Falkland Islands
Overview
The Falkland Islands are one of the greatest wildlife meccas on Earth. Situated in the South Atlantic Ocean 300 miles east of the tip of South America, this archipelago of nearly 800 islands is home to four species of penguins (southern rockhopper, gentoo, Magellanic, and king), plus black-browed albatross, imperial and rock cormorants, southern elephant seals and southern sea lions. If you’ve ever visited the Falklands by ship, you’ll know that a few hours at each landing site is not enough time to get the best shot. This two-week photography workshop, led by renowned polar photographer Chris Linder, puts you right in the heart of the Falklands’ most remarkable locations, with ample time in each spot to ensure you get the best opportunities to capture your subjects in the perfect light. Best of all, because of the limited accommodations in the Falklands, you won’t be elbow to elbow with other photographers. During Chris’s travels to the Falkland Islands, he has frequently found himself the only human present to photograph penguins at sunrise and sunset, when the light was surreal. It is no hyperbole to say that the Falklands is an immersive wildlife experience like no other.
This workshop has been deliberately capped at four photographers, enabling us to visit locations that are inaccessible to larger groups, as well as providing a more private and comfortable experience overall. The itinerary has been carefully crafted to maximize our time at the prime wildlife locations, including two unique locations you won’t find on any other Falklands photography tour. We will spend multiple days at Sea Lion Island, Bleaker Island, Saunders Island, and Volunteer Point. The trip has been scheduled to coincide with the most photogenic period of penguin and albatross chick rearing. In January, southern rockhopper, gentoo, and Magellanic penguin chicks will have hatched and will be entering the crèche phase, and black-browed albatross chicks will be large enough to be easily photographed on their mud-cup nests. In addition, our timing at Volunteer Point should allow us to see newly hatched king penguin chicks resting on their parents’ feet.
The focus of this expedition is photography in the field. Chris will provide generous hands-on mentorship, sharing his expertise and professional insights on developing creativity and personal vision, composition, working with various qualities of light and changing weather, and working landscape scenarios to best effect. Chris has spent months in the field photographing penguins and other seabirds, resulting in numerous accolades, including winning the 2015 Nature’s Best birds category. His knowledge of bird behavior and enthusiastic teaching style will help you to get the best possible shots of these charismatic seabirds.
Constructive critiques will be included in the schedule to help participants identify where they are succeeding and how they might focus their energies to advance their vision and skills. During critiques, emphasis is first placed on identifying what participants are doing right with regard to chosen subject and composition, followed by discussion of ways to improve the execution of the image in light of the emotional response, concepts, and aesthetics that led the photographer to make the image in the first place.
Itinerary
January 10 – Arrival day in Santiago, Chile: Arrive at Santiago’s international airport (SCL) by late morning, collect your luggage and walk to the conveniently located Holiday Inn Santiago Airport. Guests are free to explore Santiago during the day. In the early evening there will be a group introductory and orientation dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Santiago.
January 11 – Heading south: After an early breakfast at the hotel, we will board the LATAM flight to Punta Arenas, Chile. After a brief layover to process our official departure from Chile, we will reboard the aircraft and continue the flight to the Mount Pleasant international airport in the Falklands. Upon arrival and clearing customs, we will immediately board a BN2B Islander Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) flight to Sea Lion Island. Flight time on the Islander is approximately 25 minutes. After unpacking and a quick orientation of the island, we will eat dinner and begin our tour with a sunset photo shoot at Rockhopper Point, home to bustling southern rockhopper penguin and imperial cormorant colonies. The next three nights will be spent at the well-appointed Sea Lion Lodge conveniently located near penguin colonies and beaches.
January 12-14 – Sea Lion Island: Sea Lion Island is a National Nature Reserve; livestock were removed here in 2009, allowing native plant and animal species to flourish. The photographic subjects and landscapes here are extremely varied. Gentoo and Magellanic penguin colonies are within sight of the lodge. Southern sea lion and southern elephant seals haul out on the nearby beaches. At the far end of the island, southern rockhopper penguins and imperial cormorants nest on the top of an impressive 80-foot vertical cliff. Sea Lion Island is also home to small native birds, since predators like rats, mice, and cats have never been introduced here.
January 15-17 – Volunteer Point, East Falkland Island: Our next destination is the large (2000+) king penguin colony at Volunteer Point. After a short FIGAS flight from Sea Lion Island to Stanley’s regional airport, we will transfer to 4WD vehicles and drive roughly 2.5 hours to Volunteer Point. Volunteer Point is a broad, roughly 1-mile long sandy beach with a king penguin colony, as well as nesting gentoo and Magellanic penguins. The area is usually visited as a day trip on most photo tours. However, because of our small group size, we will have the opportunity to spend two nights at the warden’s cottage with hosts Derek and Trudi. Both sunrise and sunset are incredible at Volunteer Point, with thousands of penguins heading out to sea to feed in the morning and returning to their nests at dusk.
January 18-19 – Rookery Inn, Saunders Island: No Falklands itinerary would be complete without a visit to Saunders Island. We will take a short FIGAS flight from Stanley to Saunders Island, where we will stay at two different sites to get the full Saunders experience. The first, The Rookery cabin, is located north of the settlement on the slopes of Mount Richards and is an excellent base of operations for exploring the nearby sea cliffs. The cabin is a short walk from a sprawling black-browed albatross colony and a 20-minute walk from two large southern rockhopper penguin colonies. The rockhopper colony is famous for its “penguin shower”, a tiny waterfall where the rockhoppers bathe after returning from the sea. Magellanic and gentoo penguins are also found in the nearby valley, and a broad sandy beach is only a 10-minute walk from the cabin.
January 20-22 – The Neck, Saunders Island: After our two nights at the Rookery, we will drive to another site on Saunders known simply as “The Neck”. The Neck is named for the broad sandy beach lying between Mount Harston and Mount Richards. This location boasts a diverse array of seabird species and spectacular landscapes. Gentoo and king penguins nest on the beach in between the mountains. Extensive Magellanic penguin burrows and predatory caracaras can be found on the grassy hillsides. There are also two southern rockhopper penguin rookeries within easy walking access of the cabin, plus more black-browed albatross nest areas. January sunsets are particularly spectacular, as the setting sun’s rays bathe the gentoo colonies on the beach with warm golden hour light. Our three days here will pass quickly!
January 23-24 – Bleaker Island: We will take a FIGAS flight from Saunders Island to Bleaker Island, our final destination. On Bleaker we will photograph gentoo, Magellanic, and southern rockhopper penguins, as well as a huge colony of 8,000 pairs of imperial cormorants. Bleaker is a fantastic place to photograph penguins surfing the waves at Sandy Bay. In addition, at Long Gulch we will be able to photograph rockhoppers making their daring and comical landings and rock cormorants nesting on a sheer cliff face.
January 25. We will take a FIGAS flight in the morning on January 25 from Bleaker Island to Mount Pleasant, where we will catch our flight back to Santiago. We will spend the night at the Holiday Inn airport hotel.
January 26 – Departure Day. Wake up for breakfast at the Holiday Inn, say our farewells, and depart for flights home.
Instructors
Chris Linder
- Chris Linder is an award-winning professional photographer, filmmaker, workshop leader, and lecturer. Chris earned a master’s degree in oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods ...
Gallery
Pricing
Please note that the single-occupancy option includes three accommodations: the Holiday Inn Santiago Airport Hotel, on Bleaker Island, and at Sea Lion Lodge. All guests will share double-occupancy rooms at The Neck cabin, The Rookery cabin, and the Warden’s Cottage at Volunteer Point, in either single beds or bunks.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND CANCELLATION POLICY
- 50% deposit due at time of booking
- Final balance due April 30, 2019
The unique nature of this expedition and the limited flights to the Falkland Islands make it difficult to fill spaces that are vacated due to a cancellation, and we must therefore apply a strict cancellation policy for this trip. For cancellations received before May 1, 2019, the deposit will be refunded. For cancellations received on or after May 1, 2019, a full refund will be provided if we are able to identify and secure an airplane seat for the new participant, which we will make every effort to do, otherwise the registration fee is nonrefundable. We strongly recommend that all participants purchase travel insurance that includes coverage for trip cancellation for medical or other reasons covered by the policy, as well as the medical and evacuation insurance that are required for this trip.
INCLUDED
- Attentive and personalized photographic instruction throughout by renowned photographer Chris Linder
- Two nights in Santiago; 14 nights in the Falkland Islands
- Seven flights included: R/T flights from Santiago to Mount Pleasant Airport in the Falkland Islands; five FIGAS flights around the Falkland Islands.
- All meals from dinner on Jan 10 to breakfast on Jan 26 (including wine/beer with dinners where available).
- All transportation on the Falkland Islands
NOT INCLUDED
- R/T airfare to our point of origin in Santiago, Chile.
- Additional hotel nights, meals or other costs for arrivals prior to the start date or departures after the end date
- Cost of passports, any necessary entry visas or reciprocity fees, vaccinations, or other personal travel expenses
- Travel insurance, emergency medical insurance and evacuation insurance/coverage. Emergency medical and evacuation coverage (minimum US$250,000) are required for this expedition.
- Alcoholic beverages other than those offered at dinner
- Telephone or internet charges
- Personal purchases, souvenirs, additional activities, and anything else not listed as included
Highlights
- A unique opportunity to travel with award-winning photographer, Chris Linder, who recently won the 2017 ASME Reader’s Choice Award for Best Cover, Travel and Adventure category for his photo of affectionate bill-rubbing between a gentoo penguin and chick.
- Abundant wildlife, particularly four species of penguins (southern rockhopper, gentoo, Magellanic, and king), black-browed albatross, imperial and rock cormorants, southern elephant seals, and southern sea lions.
- Timed during chick rearing in penguin and albatross bird colonies.
- Coastal regions of four islands: Sea Lion Island, Bleaker Island, Saunders Island, and East Falkland Island.
- Dramatic seascapes, including cliffs, beaches, and islands
- Small group of four participants, allowing for stays in locations where larger groups cannot stay overnight
- Inclusive of all lodging and dining
- Excellent lodging selected for logistical ease of itinerary and superior hospitality
- First-rate local guides and logistical support from owners and managers of our accommodations
- Top-notch instruction throughout
- Easy travel: No visa required for passport holders from the US, Canada, European Union, and several other countries.
Accommodations
The expedition package is inclusive of stays at six different accommodations, starting and ending at the convenient Holiday Inn Santiago – Airport Hotel. Accommodations on the Falkland Islands will be at guest houses or self-catering cabins with comfortable rooms, that have been chosen for their proximity to bird colonies, brilliant sunrises/sunsets that are unparalleled, and proprietors who are hospitable and informative.
Travel
Expectations
Chris Linder put together a fantastic expedition of the Falklands. A wonderful experience of a lifetime. – Dan C., 2019 Falklands participant
