Falkland Islands
Wildlife enthusiasts who want multiple penguin species, abundant wildlife, and Aurora Australis in a genuinely remote setting
The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic at 51.7°S — one of the world's last genuinely remote sub-Antarctic destinations and a wildlife spectacle of extraordinary richness. Five penguin species breed here: king, gentoo, Magellanic, rockhopper, and macaroni — the Falklands hold the world's largest gentoo penguin population with 120,000 pairs. Southern sea lions, elephant seals, albatross, and striated caracara (Johnny rooks) complete one of the southern hemisphere's most abundant wildlife experiences. The Aurora Australis is visible from the Falklands on clear winter nights from April through September — at 51.7°S the aurora is less frequent and intense than from South Georgia or Antarctica, but still spectacular during periods of high solar activity. Stanley, the capital, has a distinctive feel — British institutions (red postboxes, The Upland Goose pub) in a sub-Antarctic landscape. The 1982 war with Argentina is present throughout — rusting Argentine military equipment remains where it fell, and the conflict's memorials and cemeteries are sombrely powerful. Logistics are challenging but improving with South America connections.