Falkland Islands and Chile - November 2013

In November, 2013, I traveled to Chile and the Falkland Islands with the tour group company Adventure Life. Though my time on the ground in Chile focused just on Punta Arenas and environs, my flight from Santiago traveled down the southern half of the country, and blessed with good weather and a window seat, I was able to see much of this countryside from the air. Overall, this was an outstanding trip. The Falkland Islands had a marked barren, windswept, lonely beauty characteristic of their sub-Antarctic location. I stayed in the islands one week, as one normally must, since the flights from Punta Arenas run just once a week, on Saturdays. As the photos show, the wildlife viewing opportunities were amazing. The hiking opportunities were also amazingly good - as long as one could catch a break from the frequent cold and high winds, prevalent even during the early austral summer.I saw a great deal of the islands, not only on the road, but also through the many internal FIGAS (Falkland Island Government Air Service) flights that were part of my itinerary. These flights, because of the particular schedules of picking up passengers and dropping them off, took me to brief visits to several isolated islands that weren't specifically part of my tour. Also, of course, I saw large chunks of both West Falkland and East Falkland, which are the main areas.

Urban sprawl of Santiago, Chile, with the Andes in the background.                               

Flying over the Andes in southern Chile!

Beautiful green countryside of southern Chile near Puerto Montt, with the Andes in the background. Rainfall is quite a bit higher in this region than in northern Chile.

View of Punta Areans, Chile, from an overlook on the west side of town. The Strait of Magellan is in the background. The city is marked by the many colorful roofs on the houses, which is said to take origin from the many paints that sailors had aboard their ships.

Road distance sign (in kilometers) for Chilean Patagonia.

This is a replica, supposedly built exactly, of one of the ships used in Ferdinand Magellan's famous expedition to the region. This is located in an outdoor museum just outside Punta Arenas. Magellan's name is all over town; in fact this region of Chile is named the Magallenes Region. 

Myself beside the Strait of Magellan which runs beside Punta Arenas.

Cathedral in Punta Arenas

Picture of Darwin Settlement on East Falkland, where I stayed for a couple of days. As with many other settlements in the Falkland Islands, Gorse vegetation is prevalent; this was planted years ago in these settlements for appearance, a windbreak, and as borders for sheep grazing. The plants were blooming with their characteristic spring yellow when I was there. The lodge where I stayed is a large green-roofed building at the bottom of this hill. Mt. Osborne, the highest peak in the Falklands, is in the background. 

Myself at the Argentine Cemetery (from the 1982 Falklands War), which is located near Darwin. 
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The Bodie Creek Suspension Bridge, which is said to be the most southerly such bridge in the world; this is located in a flat southern part of East Falkland called Lafonia. 

Expansive treeless grassy plain of East Falkland called Lafonia, where seemingly endless numbers of sheep can be found; I did some hikes in this area. This is really "Big Sky Country".  
 

Goose Green, a settlement in East Falkland, which contains a sheep shearing station that was once regarded as the largest in the world.



This is one of the FIGAS (Falkland Islands Government Air Service) planes that transported me to various destinations around the islands during my stay. The passenger list and flight itinerary are finalized the evening before, based on demand, and are announced islands-wide on the radio. So as one of my hosts remarked, every time you are on one of these flights, you become nationally famous! 

View of Sea Lion Island from the FIGAS plane, looking north.

Weddell Island! This was one of many remote spots the FIGAS plans brought me to as part of their demand-driven flight itineraries. Many residents of these remote places, such as a gentleman I met here who resides on Weddell Island, get needed supplies from these FIGAS flights. The building I am standing in front of is what passes for an "airport terminal" in these rural Falklands airstrips. Concourse B, anyone? 

Large colony of king cormorant birds on a beautiful cliffside setting on the southern edge of Sea Lion Island. The wildlife and scenery of this island was simply stunning. 

Gentoo penguin on Sea Lion Island, checking on her egg. I was there during penguin breeding season. 

Myself standing near the signpost for two settlements on West Falkland that I visited, Roy Cove and Hill Cove. 

This is Roy Cove, a remote settlement on a beautiful setting on the western coast of West Falkland. I did some hiking in this area. Sheep and gorse plants were everywhere. 

This is a picture of the lodge on Sea Lion Island where I stayed for two days. The airstrip for the island is right next to the lodge settlement complex. Colonies of Gentoo penguins are seen in the foreground, a short walk from the lodge.

 Nesting Rockhopper penguin on Sea Lion Island, with the king cormorant birds the background. 

View of Fox Bay settlement from the FIGAS plane, as it was preparing to land at the airstrip. 

Sheep were seemingly everywhere in the Falkland Islands.

 Rugged treeless scenery of West Falkland as seen from the FIGAS plane. 

Christ Church Cathedral in Stanley, which is the largest town in the Falkland Islands (about 2,000 inhabitants). The church dates from the late 19th century. 

Myself sitting under the Whalebone Arch in Stanley, which is located right next to Christ Church Cathedral, on a beautiful warm sunny day with (rare for the Falklands) light winds!

No man's land! This is a marked and fenced-off minefield left over from the 1982 Falklands War between Great Britain and Argentina. Note the red warning signs. This minefield was near Port Howard, but I saw similar ones outside of Goose Green and Stanley.

Colorful roofs of Stanley houses. The town sits on a hill overlooking the harbor. 

Southern Sea Lion that I saw on a beach at (of all places) Sea Lion Island.

Wreckage of plane from the 1982 war, visible on West Falkland about 10 miles outside of Port Howard. 

This rocky monument marks the highest point on Sea Lion Island (Bull Hill, approximately 150ft elevation).