Falkland Islands

Getting around

Visitors to the Falklands who arrive on an expedition ship (or cruise ship) generally make several short visits – usually of a few hours each – to settlements on outlying islands in East or West Falkland. Stanley is also usually – but not always – included, again for a landing of half a day or so. This short period is adequate for a look around the capital, which can easily be toured on foot (or aboard a tour coach, an option most ships arrange for their passengers), but there is almost never time for independent exploration of Stanley’s environs.

Hiring a car is impractical for ship visitors, since the minimum hire period is three days. Because off-road driving is strictly prohibited, nearly all of the sights around Stanley are out of reach of hire cars anyway, even for visitors with more time to spend. However, most Stanley-area sites can be visited by hiring local guides (with vehicles). This is a better plan, in any case, since navigating to many of the sites requires local knowledge. Even with a guide and vehicle, it can still be a long walk to some sites from the nearest road—up to 9km cross-country for some Stanley battlefield sites.

For visitors to the Falklands not traveling on an expedition ship or cruise ship, most travel around the islands is done by air because the road network is limited. The Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS; 500-27219; figas.fig@horizon.co.fk) operates an on-demand service with four eight-seater Britten-Norman Islander aircraft. These twin-engine planes are sturdy, reliable and offer great views – flights rarely climb above 600m and short flights and/or low clouds often mean you fly even lower. There are about 40 grass or beach airstrips around the Falklands, although some are rarely used and others can only be used with the aircraft partially loaded. FIGAS flights generally operate from the Stanley airport, a surfaced runway 5km east of town. There is no regular schedule. Flight plans depend on demand; if only one or two people are headed to a destination, FIGAS may delay a flight until other passengers join the group. On rare occasions, usually around holidays, flights are heavily booked. Reservations made with FIGAS specify a date but not usually a flight time. To find out when you’re actually flying, you can phone FIGAS, wait for the fax that goes out to each FIGAS destination each day listing the flight movements, or listen to the radio announcement each evening – which includes not only the flight schedule, but also each passenger’s name and itinerary!