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The
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) include more than 700 islands located
in the South Atlantic, 450 kilometers off the South American coast. The main
settlements are located in the East
and West Falklands. The archipelago gained public attention in 1982 during
the armed conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom.
The islands landscape
is formed mainly by low hills, cliffs and scattered lakes. The climate is cold
and windy, particularly on the coast, and tourists rapidly face all-terrain
vehicles and cross-country walks through isolated lands. The best time of the
year to visit is between October and March because it is also when most of the
islands rich wildlife can be seen. The fishing season runs from September 1st
to April 30th, but conditions are best in September/October and March/April
for encountering good runs of sea trout.
Stanley, the British-style capital, is located on the East
Coast. It has a population of only 1700 but more than 2000 civilians and
military are established in Mount
Pleasant, 40 kilometers away.There is a limited range of retail stores
in town to buy souvenirs, knitwear, leatherwear, jewelry, fine art, prints,
posters, books, stamps and mint coins. Most of the shops, hotels
and restaurants, frequented by cruise ship visitors will take UK currency, traveler
checks, credit cards and US dollars (watch the exchange rate).
Under two hours from Stanley by road, Darwin,
together with nearby Goose Green, retains much evidence of of the 1982
conflict. Visitors can see the Argentine cementery, the old Darwin cementery,
the memorial to Colonel H Jones, the grave of Flight Lieutenant Nick Taylor
and the memorial to the Parachute Regiment. Half an hour by road from the international
airport at Mount Pleasant, Darwin makes an excellent choice for the visitor's
first or last night in the Falklands.
On the north coast of East Falkland, one and a half hours drive from
Stanley, lies Salvador,
with an abundance of wildlife, including penguins, elephant seals and sea lions,
along with numerous species of marine, shore, freshwater and inland birds. San
Carlos lies at the western end of the island. This small farming settlement
made world headlines during the 1982 conflict as the British Forces Beach Head.
In the northwest, Port San Carlos offers magnificent
scenery, fishing on the San Carlos River and a fine selection of wildlife.
Port Howard is an ideal place to experience camp life at first hand and
an excellent base from which to explore the fine landscape
of West Falkland. The settlement has a comfortable
lodge to which is attached a small museum housing relics of the 1982 conflict.
Pebble
Island is some 24 miles long and has some of the most important wetland,
and consequently wildfowl breeding areas, in the Islands. It also supports a
number of penguin colonies and concentrations of Southern Sea Lions.
Sea Lion Island has plenty of tussah plantations which provide a perfect
habitat and protection for much of the Islands' fauna, including elephant seals,
sea lions, Rockhopper, Gentoo, Magellanic, Macaroni and King penguins, Striated
and Crested caracaras and numerous shore and sea birds. There are also sand
beaches, cliffs, fresh water ponds and heath land with their own populations.
Pods of killer whales circle the island in pursuit of the elephant seals and
sea lions that breed there.
Volunteer Point contains the biggest colony of king penguins in the Islands,
as well as colonies of gentoo (pygoscelis papua) and magallanic penguins. Other
places such as Sea Lion Island, Pebble Island and Saunders Island also have
large colonies of penguins.
The infrastructure and transportation of the Falklands are limited. Few roads
connect Stanley
with other settlements and they have to be undertaken with all-terrain
vehicles. Some of the mainland wildlife sites are at some distance from
the road network, but all are accessible by 4WD
vehicles. Sea
Lion Island, Carcass Island, Pebble Island, Weddell Island and Saunders Island
can only be reached by plane - and occasionally by boat.
The most common mean of transportation around the Islands is the Government
Air Service, which operates from the airport in Stanley. If you book ahead,
it is possible and recommended to fly to Port Howard, Pebble Island or Sea Lion
Island directly from the Mount Pleasant airport. While some scheduled flights
have been introduced for the tourist season, most flights are still unscheduled
and operate "on demand". There is also a small inter-island cargo boat, MV
Tamar , which operates to an irregular schedule and has berths for four
passengers in 2 cabins.
The Falkland Islands are serviced by air routes from RAF Brize Norton,
Oxfordshire, UK. Visitors travelling via South America can connect with the
Lan Chile flight from Santiago, Chile,
via Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas to the Falklands operating every Saturday.
Once a month, on departing Punta Arenas, the flight calls at Rio Gallegos, Argentina.
The return flight from Stanley via Rio Gallegos occurs one week later. Intending
passengers are advised to check schedules when booking.
Tourist Information is available in Stanley from Travel Agencies and from the
Falkland Island Tourist Board Information Office at the Public Jetty. Visitors
from USA, UK, EC or Mercosur countries do not require visas and will be granted
one month Visitor Permits provided they can show valid passport, return air
ticket, pre-booked accommodation and sufficient funds to cover the length of
stay.
The price
level of both lodging
and food is high, considering the limited alternatives. Hotels
and lodges
cost between US$30 and US$80 per person per day while room and board in a house
costs about U$15. Eating at restaurants starts at U$10 per person and the best
are located in Stanley. It is also possible to eat light meals and sandwiches
for U$5. The local currency is the Falklands Pound which has a par value and
denomination with the Sterling Pound.
Other sites with information are:www.tourism.org.fk
, www.falklands.gov.fk.
Pictures
reproduced under permission of FITB and Mariano Navarro.
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