Falkland Islands

An archipelago with a rich natural beauty, and clearly the start of the Antarctic region

The Falkland Islands is a group of islands with a tumultuous past. It’s also a nature-lover’s paradise, with only a few thousand inhabitants. Other than the five (!) kinds of penguins, you can find lots of other animals here, such as fur seals, elephant seals and many different birds.

Most people only associate the Falkland Island with the war in 1982, but it’s a real natural paradise, with only a few thousand inhabitants. Also known by its Spanish name Islas Malvinas, this group of island is located in the southern Atlantic Ocean, east of Argentina.

It’s a relatively unknown archipelago with a total surface of 12.173 km2. It’s largely uninhabited and belongs to the five different kinds of penguins, South-American sea lions, South-American fur seals, southern elephant seals and leopard seals.

The Falklands, as they’re commonly known, has two large islands (West Falkland and East Falkland) and hundreds of small islands. Geographically speaking, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands which are located further south, don’t look like they’re part of this island group, but politically speaking, they are. For centuries these islands are part of the British Overseas Territory.

How to travel to the Falkland Islands?

There are two options to get to these islands: you can fly there directly from South America or even the UK. The islands are also on the route of many cruise ships that travel to Antarctica from South America, which will be a longer route, and will also stop at South Georgia, for example.

All 4 Bucket List Tips in Falkland Islands