Falkland Islands Travel Information and Travel Guide

Introducing Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas are a popular addition to many Antarctic voyages – usually in conjunction with a visit to South Georgia – but they’re well worth seeing on their own for their spectacular populations of penguins, seals and albatrosses. Surrounded by the South Atlantic and by centuries of controversy, the islands lie 490km east of Patagonia. Two main islands, East and West Falkland, and more than 700 smaller ones cover 12, 173 sq km, about the same area as Northern Ireland or Connecticut.

Until Argentina’s military dictatorship made an ill-advised decision to invade the Falklands in 1982, few people could even pinpoint the location of this remote archipelago. Visiting was difficult until the Argentines built an airport in 1977. The 11-week Falklands War suddenly put the islands on the front page, at the cost of 900 Argentine and British military deaths – one for every three islanders.

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