What to do if you travel to the Falkland Islands

Having spent 30 hours and over £2,000 travelling to the Falklands, I was eager to spend some time exploring this island rather than just passing through it for Antarctica. So I was very much up for going on a day trip when my fellow traveller Anthony suggested it. We had a full day the day before we set sail, so we decided to visit Volunteer Point, which has the biggest colony of King penguins in the Falklands region. 

Volunteer Point is a headland in the north eastern tip of the Falkland archipelago. On the map it looks quite close to Stanley, in fact a direct line between the two is just under 20 miles. However in reality there is a bay between the two places and to actually get there requires off-road driving in a 4x4 and takes about 3 hours. None of us had off-road driving skills, nor would the car rental companies provide the insurance for such a potentially hazardous endeavour, so getting a local guide to take us was the only option.

We went with a lady called Charlene who Anthony found on the Falklands Tourist Board. She was very friendly and talkative, and was willing to answer any questions we had about life on the island, which made the 3 hour drive much shorter and more pleasant.

For a day trip to Volunteer Point, tea and coffee included but BYO lunch, we were quoted £150 for 1, £280 for 2 or 3, and £330 for 4 people (as of February 2013). Cash payment only so make sure you bring enough Pounds to the Falklands as there are no ATMs on the island and the only bank (Standard Chartered) charges a fee to withdraw cash (see packing list here).

We had been told to meet at 7am to beat the cruise ship that was making a landing in the Falklands that day; apparently there would be about 200 people filling 60 or so 4x4's. Really not my idea of how to see penguins. Luckily they landed the day before, so we didn't have to fight for space, and we didn't have to leave til 8am. The extra hour of sleep was bliss, and it still meant we got there by 11am and still had a good 3 hours exploring and photographing penguins.

There were plenty of mine field signs in the East Falklands, especially around Stanley - a stark reminder of the recent Falklands War. I'm still not sure how slowing down would help though if you were driving through a minefield...

After three hours of on and off road driving, stopping for the occasional scenic shots, and lots of bumping up and down (apparently it was good practice for sailing), we arrived and left our lunches and bags in a small huts provided as shelter for visitors. It had a coffee table and a few chairs, with some information posters and maps on the wall. Next to the hut were 3 portable toilets and a tap that didn't work (mental note to self, don't get hands dirty, and don't drink too much tea). Just imagine what it would have been like if those cruise boat tourists descended on this place.

Apart from the usual "don't leave any rubbish" rule, Charlene emphasised two specific ones:

1. Don't touch the penguins (that includes hugging, picking them up, stroking, harassing, booting...)

2. Don't cross the stone circle around the king penguin colony. The circle marks out where they generally breed, lay eggs and raise the chicks. Going inside the circle means getting too close which in turn means potentially scaring them off and leaving their eggs or chicks exposed.

We were first greeted by a small group of king penguins, who looked on with an air of dignity and indifference. In fact, most of them didn't even bother looking, and just carried on walking about minding their own business. We followed them down to the main colony, stopping to photograph their comical movements and behaviour, and a few astray gentoo penguins.

At just under 1m tall, the Kings are the 2nd tallest penguins behind the Emperors, but just as colourful and beautiful. Their back and flippers are charcoal grey, while the front is a beautiful white. Towards the neck the white plumage smoothly gradients into a brilliant golden orange, which extends around the neck like a collar, while the rest of the head is black. Kings are also characterised by a black and orange bill.

The vibrance of their golden necklace illuminated the scene. Some stood tall, raising their heads and scrooching to the rest of the crowd; some just lay down to rest, while some pretended they could fly...

Slight digression; I still cannot believe I fell for this April Fools'... (full credit to Eric and Simon for making me believe, full credit to me for being gullible).

Photographing the Kings was easy; photographing the Kings' behaviour was way more challenging. But the most comical award had to be this:

  
We spent an hour or so photographing the kings' colony. We really took our time, I guess partly because we were so excited seeing penguins for the first time, and partly because we wanted to get as much practice at shooting with our cameras before the real deal.  

As we started making our way back to the hut for lunch, we came across a smaller and looser group of Gentoos. These were mainly chicks or juveniles, and were far friendlier and more inquisitive. As soon as we slowed our steps, 4 of them came over and crowded around us. Another two just went mad and started running around crazily, screaming and flapping all the time. They got quite friendly mainly with Anthony, pecking/sneezing/spitting, even jumping onto him (including sensitive areas). But we didn't care, the photo opportunity was priceless. When I finally picked a patch of grass where I could not see any penguin poo or snot, I too decided to sit down and one very inquisitive chick came up close and pecked me in the leg. It hurt more than I had expected, and my slight sudden retreat must have startled the chick a little. He kept his distance after that.

Anyway, Charlene said we weren't allowed to touch them, but she didn't say we weren't allowed to let them touch us.

We went down to the beach after lunch, and what a beautiful beach it was. White sand, almost completely unoccupied except for a few Kings waddling around, occasionally jumping into the radiant green turquoise water. The only things missing were palm trees and hammocks. It would have been a paradise if it were not for the penguin poo dotted around, and the extreme windchill which forced me to wear 3 windproof/thermal layers even though it was the tail end of the summer. It was actually so windy that at one point I was transfixed by the constantly changing patterns made by the fine grains of white sand as they were blown ferociously across the beach. It would have been great to take time lapse shots, but hindsight is always bliss - it was only the first day I tried out my brand new Canon 600D properly and I hadn't even heard of the terminology.

Despite the windchill, the penguins seem to love it though, so I guess at least someone was benefiting. 

On the way back to the 4x4 we took a quick glimpse of the Magellanic penguins, even spotting a dead one lying on the ground. I didn't get to spend much time with them, although I really would have liked to. It later turned out this was to be our only opportunity to see this species.

It was a great day trip and I would highly recommend Volunteer Point to anyone visiting the Falklands. The 6 hour return journey of bumping up and down in a 4x4 was definitely worth it. Although I only spent a few hours with them, I already had a lot of admiration for these wonderful creatures and their ability to survive under these sub-Antarctic conditions. 

What a fantastic prelude to the Deep South.

For more information about Volunteer Point and the various penguin species and colonies in the Falklands, visit the Falklands Conservation website, where you can also adopt a penguin.

How to get to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica

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

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...