Top 10 Port Stanley Shore Excursions
No matter what you look forward to on a cruise getaway, the chances are that you can enjoy doing it on a European Cruise to Europe and best of all cruise holidays to Europe can be enjoy direct from multiple British ports or you can of course pick up a cheap no frills flight to many of the world’s leading and busiest embarkation ports.
Shore Excursions In The Falkland Islands
Private Island Tour
There is lots to see around East Falkland, the island that the capital city is on from the battlefields to the wildlife colonies and from the remote mountains to the capital city itself.
Despite relatively small, it is difficult to get around the island and the only way to see it all is to head out on a private tour of the island.
Penguin and Elephant Seal Wildlife Tour
If you are a wildlife lover and really want to see the very best that the island has to offer, head out on a wildlife tour.
Not only will you be taken to see the many sea birds that live on the islands but you will head to penguins colonies and seal colonies- make sure you take your camera!
Private Penguin Colony Tour
If you are short on time, want to do more than one excursion whilst in Stanley or you just want to have a more intimate experience whilst penguin watching in the Falkland’s, the best option is to head out on a private tour to a nearby colony.
You will often get your own guide who will tell you all about the different species is that you can see in the Falkland’s including King, Gentoo, Magellanic, Marconi and Rockhoppers.
This is of course the most expensive way to head to a penguin colony, but if you have the budget to do it, it will make for an incredible experience you will never forget.
Small Group Penguin Colony Tour
If you want to spend more time with penguins and less time waiting for other or if you want to head to one of the bigger colonies that coaches just cannot reach, you will need to head out on minibus.
Another great advantage of a small group tour is that it will be quieter whilst you re with the penguins instead of walking around with a large group and that often means the penguins will get closer to you and allow you to see more of their behaviour as they are not distracted by the noise of a big group.
Penguin Colony Tour
Whilst you can see penguins from your cruise ship, or by heading to the beaches close to Stanley, the best places to head for are the numerous large colonies found on farms around the island East Falkland.
Starting from the tender pier, you jump onboard a coach and head offer to a large colony of penguins where you get some time to walk close to them and watch them in their natural habitat.
Elephant Seal Colony Tour
It is difficult to truly understand how huge and powerful elephant seals are until you get up close to them and the best way to do that, is to head out and see them in the wild.
The Falklands is a great place to do just that and there are a few options available to those arriving at Stanely on a cruise.
Shackleton Tour
If you are visiting the Falklands on a cruise, the chances are that you will also visit Antarctic or Punta Arenas on your getaway, or you will sail along the Beagle Channel.
If you do any of those, you will get an insight into just what Ernest Shackleton and his men went through as they struggled to survive.
Few will know about the links between the Falkland’s and the rescue attempts back in the early part of last century.
You can learn all about that and about over seafaring stories from the islands past on a Shackleton tour of the Falklands.
Hop On Hop Off Bus
The city offers a Hop On Hop Off bus tour that not only take you around the city of Stanley but also heads out to a nearby penguin colony to make for a great day ashore.
This is a good option if the weather is poor, as it often is, or if you have mobility issues but still want to see all that is on offer in the Falklands.
City Tour
Although Stanley is very walkable and is small by most port standards, many visitors may want to get a better insight into the city and gain an understanding into life on the islands.
Jump on a coach or minibus tour of the city of Stanley, where you will be taken around all of the key sights in the city and thanks to the commentary from a local resident, you will get an insight into what it is like to live in Stanley and what all of the buildings, monuments and more in the city are.
Battlefields Tour
Many people will only really know of the Falkland Islands due to the Falklands war after the islands were invaded by Argentina in 1982.
Many of the key battlefields remain relatively untouched since those dark days and visitors to the archipelago can head out with a expert to be shown where key moments of the war took place.
These tours are ideal for those with an interest in history, someone who is a war buff or for those who had family members involved in the war.
