Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory in South America. Stanley, the biggest town there, is not counting more than 2,000 inhabitants. The hitchhiking conditions for this part of the world seem to be rather bad, but there are chances to get around for free. Don't hesitate to try it!

Get in
When entering, you have to show that you have a return ticket, accommodation and enough money to cover your expenses. You need to pay a departure tax of £20 when you are leaving the islands from Mount Pleasant Airport. You don't need a visa if you are citizen of Britain, North America, the Mercosur countries, Chile, and most Commonwealth countries and the European Community.

By plane
Mount Pleasant airport (MPN) is the airport where most international flights arrive. It is also a military base at the same time. There's a weekly flight from Santiago de Chile also stopping in Punta Arenas (CL) and Rio Gallegos (AR) by LanChile. Flights from Europe for commercial passengers are operated by the UK Royal Air Force. These flights last 18 hours, start in RAF Brize Norton, in the south east of England and have a stop on Ascension Island.

The airport is 56km (35 miles) from Stanley. Tourists arriving at the airport usually either take a shuttle bus or a taxi to Stanley.

By boat
Large cruise ships are coming to the Port of Stanley in summer. Some of them also stop at other islands where landing will be done using small inflatable boats.

Get around
There's a regular ferry between New Haven to Port Howard.

You can expect only the roads in Stanley to be paved. The other roads are not paved and can be in a shape that requires an off-road vehicle.

Between the islands
Public planes for travelling between islands are operated by Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS). They can take eight passengers and the pilot. Reservations are required for normal passengers. Fares can be ~£50 for the longest distance and baggage limit is 14kg (you need to pay £0.60 per additional kilogram).

There is no regular boat service between the islands. An island's owner can charge per-person landing fees.

Else
There are bed and breakfasts in Stanley. Camping needs permission of the landowner.

Not all the mines from the 1982 Falkland War have been cleared. It is absolutely not likely that a usual visitor will encounter one. There were no harmful landmine incidents with civilians since the end of the conflict. Maps can be obtained at the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) office in Stanley.


 * Official Tourism Website Of The Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands