Kiwi_cruiser Posted June 22, 2018 #1 Share Posted June 22, 2018 We have never been to the Falkland Islands before. I was wondering would you recommend doing here for the day?? If you have been to Stanley, Falkland before, what did you do there for the day?? We are going to be in Stanley in February, What's the temperature going to be like there then?? cool? / cold? Any ideas / suggestions are very welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmberCascades Posted June 22, 2018 #2 Share Posted June 22, 2018 I think most people go see the penguins when they are here. I don't know what the temperature is usually like. The day we were there (in February) it was very warm and we got sunburned. We heard that the weather was so bad the day before that another ship wasn't able to stop there at all. So it might depend. We went to a British place called Bittersweet, just up the road from the port. They charge a small fee for wifi and they have gluten free food. We had a lovely coffee frappe thing and some wifi, then we just walked along the waterfront. We saw lots of interesting things in the water - a wrecked ship, some seals - and we popped into a few shops on the way back. There's a candy shop just down the street from Bittersweet and we bought some chocolate penguins. We paid for them and the girl was nice enough to hold them for us so we didn't have to worry about them melting while we explored. It was a nice unstructured day for us. But most people went off on penguin tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capriccio Posted June 22, 2018 #3 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Even though February is summer, the weather (especially the wind) can vary enough that Port Stanley, a tender port, is at the top of the list of missed ports. We were there in late December 2016 and it had rained for days before our arrival but had thankfully stopped the day before. It was cool and very windy at Volunteer Point. As AmberCascades mentioned, most passengers are there to see the penguins, especially the King penguins at Volunteer Point. We can recommend Patrick Watts for that excursion. From what I've heard and read Estancia is also a great company. If you have any interest in history - or are just old enough to remember the war between Argentina and the Falkland Islands (UK) in the early 1980s there is lots of history that the guides can share. We found our guide's stories fascinating. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted June 22, 2018 #4 Share Posted June 22, 2018 I did a tour out into the countryside to visit the penguins. Small tour van took us to the preserve where we transferred to 4x4 vehicles in order to get to the colonies of the birds. Before returning, the tour included tea and very good cakes in a small cafe built near the area. Very pleasant tour and the guides, both on the tour van and the 4x4 were great. Did not have time to visit Stanley, but it did look like an interesting town just to wander through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleTraveller Posted June 23, 2018 #5 Share Posted June 23, 2018 (edited) I was in the Falklands on March 6 this year. I was fortunate to have a mild and partly cloudy day with light wind. I went on a tour to Volunteer Point with Estancia Excursions who I can highly recommend. It was one of the best excursions I have ever been on. Our driver had been in the English navy during the Falklands War and told us about his experience and pointed out key battle sites on our way to and from Volunteer Point. The penguins were wonderful to see, particularly the King Penguins. After the tour there was time to walk around Stanley which is a small but cute town. I wrote a review of my cruise on Emerald Princess which is in my signature if you are interested. I had a great day and hope you do too. Sent from my A1601 using Forums mobile app Edited June 23, 2018 by PurpleTraveller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lirio Posted June 23, 2018 #6 Share Posted June 23, 2018 I was on stanley few years ago in january, we went to see pinguins, the war museum and walked around the city which is very interesting. We got good weather in the morning and chilly winds in the afternoon. We had good and decent fish and chips in a small restaurant downtown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MVPinBoynton Posted June 23, 2018 #7 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Its all about the King Penguins. Book a private excursion to see them at Volunteer Point. It is an awesome experience. You can see lots of photos of our Falkland Islands tour in our review on our website that is linked to in my signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JStelly Posted June 23, 2018 #8 Share Posted June 23, 2018 We did a private tour that visited several Falkland Islands War sites, lunch in a B&B and penguins in the afternoon. If you are interested in military history there are several interesting sites to see. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmlh Posted June 23, 2018 #9 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Another vote for Patrick Watts. We had an outstanding day travelling to see the penguins! So good we would do it again if we are ever fortunate enough to return to the Falklands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunenburg Posted June 23, 2018 #10 Share Posted June 23, 2018 We were not that interested in more penguins so we went on the bus to Gypsy Cove and walked about - there were some penguins in the distance. We then went to the museum which was quite interesting, saw the whalebone arch and went into the Cathedral. We walked around town and had lunch in a nice pub - the Voctory Bar and bought some diddle dee jam and saw the berries growing wild. The local gardens were great- we saw some unusual plants and lots of vegetables being grown. We loved the Falklands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted June 24, 2018 #11 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Every chance I get, I'm going to go to Volunteer Point, have been there 8 times. :) This is the only place on your itinerary to see a 2000 pair rookery of King Penguins. 2 other rookeries also there, Gentoos and Magellanic. the transit is part of the tour. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
originolsin Posted June 25, 2018 #12 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I was there two years ago in Feb. It was bone chilling wind. I thought a long sleeve shirt and windbreaker would be enough, I was mistaken. Penguins, that bar in town and it is kind of neat to see all of the land mines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_cruiser Posted June 26, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted June 26, 2018 I was there two years ago in Feb. It was bone chilling wind. I thought a long sleeve shirt and windbreaker would be enough, I was mistaken. Penguins, that bar in town and it is kind of neat to see all of the land mines. Would a rain jacket and a jumper be better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_cruiser Posted January 28, 2019 Author #14 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Thank You everyone for there information, very helpfully We are wait listed with Patrick Watts and another tour operator. Tip:for anyone reading this thread in the future, if you want to see the Penguins, make sure you book your Penguins at the same time as you book your cruise as Patrick Watts and a lot of the other operators book out very early! (in my case they have been booked out two months before we booked this cruise!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GottaKnowWhen Posted January 29, 2019 #15 Share Posted January 29, 2019 16 hours ago, Kiwi_cruiser said: Thank You everyone for there information, very helpfully We are wait listed with Patrick Watts and another tour operator. Tip:for anyone reading this thread in the future, if you want to see the Penguins, make sure you book your Penguins at the same time as you book your cruise as Patrick Watts and a lot of the other operators book out very early! (in my case they have been booked out two months before we booked this cruise!) Or not. We booked our cruise 6 weeks out from embarkation, contacted Estancia 4 weeks out, had a great day. The lady behind Estancia was very helpful, her father was one of the drivers on the day of, her mother prepared the box lunches for our lunch, the driver spun great tales about growing up on an adjacent farm and the evacuation when Argentina invaded... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_cruiser Posted January 30, 2019 Author #16 Share Posted January 30, 2019 22 hours ago, GottaKnowWhen said: Or not. We booked our cruise 6 weeks out from embarkation, contacted Estancia 4 weeks out, had a great day. The lady behind Estancia was very helpful, her father was one of the drivers on the day of, her mother prepared the box lunches for our lunch, the driver spun great tales about growing up on an adjacent farm and the evacuation when Argentina invaded... Have you got any contact info for Estancia?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GottaKnowWhen Posted January 30, 2019 #17 Share Posted January 30, 2019 A quick Google got me this. If this doesn’t help, ask again and I’ll go back into my files. https://www.falklandislands.com/visitor-information/estancia-excursions-p674761 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_cruiser Posted January 30, 2019 Author #18 Share Posted January 30, 2019 10 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said: A quick Google got me this. If this doesn’t help, ask again and I’ll go back into my files. https://www.falklandislands.com/visitor-information/estancia-excursions-p674761 Thank You GottaKnowWhen 😊 Will send them a e-mail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted January 30, 2019 #19 Share Posted January 30, 2019 It’s actually a nice little town to walk around and there’s a great little museum with local volunteers who enjoy talking people what it’s like living there. We enjoyed a chat with one who told us about things like education ( secondary age youngsters have to go away to school) and about how difficult Argentina was making life for them - for example supplies are difficult to get in. We also treated ourselves to a lovely fish and chip lunch in the pub there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jantoby Posted February 11, 2020 #20 Share Posted February 11, 2020 I'm just home from a week on the Falklands. I can't recommend the Historic Museum highly enough. I only had an hour there and it was nowhere near enough to see all the exhibits. The absolute highlight of my week was a helicopter tour from Stanley to Volunteer Point to see a huge colony of King Penguins. Only about 10 minutes to get there as opposed to the 3 hours it takes off-road, and it's a fabulous experience. falklandshelicopterservices.com Fantastic couple of hours there, which flew by. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beba Posted February 16, 2020 #21 Share Posted February 16, 2020 We were at the Falkland’s on Feb 6 2020. We had a private tour with Peter King. Four in my group took us to Berth Beach to see the penguins and then to Gypsy cove! Provides us sandwiches for lunch. We were able to stand right next to penguins at Bertha Beach . But it is a shorter ride to see penguins. Peter very personable and greatly enjoyed his tour. This tour is varied and costs $US 540 for 4 persons, inclusive of food/drink and landowner's fees. pk@horizon.co.fk beba 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx007 Posted March 31, 2020 #22 Share Posted March 31, 2020 Depending on the time you have and if you're a hiker; you could look into a transport to Gypsy Cove and walk from there (around 5 miles) back to Stanley, along the shore; lot's of wildlife...and for sure cheaper than a tour...the museum is nice as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted April 10, 2020 #23 Share Posted April 10, 2020 On 2/11/2020 at 7:25 AM, jantoby said: I'm just home from a week on the Falklands. I can't recommend the Historic Museum highly enough. I only had an hour there and it was nowhere near enough to see all the exhibits. The absolute highlight of my week was a helicopter tour from Stanley to Volunteer Point to see a huge colony of King Penguins. Only about 10 minutes to get there as opposed to the 3 hours it takes off-road, and it's a fabulous experience. falklandshelicopterservices.com Fantastic couple of hours there, which flew by. The road journey is 2 hours each way, and actually could be considered an "experience" of it's self. 🙂 I actually never tire of it and have gone multiple times. But a factor of transportation is a good consideration certainly. 🙂 Add to the mix, there is over double the cost by air vs by drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HALrunner Posted April 17, 2020 #24 Share Posted April 17, 2020 On 2/11/2020 at 7:25 AM, jantoby said: I'm just home from a week on the Falklands. I can't recommend the Historic Museum highly enough. I only had an hour there and it was nowhere near enough to see all the exhibits. The absolute highlight of my week was a helicopter tour from Stanley to Volunteer Point to see a huge colony of King Penguins. Only about 10 minutes to get there as opposed to the 3 hours it takes off-road, and it's a fabulous experience. falklandshelicopterservices.com Fantastic couple of hours there, which flew by. The shorter commute sounds wonderful for those of us limited by port times. Any thoughts on if there is a contingency plan....what if the weather is not safe for flying....is there a plan B available to go on a land based tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted April 20, 2020 #25 Share Posted April 20, 2020 On 4/17/2020 at 6:58 PM, HALrunner said: The shorter commute sounds wonderful for those of us limited by port times. Any thoughts on if there is a contingency plan....what if the weather is not safe for flying....is there a plan B available to go on a land based tour? Walk up for Volunteer Point, typically would leave prior to the helicopter tours, you would have to be on the first tenders. So, likely no other option to get to Volunteer Point. Walk up is also risky anyway with sell outs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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