fascinating destination, but many people picking an expedition cruise choose to extend their time at sea by adding in the Subantarctic island of South Georgia, famed for its immense colonies of king penguins. These trips also have the advantage of spending time at the Falkland Islands, another great haven for wildlife watchers.
While expedition cruise ships never follow a set itinerary, with daily plans set by the weather, landing conditions and a variety of other factors, we’ve put together a guide to some of our favourite stops that you might hope to tick off: our 10 best places to visit in the Falkland Islands.
West Point Island
West Point Island, located on the northwest tip of the Falklands archipelago, was once known as Albatross Island, and after a visit here it’s easy to wonder why the name was ever changed.
The albatrosses of West Point are one of the undoubted highlights of any trip visiting the Falkland Islands. The island is home to a colony of around 2000 black-browed albatrosses, which nest among the tussac grass about an hour’s walk from the main landing point for ships.
The great treat of the colony here is that you can get quietly close to the birds without disturbing them. The sea crossing to the Falkland Islands offers plenty of opportunities for watch these birds on the wing, but there’s something quite magical about seeing them sit quietly on their nests or coming in to land (probably the only time you’ll see an albatross looking less than elegant).
A few rockhopper penguins also nest among the albatrosses.
Saunders Island
Saunders Island is home one of the prettiest of all the islands in the Falklands archipelago and its fantastic wildlife watching opportunities put it high on the list for many expedition cruise ships coming to visit the Falkland Islands.
The island is one of the few places in the Falklands where you can see four species of penguins. On the sandy beaches of The Neck, the thin peninsula that defines the island, you can see gentoo, Magellanic and even king penguins. Above the beach, rockhopper penguins nest with imperial shags near a black-browed albatross colony. The surreal part of Saunders Island is that you can see all these remarkable birds, watch Commerson’s dolphins playing in the surf of a beach that looks like the Caribbean on a sunny day – and then pass a field of grazing sheep on your return back to the ship.
New Island
On the southwestern edge of the archipelago lies New Island, which is dominated by dramatic sea cliffs, offering a sharp contrast to the softer landscapes seen elsewhere when visiting the Falkland Islands.
The cliff tops offer a great habitat for nesting seabirds. New Island has a fantastic colony of black-browed albatrosses, whose mudpot nests are mixed in with those of imperial shags – as well as rockhopper penguins. Not for the first time, you’ll wonder how these lightless birds became such implacable mountaineers.
The eastern side of the island has sandy beaches, where you can find Magellanic and gentoo penguin colonies. South American fur seals, Commerson’s dolphins and Peale’s dolphins are all commonly spotted in the waters around New Island.
New Island has been a nature reserve since 1970; at the spot where cruise ships make landings there is a small museum dedicated to the maritime history of the island.
Carcass Island
Carcass Island may have an unsettling name (it was named for a Royal Navy ship that landed here in the 18th century), but it’s a top bird watching destination for those visiting the Falkland Islands.
The golden sandy beaches here are dotted with Magellanic penguins and gentoo penguins, both of which species nest here. The Magellanics live in burrows on the edge of the beach, while the gentoos make their nests in the soft tussac grass above.
Carcass Island is rare in the Falklands in that it is completely free of introduced mice or rats. This makes it a great place to see one of the islands’ endemic birds, Cobb’s wren. This tiny bird is a big draw for birders who visit the Falklands, wanting to tick off their life lists. Look out also for the Falkland pipit, Falkland thrush and the long-tailed meadowlark -– locally called the military starling for the male’s bright red breast.
Bleaker Island
Nestled near the bottom of East Falkland, Bleaker Island is, contrary to its name, far from bleak (its name is a corruption of Breaker Island, for the long waves that crash on its shores). Much like Saunders Island, it is home to a number of penguin colonies, offering the possibility of seeing gentoo, Magellanic, and Rockhopper penguins in closer succession. There is also a spectacular and noisy imperial shag colony.
Bleaker Island is internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area. Its central geographical feature is the so-called Big Pond, where it is possible to see the islands’ iconic steamer ducks as well as black-necked swans, Chiloé wigeon and other waterfowl – a reminder that as well as Subantarctic species, Falkland Islands are an excellent place to see many South American birds.
Finally, Bleaker Island is an excellent place to see southern sealions, who haul out close to the Rockhopper penguin colony.
Stanley
The capital of the Falklands is Stanley (formerly known as Port Stanley), a small town on East Falkland that’s home to around 2500 people. Its compact size means it’s an easily explorable destination on foot.
Stanley has very much a village charm, overlaid with a very obvious British atmosphere: almost the first thing you see after disembarking at the jetty is a traditional red telephone box. The town was founded in 1843, and a walk along the seafront offers plenty of memorials of the island’s history and even the bones of a shipwreck sticking up from the waters.
Don’t forget the refreshments when you’re here. Drop into one of its characterful pubs for a pint of locally-brewed beer (we’re partial to the Rock Hopper ale ourselves), pick up a bottle from the town’s tiny gin distillery, or just enjoy some smoko: tea and homemade cake, plus a taste of diddle-dee jam make from local berries.
Below, we’ve outlined some of Stanley’s specific highlights, all of which deserve inclusion in a list of the best places to visit in the Falkland Islands.
Gypsy Cove
Northeast of Stanley lies Gypsy Cove, a popular excursion destination for those visiting the capital of the Falklands, and somewhere that many expedition cruise ships include as an option due to its wealth of wildlife spotting opportunities.
The cove is a haven for many species of seabirds, but is best known for its colony of Magellanic penguins. The birds nest in burrows on the edge of the beautiful white sand beach at the cove. Surrounded by wildflowers, the setting is a natural paradise that shouldn’t be missed during a visit to the Falkland Islands – and even more so since the minefield left over from the 1982 war was finally cleared in 2020. Until then, the penguins had quite happily nested among the mines, being too small to set them off.
Don’t forget to spot the Lady Elizabeth wreck in the distance from the cove, a ship which has been a part of the landscape since 1936, and spot a ship’s gun from WWII at the cove’s Ordnance Point.
Historic Dockyard Museum
One of the best places to visit in the Falkland Islands , and one the places that mustn’t be missed when in Stanley is the Historic Dockyard Museum. Sat on the town’s waterfront and spread across two levels, it does an excellent job of introducing the story of the islands.
The ground floor is given over to the social history of the Falkland Islands, as well as a moving exhibition about the 1982 war. A small section is also dedicated to the islands’ historic connections with Antarctic exploration.
The upstairs is dedicated to maritime history, with plenty of wonderful ship models and some terrifying stories of shipwrecks. There is also a Falklands wildlife section, which includes the one animal that visitors will sadly never see: the Falkland Islands wolf, seen by Darwin on his visit here in The Beagle, but which became extinct in 1876.
Entrance to the museum is free to all expedition cruise ship passengers.
Christchurch Cathedral
Stanley’s Christchurch Cathedral is its most prominent landmark. Nestled close to the harbour with its bold red roof and belltower, it’s one of the first buildings visitors see on arrival in the capital.
Christchurch Cathedral was consecrated in 1903 and is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world. It’s perhaps best known for the gigantic arch made up from the jawbones of two blue whales, which were given to the island from the whalers of South Georgia in 1933.
The cathedral’s interior is a contemplative space. It has a series of lovely stained glass windows, including one showing the islands’ distinctive coat of arms (with its sheep and sailing ship as well as the crests of the different British regiments that served in the 1982 war.
Goose Green
The hamlet of Goose Green is situated on East Falkland and was the site of one of the key battles of the 1982 war, and as such is one of the best places to visit in the Falkland Islands to learn about the conflict.
Goose Green was the garrison for a large number of Argentinian soldiers during the war. They were defeated in battle here after British soldiers made a remarkable crosscountry march over the mountains to surprise them from the south. The Battle of Goose Green opened the door for the recapture of Stanley.
If you are interested in the history of the war, it is possible to arrange battlefield tours, something that is done individually on board the ship rather in advance of travel. Tours include a visit to the poignant memorial to the 17 British soldiers of the Parachute Regiment who lost their lives here. There is an Argentinian military cemetery just outside the neighbouring settlement of Darwin.
The drive to Goose Green from Stanley is an excellent way of seeing the landscape of the Falkland Islands.
Summary
The beautifully wild landscapes of the Falkland Islands are home to a wealth of wildlife and historic sites that shouldn’t be missed if you’re sailing on an extended Antarctica trip that also takes in South Georgia. As always with these expedition cruises, the flexible nature of itineraries along with unpredictable sea and weather conditions means that calls at specific locations can never be guaranteed in advance, but the expedition team are experts in ensuring that wherever you land they’ll be showing the best places possible on your visit to the Falkland Islands.
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