Trip report. The Falkland Islands

November 2024 I traveled to Patagonia to photograph the pumas (see tour description). As this is a long way from home, I wanted to visit some other places in the region, to make more of this far journey. Together with five other photographers we decided to visit the Falkland Islands after our puma trip. And so we did. In the end of November we traveled to the Falkland Islands for a three week photography adventure. This was for me the first time that I visited this region and honestly didn’t know what to expect. I am not much of a bird photographer, with the exception of owls and grouse. I knew that on the Falkland Islands we mainly would be photographing birds and was mainly looking forward in exploring a new region together with good friends. But shortly after arriving at our first photography location, having a penguin colony right in front of our cabin, I directly knew that this is a special place and that we were in for a trip of a lifetime.

The Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands, located in the South Atlantic Ocean 500km from the coast of the most southern part of South America, offer one of the most exceptional bird photography experiences on the planet. With over 200 species of birds, including iconic penguin colonies and rare seabirds, the islands provide endless opportunities for stunning wildlife shots. Here you will have the chance to capture intimate moments with a variety of penguin species, such as the majestic King Penguins, the playful Gentoo, the striking Rockhopper and the cute Magellanics. The islands are also home to large populations of caracaras, albatross, petrels, and other seabirds, making it a prime location for capturing dramatic action shots against breathtaking coastal backdrops. The rugged terrain and varied landscapes, from windswept beaches to dramatic cliffs, offer diverse settings for your shots. You'll have the opportunity to photograph birds in their natural habitats, often from just a few meters away, with the islands' incredible wildlife habituated to human presence.

​​Exploring the Falkland Islands was an adventure in itself! We traveled across the rugged landscapes in large 4x4 vehicles, making for a scenic but slow-paced experience. To reach the outer islands we used small aircrafts, where our flights schedule was based on the latest weather conditions. It was an amazing experience, flying from island to island, landing on and taking off from the short dirt landing strips. We had our “home base” in Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Here we stayed from time to time in between visiting the different islands and photo locations. To make the most of our photography, we planned to stay a minimum of 3 days at each photo location. During our three week stay, we visited Kidney Cove (4 nights), Volunteer Point (2 nights), Saunders Island (5 nights) and New Island (7 nights) .

Kidney Cove

After having spent our first night in our hotel in Stanley, we were picked up with two 4x4 vehicles. After a 45-minute drive we got to the farm of the land owners of Kidney Cove. From here we continued off road for another hour and 15 minutes to get to our accommodation. A simple cabin, but right at a Gentoo penguin colony. This was the first time in my life seeing a penguin colony. We were overwhelmed with the amount of wildlife activity around us. The Gentoo penguins walking around and calling non-stop, Turkey vultures soaring around, Long-tailed Meadowlarks calling from the roof of the cabin, Lapland geese and Magellanic penguins spread out over the entire landscape. It was an overwhelming experience for all of us. I had to take it all in first. It took me maybe an hour until I finally took out my camera gear and took the first picture of the trip.

We had an amazing 4 days in this area. There are two cabins on the property, both in locations which are perfect for photography. The first cabin is right at the Gentoo Penguin colonies and has a sandy beach close by. In the period we visited, the Gentoo Penguin eggs just started hatching. It was an amazing experience to see the eggs hatch and tiny penguins crawl out of the shells. With the newborn penguins in the colony, there was so much life in such a small area. We had many hours of amazing photography opportunities right in front of our little cabin. And in the evening, there were some amazing backlight photo possibilities.

On the nearby beach there also is a small colony of King penguins. As this is just a small colony of about 100 individuals, it is easier to get images of single birds than in the bigger colonies. I think that I managed to take here some of my personal favorite King penguin images of the whole trip. And in the morning the first light reflects beautifully from the shore at the beach. We spent one morning photographing with backlight how the penguins were going in and out the water.

 The second cabin is a bit further in and is at the cliffs. Here Rock Hopper Penguin colonies are situated on top of the cliffs, which give a completely different scenery. Between the Rock Hoppers, King Cormorants were nesting. The Rock Hoppers were still on the eggs, while the King Cormorants seemed to just have started building their nests. They were flying nonstop off and on with nesting materials. It was quite a spectacular sight.

Between the two cabins we had plenty of opportunities to photograph Dotterels and Plovers.

Volunteer point

After our visit to Kidney Cove, we traveled back to Stanley where we were picked up again with two other 4x4 vehicles. We traveled 1 hour on the road and nearly 1.5 hour off road to get to Volunteer Point. Located on the east coast of East Falkland, Volunteer Point is a must-visit destination when visiting the Falklands. It is famous for the largest colony of King Penguins of the Falkland Islands, with nearly 2000 breeding pairs. After having dropped off our luggage, we headed out to the penguin colonies. To get to the main King Penguin colony, we hiked over a long stretched sandy beach. The beach was full of Gentoo, Magellanic and King penguins. There were plenty of photo opportunities on the way to the main colony. Large sea lions patrolled the coastline, hunting penguins. The penguins are well familiar with the danger lurking in the water. They gather in larger groups before daring to enter the water. With large numbers of penguins entering the water at the same time, it is more challenging for the sea lions to single out a penguin and make a catch. We were told that the sea lions mainly target the penguins which return from the hunt. As they have their bellies full of fish, they are slower and therefore easier to catch.

Once we got to the main colony of King Penguins we were again overwhelmed with new experiences. Seeing so many penguins together, with so much interaction is just amazing. The area where the penguins are on the eggs is marked and it is forbidden to go within this marked area. This is to prevent the breeding pairs to be disturbed. But there are thousands of penguins walking around outside of this marked area. There are adults, chicks in their fluffy down coats and molding chicks which reminded me of little  punk-rockers with their funny fluffy “haircuts”.

Photographing such a large number of birds can be challenging. What do you focus on? Do you use a long lens to separate the individuals or do you use a wide-angle lens and try to show the whole scenery? It took some time for us to find our flow and we needed to visit the colony several times to improve on our images. It is a good thing to have several days at a location like this.

Saunders Island

After our visit at Volunteer Point, it was time for our first local flight. From Stanley we flew in about 1.5 hours to Saunders Island, one of the most spectacular wildlife destinations in the Falkland Islands. This remote and rugged island offers breathtaking landscapes, from dramatic sea cliffs and rolling dunes to pristine beaches, all teeming with life. The first nights we stayed in the settlement, which sounds more fancy than it is. The settlement consists out of one farm with a tiny store in a shed, three houses were the locals live and a large guest house for the visitors. Around the settlement there is not much to photograph beside the goats, sheep and chickens. The two main photography hotspots on the island are The Neck and The Rookery. Each a +/- 30-45 minute drive from the settlement.

The first days of our visit we focused on the beach, called The Neck. When we arrived with the cars we were immediately greeted by a curious Caracara. We had seen them at the other locations, but this was our firs close encounter with this stunning bird of prey. As we quickly learned, there are many Caracaras living on Saunders Island and they frequently passed in front of our lenses.  

On the beach at the Neck, King, Gentoo and Magellanic penguins have their breeding colonies, creating incredible photo opportunities. As most of these penguins nest on top of the small sand dunes, it is possible to get the blue sea in the background. Also, with the right weather, at sunset there is the possibility for backlight.

From the beach it is easy to hike up the first cliffs, where the Rock Hoppers and Black browed Albatrosses nest. It was great fun to spend time with the Rock Hoppers, where they come out of the sea and jump onto the cliffs. Also the Albatrosses gave some beautiful photo possibilities.

From the cliffs we had a good overview over the surf and regularly could see dolphins surfing the waves, Steamer ducks with their tiny chicks, lots of penguins continuously coming and going.

The last nights we spent at the accommodation at the Rookery. From here we had direct access to large Albatross colonies and many Rock Hopper colonies. The scenery here is stunning and offers great photo possibilities with the wide-angle lens. The Rock Hoppers and Albatrosses are not shy and with some patience a lot is possible in this part of the island. The Caracaras and Skuas constantly patrolled the Rock Hopper colonies, trying to snatch an egg or freshly hatched chick. This was rather cruel to see, but nature is cruel.

The Rock Hoppers have their fixed route from the sea, up the cliffs, to their colonies. At one of the colonies there is fresh water running down the cliffs. Here the Rock Hoppers stop to take a shower and therefore it is called “the penguin shower”. It is hilarious to see these penguins stand in queue, waiting for their turn to take a shower.

The area around the Rookery is full with Black browed Albatross colonies. Also here there were some great photo opportunities with the wide angle lens. And in the evening when the sun was low above the horizon, the light just hit perfectly!

We had hoped to fly straight to New Island from Saunders Island. But due to unfavorable winds, it wasn’t possible to land at New Island. We had to head back to Stanley for a night at our “home base” hotel before being able to fly to New Island.

​New Island

This place truly feels like the edge of the world: windswept, isolated, and shaped entirely by the power of the Southern Ocean. For a wildlife photographer, it is a destination that demands patience, flexibility, and a deep respect for nature. Reaching New Island is already an adventure in itself. The island has an extremely short runway, and flights are only possible when wind direction and strength are absolutely right. Even then, landings are never guaranteed. Weather changes quickly in the Falklands, and delays or last-minute cancellations are common. We were lucky that we only needed to wait 24 hours for the winds to improve. The landing on New Island was incredible. From the airplane we could see this tiny landing strip with water at the start and a hill at the end. It became clear why the winds need to be absolutely perfect for an airplane to land here. The pilots are very skilled and are familiar with each landing strip. Even though there was almost no space, the landing was smooth and we were happy to set foot on land again.

My stay on New Island was split between two very different locations. I spent the first nights at the settlement, which offered a comfortable base and access to several nearby wildlife colonies. From here, I photographed Rockhopper Penguins fighting the strong currents and big waves, while trying to get ashore to reach their colonies. Also the Long Tailed Meadowlarks are abundant around the settlement and gave us plenty of good photo chances.

New Island has the highest number of nesting Caracaras of the Falkland Islands. They can be seen literally everywhere and most of them are not shy at all. The reason for such high numbers of Caracaras, is that New Island has the highest number of nesting Prions on the Falkland Islands. They estimate that there are two million breeding pairs on the island. Prions are only night active and live in small sand caves under the ground. The Caracaras are very skilled in finding these caves and digging the Prions out for a quick snack. Several times we could witness and photograph this.

The remaining nights I spent in the cabin on the north side of the island. In this cabin it really felt like I was at the end of the world. With Gentoo colonies right in front of the door, a pair of Caracaras nesting against the cabin, Magellanic penguins nesting almost underneath the cabin, Skuas and Turkey Vultures soaring through the sky looking for a snack, sea lions patrolling the coast hunting for penguins, it is a truly wild place! A short walk up the hill from the cabin brought us to Rock Hopper and Albatross colonies on top of stunning cliffs. It felt like paradise.

When we wanted to leave again, the winds didn’t want to play ball. We were stuck for an additional 4 days on the Island. Sadly, this meant that we couldn’t visit Sealion Island before heading home. But we had 4 extra days of photography on New Island, a destination on the wish list of many photographers. Most visitors to the Falkland Islands don’t travel to New Island, due to the insecurity of when it is possible to travel to and from this location. But this Island truly is a wildlife photographer’s dream destination! If you ever travel to the Falklands and you have plenty of time, then I highly recommend you to visit New Island. But if you are on a tight schedule, then you better avoid this place, as it most likely will mess up your travel plans.

In November/December 2026 I will travel back to the Falkland Islands for a two-week photography adventure. I will bring a small group along, to show this wildlife photography paradise. We will visit Kidney Cove, Volunteer point, Saunders Island and Sealion Island. Sealion Island I didn’t get to visit last time due to us getting stranded on New Island. But this island is a famous wildlife photography destination, as it is one of the crown jewels of the Falkland Islands, offers an unforgettable wildlife photography experience. It is home to vast colonies of southern elephant seals and playful South American sea lions, both of which can be observed up close. The island is also a critical breeding ground for the endangered striated caracara and hosts colonies of Rockhoppers, Gentoos and Magellanic penguins and also the stunning Black browed Albatross. This abundance of marine life also attracts killer whales, which patrol the coastline in search of prey. As New Island brings too much uncertainties, we won’t visit it during the tour.

You can find all the details about the 2026 Falkland Islands photo tour here. We still have a few last spots remaining.