DESTINATION FOCUS Falklands Calendar 2011
Jan & Feb – New Year Newborns: The Islands’ wildlife wonders are at their peak, with the hatching of many of the penguin species, while sea lion pubs may also be spotted, suckling from their mothers. Feb 26-Mar 1 – Camp Sports Week: This colourful festival celebrates everything about the countryside. Marking the end of the sheep-shearing season, Islanders unwind with dog trials, horse racing and barbeques. Mar 20 – Stanley Marathon: On your marks for the world’s most southerly marathon. Jun 14 – Liberation Day Parade: This year is the 29th
anniversary of the
perfect location for elephant seals to raise their young. The sea-giants lug themselves on to land and visitors can get extraordinarily close to these magnificent animals. Rockhopper penguins – Murrell Farm,
East Falkland: these plucky little birds stand just 33-35cm high and scale the cliff faces and sheer coastlines using both feet, together with their beak, to reach rocky nesting places. Lucky visitors might catch a glimpse of the rockhoppers indulging in a shower under trickles of water!
The Cruise Advantage Cruise ship visitors also get the best of both worlds here, with the luxury of the many ves- sels affording a level of comfort pleasingly at odds with the rugged surrounds. The other great benefit is that this increasingly popular method of travel al-
lows people to visit many sites that remain largely inaccessible to land-based tourists, with many ships having the opportunity to land on the outlying islands of the Falk- lands archipelago, including Jason Islands, New Island and West Point Islands. There is also a surprisingly wide variety of shore excursions and tours available to experience the unique wildlife and fasci- nating history. From the capital, Stanley, you can join
the award-winning Bluff Cove Lagoon Tour, where you can stroll along the white sandy beach, home to 1,000 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins and a growing colony of king penguins and chicks, or watch the sea lions and dolphins often seen swimming in the surf. Equally popular are tours to Volunteer
Point – a cornucopia of bird activity and Winter 2010 / 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING 49
end of the Argentine occupation. Aug 14 – Falklands Day: This public holiday marks the first recorded sighting of the Islands by English sea captain John Davis in 1592. Sep – Black-browed albatross and elephant seals return: Known locally as ‘mollymawks’, the black- browed albatross begin arriving to breed. The largest seal species, the elephant seal, also arrives. Sep 1 – Gone fishing: Trout fishing season officially opens. Dec – Egg hatching: one of the most exciting months, with Magellanic penguins and black-browed albatross among the species whose eggs hatch. Killer whales can also be spotted circling the shore as elephant and sea lion pups take their first steps. Dec 8 – Battle Day Parade: commemorating a major British naval engagement of WWI, the 1914 Memorial, on a headland west of Government House, is the focus for a service and RAF fly past. The day concludes with a colourful parade.
Photo © FITB
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