The Falkland Islands is one of several starting points to sail to Antarctica. I was fortunate enough to be part of a documentary filming group so we had already arranged a privately charter boat, although cruises to the Deep South are also possible. That said, the Falklands is a very interesting place to visit on its own, with an abundance of wildlife and history to keep you busy for at least a week.
Best time to go to the Falklands? During the summer months October to March.
To get to the Falklands from the UK, there are two major routes:
1. Fly with the Royal Air Force direct from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, with a 2-hour stopover at the Ascension Island for refuelling - flight time with stopover roughly 26 hours
Best time to go to the Falklands? During the summer months October to March.
To get to the Falklands from the UK, there are two major routes:
1. Fly with the Royal Air Force direct from Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, with a 2-hour stopover at the Ascension Island for refuelling - flight time with stopover roughly 26 hours
2. Fly commercially to Santiago, Chile and take a LAN connection - flight time with stopover roughly 33 hours
So either way you're looking at a lengthy journey and return prices just over £2,000 (as of Feb 2013).
For me the idea of flying with the RAF was just too cool to pass. Also the flight to Santiago wasn't direct either, meaning I would have needed to stop over twice if I took the commercial route. It was an easy choice.
The Falkland Islands Tourist Board website has all the information you need to book a flight to the Falklands. Brize Norton-Falklands flights are booked through FIC Travel, however once you've made a reservation make sure you keep checking the status, as for some reason issuing tickets and finalising payment can take weeks if not months. Our tickets were finally issued about 3 weeks before travel, which was frustrating when we reserved the seats and paid for the boat charter months in advance.
The RAF website publishes flight information only about 2 days in advance, so make sure you check and plan accordingly.
Brize Norton
Brize Norton is a RAF airbase near Carterton, a small town 17 miles west of Oxford city. It is just off the A40 so easily accessible by car. Alternatively take the bus S1 (towards Carterton) across from Oxford train station, and let the driver know you want to get off at BN. The ride will take an hour and cost you £4. A taxi from the train station will set you back £35, but takes half the time.
I arrived at Brize Norton without too much trouble, apart from almost being refused boarding the bus at Oxford train station - apparently it was too full even though you could have squeezed at least another 20 people on if you were in London. Then just before I got off, I stood up to put my backpack on, and was told off for standing up when the bus was still moving. Guess I wasn't in London anymore and safety actually mattered. I didn't really know what to expect on this expedition, even though there was no training required, nor was I that mentally prepared. In any case I wanted to make sure I started this trip of a lifetime full of positive energy. I thanked the driver and she was impressed when she asked me where I was going and what I was doing.
The RAF air base is basic and slightly run down, but comfortable enough and in fact quite different from normal airports. Entry was heavily guarded and restricted, though once you have shown your passport and flight ticket, and had your mugshot taken, you are issued with a visitor pass to the terminal building.
Once you were at the terminal the atmosphere relaxes a little. The terminal has a shop, a bar, a few TVs and a PS3 tha no one uses. Surprisingly unlike those in the average airport, the shop (SPAR) wasn't super inflated at all. I bought lots of snacks - sweets, cakes, crisps, wasabi nuts...just to make sure I survive being strapped in on an RAF flight for 27 hours.
Check-in was a straight forward process. There is 27kg restriction on the holdall and 9kg on the hand luggage. Again contrary to my expectations and experiences at a commercial airport, the RAF enforced the 9kg limit on my hand luggage but didn't mind so much when my holdall exceeded 27kg. As it turned out the flight was half empty which was why they weren't too bothered.
The best bit was seeing 'Royal Air Force' written on the body of all the shiny white planes en route to boarding our flight, amongst all the other military aircrafts.
There were only a few dozen people on board the 200 capacity Airbus, so I got 2 seats by the window by myself. I came here expecting the worst - crammed, hungry and nothing to do for 24 hours whilst strapped in on a military aircraft with a parachute on my back. This was a good start, but what was even better was when they started handing out iPads because there were no screens in front of each seat. The food was sub-standard, but I was fed twice on the first leg to Ascension, and twice on the second leg to the Falklands. Then again, it wasn't much worse than the average commercial airline food. When I got up to walk around I also noticed a couple of beds at the back of the plane. It would have been great to sleep on those but I think they were reserved for the very sick or injured.
Nine hours after taking off from Brize Norton I arrived at Ascension Island somewhat sleep deprived, but felt much better as soon as I got off. It was 20°C, which was very hot given I was dressed for 5°C back in the UK. There were palm trees at the air base, and the wind was more of a comforting breeze than a bone-cutting chill.
The Ascension Island is another British Overseas Territory. A volcanic island situated in the middle of the Atlantic, about halfway between Africa and South America and just south of the equator (hence the tropical climate), it also has an RAF military base. I only spent 2 hours there confined to the waiting area of the airbase, which has a coffee kiosk and a small duty free shop. The organiser of the Antarctica expedition, Stewart, and his cameraman Simon actually came back here for 4 days after Antarctica to film the rich and unique wildlife. I was offered to join months ago, but I turned it down due to time and cost. Part of me regretted that decision now.
Finally after another 8 hours of flying down the Atlantic, I arrived at the Mount Pleasant airbase in the Falklands. And this is where my trip of a lifetime began...
The Falkland Islands Tourist Board website has all the information you need to book a flight to the Falklands. Brize Norton-Falklands flights are booked through FIC Travel, however once you've made a reservation make sure you keep checking the status, as for some reason issuing tickets and finalising payment can take weeks if not months. Our tickets were finally issued about 3 weeks before travel, which was frustrating when we reserved the seats and paid for the boat charter months in advance.
The RAF website publishes flight information only about 2 days in advance, so make sure you check and plan accordingly.
Brize Norton
Brize Norton is a RAF airbase near Carterton, a small town 17 miles west of Oxford city. It is just off the A40 so easily accessible by car. Alternatively take the bus S1 (towards Carterton) across from Oxford train station, and let the driver know you want to get off at BN. The ride will take an hour and cost you £4. A taxi from the train station will set you back £35, but takes half the time.
I arrived at Brize Norton without too much trouble, apart from almost being refused boarding the bus at Oxford train station - apparently it was too full even though you could have squeezed at least another 20 people on if you were in London. Then just before I got off, I stood up to put my backpack on, and was told off for standing up when the bus was still moving. Guess I wasn't in London anymore and safety actually mattered. I didn't really know what to expect on this expedition, even though there was no training required, nor was I that mentally prepared. In any case I wanted to make sure I started this trip of a lifetime full of positive energy. I thanked the driver and she was impressed when she asked me where I was going and what I was doing.
Once you were at the terminal the atmosphere relaxes a little. The terminal has a shop, a bar, a few TVs and a PS3 tha no one uses. Surprisingly unlike those in the average airport, the shop (SPAR) wasn't super inflated at all. I bought lots of snacks - sweets, cakes, crisps, wasabi nuts...just to make sure I survive being strapped in on an RAF flight for 27 hours.
Check-in was a straight forward process. There is 27kg restriction on the holdall and 9kg on the hand luggage. Again contrary to my expectations and experiences at a commercial airport, the RAF enforced the 9kg limit on my hand luggage but didn't mind so much when my holdall exceeded 27kg. As it turned out the flight was half empty which was why they weren't too bothered.
The best bit was seeing 'Royal Air Force' written on the body of all the shiny white planes en route to boarding our flight, amongst all the other military aircrafts.
The Ascension Island is another British Overseas Territory. A volcanic island situated in the middle of the Atlantic, about halfway between Africa and South America and just south of the equator (hence the tropical climate), it also has an RAF military base. I only spent 2 hours there confined to the waiting area of the airbase, which has a coffee kiosk and a small duty free shop. The organiser of the Antarctica expedition, Stewart, and his cameraman Simon actually came back here for 4 days after Antarctica to film the rich and unique wildlife. I was offered to join months ago, but I turned it down due to time and cost. Part of me regretted that decision now.
Finally after another 8 hours of flying down the Atlantic, I arrived at the Mount Pleasant airbase in the Falklands. And this is where my trip of a lifetime began...
