Falkland Islands Cruise Ports
The Falkland Islands, or simply the Falklands as it often goes by, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean that sit about 300 miles off of the coast of South America and about 750 miles north of the Antarctic Peninsula.
It is often ships heading to or from the southern continent that call into the Falklands, but it should also be said that it is one of the most missed destinations in the world when it comes to cruising due to its remote location and the high winds often found in the area.
In the main, the Falkland’s is split into East Falkland and West Falkland, but the archipelago itself is made up of 778 islands with hardly any inhabited by humans which allows for plenty of space for the incredible wildlife that calls the Falklands Islands home, including numerous species of penguins.
It is its wildlife that is one of the major draws for many tourists although for British tourists, such as myself, the islands are somewhere we all know about.
That is because they are a British Overseas Territory and a visit to its capital city of Stanley is like been back at ‘home’ despite been 1000’s of miles away and on a whole different continent.
Cruises To Falkland Islands
Location
The Falklands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean, around 300 miles (500 kilometres) east of the southern Patagonia coast of South America and around 750 miles (1,210 kilometres) to the north of Cape Doubouzet on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Cruise Holidays To The Falklands
If you looking to visit the Falkland Islands, the best way to do just that is to head there on a cruise holiday with a wide range of itineraries from Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Miami and even Southampton heading there.
Falkland Islands Cruise Guide
In this guide, I show you all of the cruise ports of call available to visit in the Falklands including a link to our full review of the ports that bring you all of the information you need to know about them.
Ports of Call
The countries capital city of Stanley, or Port Stanley as it often goes by, is the islands only true cruise port but even then, it needs ships to tender their passengers ashore.
Located on East Falkland, the city is where the bulk of locals live and where most of the country’s tourist attractions are found including a cathedral, a museum and some shipwrecks in its harbour that reminds visitors of the dangers of the waters around Stanley.
Popular Cruise Lines
The islands welcome a mix of large mainstream cruise ships and small, expedition ships with the likes of Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas offering the widest ranges of itineraries that call into the Falklands.
Falkland Islands
Location: South Atlantic
Capital City: Stanley
Currency: Pound Sterling £
Language: English
Demonym(s): Falklander, Falkland Islander
Top Ports: Port Stanley
For many people, the first time that they heard about the islands is during the Falkland War in the 1980’s or learning about the war at school and there are numerous sites of interest relating to the Falklands War for cruisers to visit whilst there.
There is still an ongoing dispute between the UK and Argentina as to who ‘owns’ the Falkland’s, but a 2013 sovereignty referendum found that almost every Falklanders wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.
Up until the 17th century, it is thought that the islands were uninhabited and it is still one of the harshest places for people to live although things have improved down the years, especially with the opening of an airport close to Stanley.
The bulk of those who live on the island are employed in the armed services, with a large air force base been the biggest employer.
Aside from that, tourism is the main industry for the islands as 1000’s head there on cruise ships to see its main draw, Penguins!
Whilst most will head out on excursions for that, it is possible to jump on a bus from the tender port that takes you to some Penguins that live close to the city of Stanley itself.
Best Time To Visit The Falklands
The cruising season is a relatively short one for those wanting to visit the islands, with the earliest ships tending to head there around October and the last ones getting there around March.
With wind often impacting visits there, the best time to visit is in the middle of summer for the Falkland’s, or November to January.
Falkland Islands Cruises From The UK
If you want to visit Port Stanley from the UK, it is technically possible, but you will need to be on a World Cruise to do so.
If you are flexible on when you can go, you have lots of spare time and you have a decent budget, it is actually possible to enjoy a round-trip itinerary that goes from the UK, through the Panama Canal and around South America before heading back to the UK.
These adventures are rare and will take around 75 days to complete, but they are cheaper and shorter than a World Cruise and will stop into the Falklands.
Falklands Cruises From Southampton
If you do want to head out on an adventure of a lifetime, the widest range of offerings come from the UK’s leading cruise port of Southampton, although the nearby port of Dover also often offers similar options.
South American adventures will often also start out from Southampton, so if you are looking for a Falklands adventure, I would recommend checking out itineraries that sail from the port of Southampton first.
Here at CruiseHols.co.uk we bring you all of the information you will ever need to choose the right cruise destination for you and your family.
Our destination guides include everything from ports to attractions and excursion to the positives and negatives of the destination.
