If anyone has questions about the Falklands...

[Gixer]

Had a brilliant day out at Volunteer point today, the weather was glorious, the King penguins as always were a real privilage to watch, I hope that those of you who are going on this excursion when you visit enjoy it as much as we did! Anyway, here are some photo's.

 

We left Stanley at 9am and after a lovely drive through the beautiful scenery along a gravel track road we arrived at Johnson's Harbour at exactly 10am, after a quick leg stretch we were back in the Landrover and on our way off road to the point.

 

Johnsons harbour -

 

At 11.20am after a bumpy but fun journey (travel sicknes pills recommended if you suffer from motion sickness) we arrived at the point, this is the cabin where there are restrooms and a small room where you can sit and warm up if needed or have a snack -

 

After dropping our bags & packed lunches off in the cabin we headed for the beach -

 

 

 

Continued...

[Gixer]

Next stop was to see the fluffy chicks that hatched last summer, they had grown HUGE and most were already moulting -

 

 

 

 

Next we headed over to see the breeding colony, almost all were sitting on eggs -

 

Seeing as it was such a beautiful sunny day we decided to head back to the beach and take some photos of the Penguins in the water -

 

 

Continued....

[Gixer]

My youngest daughter hanging out with the kings -

 

 

 

Kings enjoying the water -

 

 

 

 

 

Continued....

[Gixer]

We loved these two, they looked so sweet holding hands in the water!

 

 

A few Gentoo's just coming back from a swim -

 

 

 

 

 

Continued...

[Gixer]

Here are the last few photo's, a couple of my youngest daughter going for a paddle in the sea with a few Kings who were happy to have her join in!

 

 

 

 

I hope you liked the photo's! I didnt post any of the Jackases or Gentoo colony's that are also at Volounteer as I wanted to give you an idea of what the Kings were all about.

 

Top tips -

 

Wear LOTS of high factor suncreem, even on a cloudy day, we are directly under the hole in the ozone layer and you will burn very quickly. Even though it was hot today I made my kids wear long sleeve tops and full leg trousers.

 

Take motion sickness meds before you leave Stanley so they have kicked in by the time you start going off road.

 

Bring at least a litre bottle of water with you, there is nowhere to buy drinks/snacks

 

Wear a bright coloured jacket if you have one, the penguins seem to be attracted to red and yellow colours and will come very close to you.

 

Pick a spot close by a group of penguins and just sit down quietly and wait, they are curious and will edge closer and closer and you will get much better photos than trying to run all over the beach after them!

 

And finally, have fun and enjoy seeing nature at its best!

[GriffOnGriffOff]

Samantha (Gixer), your pictures are incredible! I can't wait to get there...

 

Cheers!

Cynthia

[BurBunny]

Thank you so much, Samantha! I can't wait!

[JoePDX]

Samantha,

 

I concur - incredible photos. Thank you for sharing along with all the wonderful information! I am so excited about our trip to Volunteer Point this coming March. :D

 

Joe

[2552phxcrzr]

Terrific photos. We spent most of our time in the Falklands at New and Carcass Islands, with only a half day in Stanley. So we had to wait until South Georgia for our King Penguins. Your photos brought back great memories of those encounters. Makes me want to come back to the Falklands sooner rather than later for a longer stay and more in depth exploration.

[Gunslinger]

Gixer,

 

Thank you for sharing the information and photos.

The photos were great and I told my wife now we do not have to go on the Cruise.:p

[Gixer]

Just read another post about changing currency, and thought I would mention the situation down here regarding local money. For anyone coming from the UK dont bother changing any money, sterling is accepted everywhere obviously! But, we do have the Falkland £ notes, which for some weird reason is not legal tender back in the UK, whenever we travel back to the UK we have to exchange our Falkland notes for British notes at the bank before we leave! So just be aware that if you recieve Falkland notes in your change you wont be able to spend it outside of the Islands.

For US travellers dont bother exchanging US dolars into British pounds, you will lose out to much on the exchange rate, everywhere down here accepts US dollars (although things are not always priced up in $ so you will need to do a quick conversion in your head!) For purchases in the gift stores or if you have lunch in one of the restraunts you would be better off using a credit card.

[FunForUs]

Those photos convinced me to change my tour from Kidney Island to Volunteer Point. After all this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see those birds. We will be there late Jan. I'm wondering if we would need long underwear & special footwear?? Judging from the pictures, it did not look extremely cold, but we are desert people (with hot summers and mild winters).

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

And thank you so much for all of your help!

[Tarheelbelle]

Gixer,

Is the exchange rate for the Falkland pound to dollar the same as for the British pound to dollar?

[Mary Ellen]

We've signed up for a shore ex for Stanley (4 Feb on Rotterdam). HAL doesn't say exactly where we'll go by name:

The funniest members of the incredibly comedic penguin world are undoubtly the Rockhopper penguins in the natural enviroment. Due to brand new construction, this is the very forst year that visitors to the Falklands have had the chance to view thse comical penguins, rarely found in other locations.

---snip---

This tour will travel by minibus .... , then change to 4x4 transportaion at Murrell Farm. From here, an experienced overland driver/guide will navigate the terrain to the Rockhopper penguin colony where wardens will be on hand to offer information and assistance.

Is this one of the places you've mentioned and worth doing??

 

Many, many thanks for ALL the help you've provided here -

[Gixer]

FunforUs - You should have great weather in January, it was HOT when we went on Sunday, warm enough for shorts and t-shirts but we suffered in long trousers and tops because of the high sunburn risk. You are more likley to experience strong winds more than anything. I would wear long trousers and walking boots, long underwear wont be necessary, and a warm waterproof jacket and a fleece. I usually always take a clean dry pair of trousers with me and a clean dry light top so I can change into dry gear for the trip home. You dont need to carry all your stuff about with you, you can leave it in the cabin. Ohh and a hat, even on warm days the wind whistling down your ears isnt nice, so a fleecy one that pulls right down is a good idea! Your so right, it is a once in a lifetime trip, your going to just LOVE it!

 

Tarheelbelle - Yes the currency and conversion is exactly the same as the UK. I can understand why Patrick has asked Cynthia to pay in Sterling or Euro's as he will lose out a lot to convert US Dollars into £'s try and spend as little cash as possible, you are much better of using a credit card unless you happen to have Sterling on you.

 

Mary Ellen - the tour you will go on to see the rock hoppers is just up from Kidney cove, Febuary is a brilliant time to view Rockhoppers, their chicks will have hatched and you should get some great photo's! Rockhopprs are funny to watch, they are bad tempered little so & so's and are always arguing with each other! Its a great excursion :D

 

tjcox9 - Yes, I read another post about shoe covers today, honestly dont worry, never in all my years of seeing penguins have I ever ended up covered in poop, your boots might get dirty but that would be from mud not poop! I have never seen anyone wearing them, walking boots with a thick sole will be fine ;)

[wocruiser]

Samantha, Thank you so much... those are awesome photos! I've actually never seen so many pictures of King Penguins, and never that kind of close-up, or pictures with people nearby where you can see how large the penguins are. I am counting the days until we can be there in person!

[terpla]

The pictures are awesome thanks so much. We are going to Bluff's Cove and hope we can get to see them that close.

[Mary Ellen]

Mary Ellen - the tour you will go on to see the rock hoppers is just up from Kidney cove, Febuary is a brilliant time to view Rockhoppers, their chicks will have hatched and you should get some great photo's! Rockhopprs are funny to watch, they are bad tempered little so & so's and are always arguing with each other! Its a great excursion :D

Samantha - Thank you VERY much for the information!

[redroses]

THis is a great thread! I was wondering if there INternet cafes on the Falkland Islands and where?

 

thanks!

[edinburgher]

Gixer,

 

Thank you SO much for all this useful information.

 

Just one question. We are not scheduled to reach Stanley until March 11th and I think this might be a little on the late side for penguin viewing. Is it? Where do you suggest might be the best place(s) for this date or is it really too late with little to see and none of the tours would be worth doing?

[Gixer]

Hi

 

Yes there is an internet cafe in town, its called Zac's cafe and its located on Fitzroy rd, if you go up the steep hill in front of you from the jetty centre, take the second left onto Fitroy rd, then about 150yds down the street is Zac's.

 

 

Dont worry you will definatley get to see Penguins in March! The penguins at Bluff Cove & Sparrow Cove, and Volunteer Point are resident all year round, The Megallanics and Rockhoppers return to sea by the end of April so you will be fine.

 

 

Ruth, have emailed you :)

[Dochawk]

 

 

 

 

Top tips -

 

Wear LOTS of high factor suncreem, even on a cloudy day, we are directly under the hole in the ozone layer and you will burn very quickly. Even though it was hot today I made my kids wear long sleeve tops and full leg trousers.

 

Take motion sickness meds before you leave Stanley so they have kicked in by the time you start going off road.

 

Bring at least a litre bottle of water with you, there is nowhere to buy drinks/snacks

 

Wear a bright coloured jacket if you have one, the penguins seem to be attracted to red and yellow colours and will come very close to you.

 

Pick a spot close by a group of penguins and just sit down quietly and wait, they are curious and will edge closer and closer and you will get much better photos than trying to run all over the beach after them!

 

And finally, have fun and enjoy seeing nature at its best!

 

Thanks for all your wonderful information. This quote concerns me a little. Motion sickness pills? How rough is the ride? We'll have just come off a ship that is gogoing around the Cape which is pretty rough. And I don't plan on taking pills for that.

 

Thanks again,

 

DH

[worldly cruisers]

A reply to Disney cruises. Wow wow and more wow.

We took our son and granddaughter on a diDisney cruise last winter.

It was one of the best times we have ever had.

We were in cat 4 family cabin, which had more then enough room for the four of us. Our graddaughter wsn't seen for the entire cruise. She was busy with all the activities and was very secure with the beeper system Disney has. The shows were great and 1st class. The food very good. Their own island Castaway Key would have been perfect for the entire trip.

We will take another Disney cruise end of 08.

PS No gambling on the ship, which was ok by me.

[Gixer]

Thanks for all your wonderful information. This quote concerns me a little. Motion sickness pills? How rough is the ride? We'll have just come off a ship that is gogoing around the Cape which is pretty rough. And I don't plan on taking pills for that.

 

Thanks again,

 

DH

 

Motion sickness meds are only needed if you are very prone to seasickness, the ride is bumpy, you will be driving over peat bog for almost an hour and a half, with constant up/down and sideways motion. If the ground is dry it isnt too bad, but if you do suffer from motion sickness and need to take Dramamine on the ship then it would be wise to take some for the journey. I am used to driving along this type of terrain and dont usually have a problem with it, and when we went last Sunday it was a great run, but the time before that even I had to stop a while and take a breather! If you dont need meds to go around the cape then you wont need them to go on the excursion :)

 

Yves - I will drop you an email this afternoon

 

Wordly cruisers - thanks for the info on the Disney cruise, it looks superb for kids with tons of activities, so hopefully that means DH and I will get some peace and quiet and a chance to relax for a while!

[Nekokaburi]

Hi Gixer,

You'll be in heaven on Disney. They have an entire deck of "adult" fun. The kids have beepers and are totally off with with the staff and entertainment. It is beautiful....

 

I was watching a documentary on the Military Channel abou the Argentine-Falkland/British fight. It was very interesting but I couldn't help but think about what it must have been like for natives such as yourself. It must have been horrible to be occupied. I'm glad PM Thatcher responded fast and furious.

 

Kyle