The Falkland Islands with Mandy Shepherd

8 Feb Depart UK

Today the group assembles at Brize Norton for your RAF flight to Mount Pleasant in the Falklands (2350- 1300).

9 Feb Stanley

Upon arrival the group will be met and transferred to Malvina House Hotel for two nights on a full board basis. Stanley, in north-east East Falkland, is the capital of the Falkland Islands and home to 1989 of the Islands' 2379 residents. This historic cathedral town now offers two small hotels, three guesthouses and a number of bed and breakfasts. Although small, Stanley is a tidy and colourful town and visitors can enjoy relaxing here for a few days - walking around the town visiting the museums, war memorials and enjoying the hospitality of the residents.

The Malvina House Hotel is located in 3 Ross Road, Stanley. The original Malvina House was named in 1881 after the daughter of John James Felton who arrived with his father in 1849 as a detachment of military pensioners and settlers to the new colony. The current house was built in the late 1960's, converted into a hotel in 1983 and has recently been extensively renovated. All 16 twin and double rooms have en-suite bathrooms with "power showers"; there is a large bar-lounge area and the original conservatory houses the restaurant, considered the best in town. There is also a spa and sauna. The Malvina House is considered to be Stanley's premier hotel.

10 Feb

Today you have a full day trip to Volunteer Point. Named after the ship Volunteer, Volunteer Point is part of the Johnson's Harbour Farm which covers around 36,000 acres. Volunteer beach is a 2 mile long white sandy beach, bordered by high grassy banks that provide ideal habitats for three species of penguins: Gentoo, Magellanic and King. The Volunteer point King penguin colony is the largest in the Islands , with around 1,300 adults, rearing 400 chicks each year. Over 1,000 pairs of Gentoo penguins are resident all year round at Volunteer Point, and many other bird species have been recorded in the area, such as several breeding pairs of Falkland skua who target some penguins for eggs or young.

11 Feb Saunders

Today the group will be transferred by small plane to Saunders Island where you will stay for two nights at Saunders Island Lodge on a full board basis. During your stay you will have two day excursions to the Neck. Saunders Island Lodge accommodation consists of two self-catering cottages in the main Saunders Settlement.

Saunders Island is the second largest island and it was the site of the first British settlement in 1765. Now it is one large farm of about 30,000 acres and home to a staggering amount of wildlife. Here you may see a colony of 11,000 breeding pairs of Black-Browed Albatross, Magellanic, Gentoo, Rockhopper and Macaroni Penguins as well as a growing colony of King Penguins. Other species include Southern Giant Petrel, Rock Shag, King Shag and Striated Caracara. The north of the island is made up of two peaks: Rookery Mountain in the north east and Mount Hartson (the highest point on the island at 436 m) to the north-west. The peaks are divided by a thin strip of sand known as the Neck which is considered one of the best wildlife sites of the Falklands. It is home to large colonies of Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins, as well as a small colony of King Penguins and a small Elephant Seal colony

13 Feb Pebble Island

Today the group will be transferred by small plane to Pebble Island where you stay for two nights on a full board basis. Pebble Island, at 38 kilometres long is one of the largest islands of the West Falkland Islands. Its wide variety of terrain; white sand beaches, ponds and wetlands, tussock plantations, moor lands and rocky cliffs offer shelter and protection to an equally wide ranging breeding population of birds and mammals including sealions and thousands of penguins. As well as the 42 resident bird species, each year the island seems to act as a magnet for rare visitors from mainland South America such as the Black-Necked Swan. Pebble Island is the only place in the Falkland Islands where all six species of penguin known to visit the islands have been seen: Magellanic, Gentoo, Rockhopper, Macaroni, King, and Erect-Crested.

15 Feb Port Howard

Today you are transferred by small plane to Port Howard where you stay for two nights on a full board basis. Port Howard is the largest privately owned settlement on West Falkland with a permanent population of 20. Most of the people are employed by Port Howard Farm which runs 45,000 sheep.

17 Feb Sea Lion Island

Today the group is transferred by small plane to Sea Lion Island where you stay for two nights on a full board basis.

Sea Lion Island is the most southerly inhabited island of the Falkland group. At eight kilometres long and a kilometre and a half at its widest point, it is just the right size for exploring. Beautiful plantations of the spectacular tussock grass cover one fifth of the island and provide a perfect habitat and protection for much of the islands' varied fauna, including the largest of the Islands' Elephant Seal Colonies, numbering up to 1800! Besides the tussock, there are dazzling white sand beaches, cliffs, fresh water ponds and heath land, all with their own populations and all within walking distance.

19 Feb Stanley

Today you will be transferred by small plane to Stanley where you spend one night at the Malvina House hotel on a bed and breakfast basis.

20 Feb Homeward

Today you will be transferred back to Mount Pleasant airport for your flight back to Brize Norton (1000-0815).