Falkland Islands (Malvinas) travel, tours and holiday packages

A short guide about Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

In 1982 the Falkland islands became famous for the war between Argentina and the United Kingdom and thanks to PM Thatcher's iron hand the region is still firmly under British Rule. In 1993 the British Geological Survey discovered oil and the islands were capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day. The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located 300 miles from the coast of Argentina, west of South Georgia and north of Elephant Island. They consist of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, together with 776 smaller islands.

Stanley is the capital of the Falkland Islands and in many ways is like an English village, but with Government House, a Cathedral and a wide range of amenities and services. Stanley has a few historic buildings, as well as a few ships from the days when great sailing ships and early steam vessels called in, on their journeys around Cape Horn. From Stanley you can easily visit Cape Pembroke (birdlife, lighthouse), you can make a boat trip around Stanley Harbour or drive to Darwin, where you’ll find; the old Darwin cemetery and the Argentine cemetery, the memorial to Colonel H Jones, the grave of Flight Lieutenant Nick Taylor and the memorial to the Parachute Regiment.

One of the most southerly suspension bridges in the world is the Bodie Creek Bridge; it connects Lafonia with the bulk of East Falkland. It was built in 1925, from a kit fabricated in England by David Rowell & Co., in order to shorten the distance sheep needed to be driven from southern Lafonia to the shearing sheds in Goose Green. The economy was formerly based on agriculture mainly sheep farming which directly or indirectly employs most of the work force, and tourism. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops provide winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers, these fees total more than $40 million per year and support the island's health education and welfare system.

Tourabout has a number of Expedition Cruises that include the Falklands and the smaller islands. Some of these islands are Beaver Island, Keppel Island, Weddell Island, and West Point Island, the wildlife viewing is superb in the wild, iceberg-dotted waters of the South Atlantic.