Because we didn´t see  King Penguins in Antarctica, we decided to fly to the Falkland Islands to try our luck.  The treeless, windswept landscape reminded us of northern Scotland.

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Our first night was at Darwin Settlement (population 5) where we enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal.

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The following day we flew in a 7 passenger Islander aircraft to Saunders Island (population 7) with strong gusty winds blowing.  We were driven to the other side of the island by 4 wheel drive and left alone for a 2 day stay in a little self catering cottage to enjoy the wildlife.

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We were not disappointed.  Our first King Penguin was a vagrant, towering over a group of Magellans.  On a clifftop walk, we spotted hundreds of Black Browed Albatross (wing span 2 metres) soaring overhead, and on closer inspection discovered fluffy fat chicks perched on exposed nests, waiting for a feed.

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Further along was a huge colony of Rockhopper Penguins with curious tufts of hair on their heads.  They were also returning to their nests with food for their fluffy brown chicks.  We  spent all day exploring the rugged coastline, teeming with wildlife and we had it all to ourselves.  Dinner was a lamb stew that we  made from ingredients bought at the farm.

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