Falkland Island - What good alternative do we have other than Volunteer Point

[Free and Easy]

We shall be arriving in the Falklands in early March via a Cruise. First South American cruise. Tried to book Volunteer Point penguin tour but no luck so far. Will keep on trying. If we still cannot get Volunteer Point, would appreciate any advice anyone may have as to what the next best alternative is. Ideally we would like to see more types of penguins, all in one place.....and many of them :). Kindly also advise any tour operator who may run such tours. Thank you for any advice in advance!

[ann1bell]

I am going next month with Estancia Excursions. Have you tried them? They get good reviews on Trip Advisor. They prefer British Pounds for payment. Good luck!

[Free and Easy]

Yes, indeed we have contacted Nyree of Estancia, and she said she and all her colleagues are fully booked. I assume you booked them very early.....!

[ann1bell]

I did book a while ago for our Jan. cruise. One factor might be that our small ship is the only one there that day. Not sure. Good luck!

[Tuttifruti]

In Falkland Patrick Watts is consider to be the best. 4 people in 4x4 car, many kind of penguins to see and more - all the day. The problem is that he is booked one year before the trip, but I tried last week and I got 2 places for 01.11.2016 - somebody just canceled. Try that way, you have time.

[peterscot]

Two other places closer to Stanley are Murrell Farm, and Bluff Cove.

 

Then there is Gypsy Cove about 20 minutes by shuttle bus. Mostly Magellanic penguins, but a pretty spot and convenient. It would take an hour or so to walk it.

[Free and Easy]

Thank you, all, for all the information. I did contact Patrick. He had such a long waiting list that he could not put me on :(! Am now struggling whether I should opt for Bluff Cove or Murrell Farm. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!

[joybook]

This time last year we were on the Golden Princess - L/A to Rio. On the Falklands we did a ship's excursion to Bluff Cove and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes it did drizzle most of the day but that just seemed to add to the occasion. I'm not sure how long the penguins hang around at various times of the year but we found that there were plenty of Gentoo Penguins and about 15/20 King Penguins. After the tour we just walked around Stanley.

 

I'm no expert but from these boards, it would appear that there are no guarantees about even getting into Stanley as many ships don't for various reasons. I only mention this to ensure that you can get a refund of any monies paid if the ship doesn't call into Stanley. Hope you make it because we really enjoyed the experience.:)

[Free and Easy]

Dear Joybook,

Thank you for your sharing. Yes, am aware that there is a possibility that we may not be able to land in Stanley, or for that matter other ports as well :(. We have now decided to go for Murrell Farm, simply because we were told that there will be Rockhoppers, which are not a common sight in our tour. Will report our trip in due course if interested......!

[Prince George]

We recently returned from the 31 day cruise on the Norwegian Sun. It was almost overwhelming seeing so much. We were able to book with Nyree and do the Volunteer Point excursion and it was fantastic. You cannot describe in words what that excursion was like! We were able to tender in but the next day the New Holland ship did not. Locals line up to take you on about a two hour 4x4 adventure to Volunteer Point with 4 passengers per vehicle. An absolute five star tour! Good Luck

[kceagle]

Prince George- How long was your ship in port? Did you have any worries about getting back to ship on time?

[Prince George]

We were scheduled for 9am arrival and everyone onboard for 3:30. We were a bit concerned as the tour was 6 hours but they do this on a regular basis so assured us we would be fine with time. We actually arrived early and on the first tender so we were on shore shortly after 9am

[Mulder155]

We did not book our cruise one year in advance :( , so now we are feeling rather hopeless and desperate because there doesn't seem to be much to do at Stanley / Falkland besides penguin tours. The couple of tours that do interest us are all full. We have tried contacting local independent tour operators, and all of them have responded the same way..."must book only through the cruise ship; put your name on the waitlist if full".

 

That doesn't give us much hope. Not to mention that even if we did get on the list, it's almost a king's ransom for a family of 6. And then there's the whole not knowing when on a waitlist.

 

We are really truly not interested in seeing the Magellanic penguins, since we will be seeing those at an earlier port.

 

Is there anything else to do/see on Falkland for those of us who didn't book a year out? Will there be other tour operators at port who are perhaps not listed online that can give us an enjoyable experience?

[Aussie Jeep]

For anyone that has done each of the penguin tours how do they compare to the volunteer point tour? Our ship will only be in Stanley (if it does stop there) for 8 hours. If we have to tender then that would say allow 6 hours on land so I am a little concerned that if I book the Volunteer Point with a private operator we may not get back on time. Your comments are greatly appreciated

[wishfulone]

For anyone that has done each of the penguin tours how do they compare to the volunteer point tour? Our ship will only be in Stanley (if it does stop there) for 8 hours. If we have to tender then that would say allow 6 hours on land so I am a little concerned that if I book the Volunteer Point with a private operator we may not get back on time. Your comments are greatly appreciated

 

We did the Volunteer Point trip with Princess this time last year. Used the cruise tour because, like many of you here, we were worried about getting back to the ship on time. Shouldn't have been concerned as all companies use 4WDs and they all leave Volunteer Pt at the same time. It's like a race to see who can get back to Stanley the fastest and if anyone gets bogged they all pitch in to help the vehicle get on its way again.

 

My advice would be to go on the earliest departure you can. As I said above, they all head for home at the same time regardless of what time they arrive so if you leave late you get less time at the colony. Patrick Watts has a wonderful reputation but they all have exactly the same boxed lunch. (egg sandwiches all round when we were there).

 

The trip itself was wonderful. I've got a picture of all the most photogenic penguins. That's only a couple of thousand pics! :)

[Budget Queen]

Volunteer Point is the top tour, for the thousands of Kings. :) There are sometimes a few kings elsewhere. Rock Hoppers are the next I would suggest. I've never gone to Volunteer Point with the significantly more costly ship tour, and have always made it back with Estancia. Have gone with them 3 times.

[peterscot]

Aussie jeep - try Bluff Cove or Murrell Farm if time is short.

 

Mukder - there is a lot to do. There are historical/ cultural tours. Working farms to visit, Battlefield tours. The Historic Dockyard Museum has interesting sections on wildlife, history, Antarctica, shipping, fishing, oil exploration, geology, sport, the 1982 conflict with Argentina....

 

There are shops in town, eg woolen goods, handmade chocolate, souvenirs, toys, etc.