Falkland Islands

This new, thoroughly updated third edition of Bradt's Falkland Islands remains the only detailed and wide-ranging standalone travel guidebook to this British Overseas Territory and is ideal for independent, cruise-ship and tour-group visitors alike. It includes all recent information needed for a smooth trip, including on restaurants and hotels in Stanley, conservation issues, wildlife-watching trips, history and how to explore beyond the capital. The main islands - East and West Falkland - are covered, as are the smaller Bleaker, Kidney, Sea Lion, Pebble, New, West Point, Carcass, Saunders, Keppel, Weddell, Staats and Beaver islands. Situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, over 500 km from South America, the Falkland Islands are one of the world's truly wild places, full of unspoilt scenery and wide vistas. A photographer's delight and a must-visit location for those interested in the wild outdoors, the islands are home to major populations of albatrosses, penguins, dolphins, seals and other wildlife plus 3,600 people. It's not all about penguins, though, as the islands' spectacular scenery, comfortable accommodation, good wholesome British food and welcoming people create a wonderful place to visit. The thriving city of Stanley gives way to the wild open spaces of camp (rural areas) with its scattered settlements, long sandy beaches, isolated islands and rocky outcrops. History enthusiasts will be in their element, visiting sites ranging from the islands' first British settlement to areas that were significant during the 1982 war. With Bradt's Falkland Islands you can plan how to fly between islands, drive across the camp in a 4x4 vehicle, visit multiple penguin colonies (where these charismatic birds behave as if you are not there), sample smoko (a wide range of cakes and biscuits, served during a morning or afternoon tea break), watch black-browed albatrosses at their nest, be investigated by 'Johnny Rooks' (curious birds of prey), spot dolphins in the shallows, visit the magnificent collection of artefacts from around the islands at Stanley's Historic Dockyard Museum and learn from local residents about life in this wildest of places. Whatever your interest, this is the essential guide for a successful trip.

Originally from South Wales, but settled in the Isles of Scilly since 1981, Will Wagstaff (islandwildlifetours.co.uk) has been visiting the Falkland Islands on a regular basis since 1994, having originally stepped in for an ill tour leader at the last minute. He has been visiting regularly ever since, collectively spending over a year in total exploring swathes of the Falklands from the smallest uninhabited islands via isolated settlements to the 'metropolis' of Stanley. Recent work as a naturalist guide aboard expedition cruise ships has also taken him to additional remote, little-explored areas. Passionate about all aspects of wildlife and about communicating his love of nature makes the Falklands a perfect place for Wagstaff to work - and to write about. Whether watching albatrosses flying into and out of their colonies or admiring charismatic penguins, he is forever enthralled by this magical location.