Falkland Wildlife Tour

We started the day by being weighed (a dreaded prospect after last night’s dinner) for our local flight. They weigh everything, including hand luggage to know the amount of fuel necessary. This morning, we walked along the coastline this morning before our flight. Along the harbour, we saw a misplaced Gentoo penguin playing in the surf. After we returned, Graham drove us a few minutes to a large field, a landing strip for the 9 seater inner island planes. Graham (and all island hosts) are also trained to act as fire fighters and air traffic control for the small planes, informing them of wind speed and direction among other things. Their land rovers are attached to a tow platform for a fire fighting apparatus that is stored in a shed at each landing strip. The plane ride to Saunders took 30 minutes. We were picked up by David and Suzan, a welcoming couple that own the island. I asked David how long he had lived on Saunders and he replied “53 years and I hope to die here someday as well.” David’s dad used to manage the island and was offered the chance to buy the entire island in the 90s. The island is now home to 5 to 7 residents, all related to David. He is 5th or 6th (he wasn’t sure) generation Falkland Islander. Suzan grew up on West Falkland. After a basic lunch (cheese and butter sandwiches, potato chips, cookie and chocolate), David drove us along a rough 4WD track to the Rookery. The cottage there is available for rent with two rooms that each have twin beds. Most of Saunders is self-catering, but they will cook for large groups who stay in the main Settlement House as we were doing. The Rookery has thousands of Rock Hopper penguins and Cormorants mixed in. This time of year they were all standing around molting. Along the way to the Rookery, we also saw Gentoo penguins on the beach and Magellanic, the shyest of the penguins, peeking out from burrows in the hillside. Near to the Rookery, dozens of albatross are nesting in the cliffside. Afterwards, we drove down to the beachfront were the first British settlement (later abandoned) was located. This abandonment gave Argentina a chance to later settle the islands as well and muddle the issue of which country actually had rights to the islands. Saunders Island is stunning with an impressive history and wildlife. Accommodations are very basic and the only “roads” are 4WD tracks that are often steep, rocky, and challenging. Suzan prepared us a simple but delicious farm cooked dinner with roast, potatoes, cabbage, vegetable soup and heavy cream with custard and canned pears for dessert.

Saunders is a large island that is used for both tourism and farming. We drove across most of the island to the Neck, a narrow isthmus that is extraordinarily rich in birdlife, approx 45 minutes from the main settlement. There we saw nearly 20 King penguins in addition to 1 Macaroni penguin, hundred of Rockhoppers and Magellanic and thousands of Gentoo. There were also King Cormorants, Albatros and Striated Caracara that hovered close to us hoping for lunch. If travellers visited nowhere else in the Falklands, they would see most of the most popular birdlife in this one area. We spent the whole day there and ate packed lunches in the cabin located at the Neck that can be rented for overnight stays. It has a small kitchen and 2 rooms with twin beds in each.

This morning we woke for another flight to Weddell Island, the 3rd largest in the Falklands. Martin and Jane are the hosts and only residents. They are incredibly lovely. Martin teased us nonstop and took us off on a 4WD tour of the island shortly after arrival. He told us that he had emailed the wildlife to make sure that they were positioned properly for our visit. You would think that he had. We saw a giant Southern sea lion peeking over the tussock. With his huge mane, he looked more like a lion than a sea creature and posed nicely for photos. Shortly thereafter, we saw Commerson’s and Peale’s dolphins and LOTS of King Cormorants nesting in the hillside. We also dodged Magellanic burrows the entire way and saw a few peeking their heads out to watch us in the gloomy weather. The wind was fierce. It’s been strong everyday, but seems to get progressively worse. We ate our packed lunches in the comfort of the 4WD watching the sea for wildlife as we ate. We also saw the Patagonian foxes that had been introduced in the 1800s but did not seem to be causing much trouble according to visiting researchers. After tea back at the lodge, we drove to a huge Gentoo penguin colony near the lodge. We watched the Gentoo penguins marching back in from the sea and walking over ½ a mile to reach the colony. They looked like little businessmen chattering to each other in their suits after a long days work as they hiked up the hill to the colony. From there, we followed their path down to the sea. The Gentoo were amazing, leaping through the water in groups of 5 to 10, porpoising their way to the beach in dramatic display. They would jump straight out of the water and onto walks on the shore in one fluid motion. Back at the lodge, we had a fantastic dinner of Upland Goose (a prevalent native species that is regularly hunted) and Weddell Lamb. For dessert, we had a meringue made of penguin egg with tea berries and cream.

For breakfast we had scrambled penguin egg and toast. The penguin egg was optional. The Gentoos lay two eggs and the first is generally infertile so some farmers have begun gathering this first egg to encourage the penguins to lay a second fertile egg. It tastes like salmon mixed with scrambled egg and looks like pureed carrot. After breakfast, we toured the cabins of Weddell that can be either self catering or fully catered. It's a great island for families with comfortable private cabins that have sleeping for up to 8 travelers. From here, we flew to Sea Lion Island. This natural reserve is considered the jewel of the Falkland Islands for good reason. The small island is mostly flat and boast huge colonies of Magellanic, Rockhopper, and Gentoo penguins. In addition, it is an easy place to see the Elephant seals (5 minutes from the lodge) and the Southern sea lions. We took a 4WD tour of the island and walked briefly down to watch the seals. Unfortunately, the wind was gale force and biting, some of the worst winds that they generally get in the Falklands, so we weren't able to walk the island as much as we would have liked. October to December is a great time to visit this island as the Elephant seals are breeding, attracting hungry Orca whales, and the Gentoo penguin chicks are hatching. Despite the fact that we were frequently told the March is not a great time to visit, we have seen so much wildlife and are certainly not disappointed!

This morning we enjoyed a final visit with the Elephant Seals before flying to the bustling capital city of Stanley. Though the population of the town hovers around 2500, it did feel very bustling after several days of having islands almost exclusively for ourselves. We walked around town late this afternoon to tour the government buildings and the excellent museum. With a few minutes to spare before their early closing, we also make a quick trip into the shops to see what products were available in such a uniquely isolated place.

Today we drove 2 1/2 hours via 4WD out to Volunteer Point which boasts the largest King Penguin colony on the islands. Though we had seen plenty of penguins on this trip so far, the sight of hundreds of King Penguins bustling about was truly incredible. Volunteer Point also has a small Gentoo and Magellanic Penguin population and a few sheep wandering around (giving me the chance to take my much sought after photo of sheep and penguin together!)

Despite being a small airport, we had to arrive very early (4 hours) for our international flight home as they have to get all of the travelers into the departure lounge before the plane arrives. I said goodbye to my friends and boarded the first of my flights for the 3 day journey home!