Falkland Islands

Fly to Falkland Islands, then fly to and explore Carcass Island

Nov 11

Transfer to the airport to take the once-weekly flight from Punta Arenas to Mount Pleasant Airport in Stanley, Falkland Islands (not included in trip cost). Upon arrival, our local operator will greet you and transport you to your flight to Carcass Island.

Carcass Island is different from anywhere else in the Falklands. The active habitat restoration work, by owner Rob McGill, and lack of predation has created a breathtaking and beautiful environment. You will have plenty of time to explore this very special island with your leader or at your own leisure.

Sail to and explore Steeple Jason Island

Nov 12-15

Weather permitting, sail to Steeple Jason Island. We will do everything in our power to get the group there, but rough seas can delay or cancel this departure. Steeple Jason is the outermost northwest island, now a reserve owned by Wildlife Conservation Society. Albatross are the main attraction, their nests thickly wrapping around the base of the striking island. More black-browed albatross nest here than anywhere else on Earth, at least a quarter million birds! From a distance, the immense colony on the lower shores looks like freshly fallen snow. As you approach, you’ll see thousands of birds circling in the air and rafting on the water like tiny icebergs, and once ashore, maneuver through the tall, wispy tussock grass to arrive at the colony and experience albatross flying very close overhead.

Sail back to and continue to explore Carcass Island

Nov 16

Lying to the northwest of the Falklands archipelago, Carcass Island is one of the most picturesque outer islands. In its 100+ years of habitation, this island has had only three owners, all environmentally conscious, and an absence of cats and rats, making the luxuriant, well-established hedges and trees an attractive home to many small birds such as the Cobb’s wren, black-chinned siskin, and austral thrush. The sandy beaches, rolling hills, and low cliffs are superb platforms from which to view the multitude of birds that either breed or feed on and around this island, which include gentoo and Magellanic penguins, yellow-billed pintails, Falkland (or flightless) steamer-ducks, Magellanic oystercatchers, and striated caracaras. You can find a growing colony of southern elephant seals at the far north-west point of the island. Both the north and south of the island provide great hiking opportunities, taking in interesting flora, long, white sand beaches (some good beachcombing), penguin colonies, and sheltered dunes which make great picnic spots.

Fly to and explore Sea Lion Island

Nov 17-20

Sea Lion Island is one of the smallest in the Falklands archipelago (five miles long and just over one mile wide at its widest point) and the most southerly-inhabited island. The sheer abundance of wildlife makes it a must on any Falklands itinerary. Sea Lion Island hosts over 47 bird species, including rockhopper, gentoo, and Magellanic penguins; you will be graced by some of the 2,800 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins courting and laying eggs and scatterings of southern giant-petrels. Other birds you may encounter are South American snipe, rufous-chested dotterel, and the endemic Cobb’s and sedge wrens, small birds that have recently been afforded protection from the tall grass that reestablished after the removal of sheep from the island. The biggest attraction is the large number of southern elephant seals that breed here, principally on the white sand beach at the appropriately named Elephant Corner. South American (or southern) sea lions are found at East Loafers, and pods of orcas are also often seen circling close offshore (usually a treat for the early risers) attracted by the prospect of penguins and seals.

Fly to and explore Bleaker Island

Nov 21-22

You’ll spend your time on Bleaker hiking along this small, wildlife-rich island, including Long Gulch, which is just one of a number of the dramatic inlets in the rocky cliffs. The top of the cliff is bordered with tussock grass where about 9,000 pairs of imperial (king) cormorants group together alongside a colony of about 750 pairs of rockhopper penguins, a Bleaker Island highlight. Other highlights you may experience are a gentoo penguin highway, Magellanic penguin burrows dotted across the island, and waterfowl at Big Pond.

Fly to Stanley for city tour and museum visit and full day excursion to Volunteer Point

Nov 23-24

Bid the outer islands farewell and return to Stanley (the timing of your charter flight depends on weather and other flight schedules). With 2,000 people, Stanley is the smallest and most remote capital city in the world. The city is built on a north-facing slope to catch sunlight throughout the year and looks across Stanley Harbor, with its wealth of seabirds and trickle of shipping boats. Stanley is associated with the great age of sail, when rounding Cape Horn was the most daunting nautical passage on the planet. Some of those ships still lie in the harbor, abandoned after a Cape Horn battering. You may take a self-guided Maritime History Trail and find guidebooks in local shops. Stanley depicts a new vibrant Falklands and is home to many successful businesses, with deep-sea fishing, tourism, farming, and most recently oil prospecting being the principle earners.

The following morning depart Stanley for a full day excursion. After a roughly 2.5-hr drive by Landrover, you’ll arrive at the white sandy beach and turquoise waters of Volunteer Point, a destination with almost a Caribbeanesque feel to it, but the king, gentoo, and Magellanic penguins will bring you back to the Falklands. Discover the largest accessible king penguin colony in the Islands, outside of South Georgia, containing approximately 1,000 adults. You may also find other wildlife such as long-tailed meadowlarks, austral thrush, South American snipe, South American tern, blackish and Magellanic oystercatchers, and upland, kelp, and ruddy-headed geese. Enjoy the spectacular scenery as you traverse the north of East Falkland.

Fly to Punta Arenas, Chile to connect with flights home

Nov 25

Enjoy a free morning before you fly back to Punta Arenas, Chile to connect with your flights home

Arrive home

Nov 26