The Falkland Islands – Penguins, Penguin ……

Author: Irene J. Z.
Date of Trip: January 2011

FALKLAND ISLANDS – JANUARY, 2011, while cruising on HAL Veendam: We had pre-booked our trip to the Volunteer Point Penguin Colonies at the Falklands with Patrick Watts. We’d read numerous accounts of the excellent tour previous travelers had experienced. Our driver was Steven ??, and he was great. The whole time was so enjoyable and well worth the fee. We had read that the drive to the penguin colony was an adventure in itself, and it proved to be as much fun as a exciting ride at an amusement park! Steven is a fine driver and was a fountain of information. He answered our many questions about the Falklands in general, and all sorts of related subjects. He told us about the education system, health care, history, everyday life, etc., etc.

We knew that we’d be seeing a lot of penguins, but were amazed at the multitude of them that were actually there. Acres and acres of those delightful little creatures. My daughter was busy taking scads of pictures, but I was entranced with just watching and listening – it was a very special day in every way. The weather was fantastic when we were there – the only time I even put on a jacket was while right at the ocean shore where there was a brisk breeze. Our only regret was that we didn’t have time to explore the city of Stanley a little – we told each other that maybe we’d do that “next time”, even though at my age (85) that’s not likely to happen. I highly recommend this outing, and the services of Patrick and his drivers to anyone who gets a chance to visit the Falkland Islands.