Recommend February 2012 - (Page 27)

Located 288 miles from the Patagonia coastline, the Falkland Islands are a rarity—bucolic and pastoral in one breath and wild and untamed the next. The next morning, after a wonderful dinner the night before, the McPhees loaded us up and we headed off for the dirt landing strip for our first trip on the government service aircraft for our next leg, Bleaker Island, but not before the McPhees weighed me and my luggage to ensure the 7-seat, twin engine aircraft didn’t plunge into the sea thanks to my ample posterior. That’s the inter-island transport here, it brings tourists, mail and other small supplies to settlements around the islands. And it’s no little task, either. The settlements ensure the runways are clear of debris, a wind sock is deployed, radio communication is employed between the aircraft and the settlement and two people from the settlement are always on hand with a small fire truck coupled to their 4x4s or Land Rovers when the aircraft land or take-off. En-route to Bleaker, we flew over some of the most beautiful scenery found anywhere, as we did on each leg of the flights to the various settlements—miles and miles of unspoiled fjords, estuaries, hills and small mountains, all breathtakingly beautiful and visual reminders of the naked stark beauty of the Falklands. And as you descend and circle the waiting dirt landing strips before fluttering into a landing, you get a taste of what’s waiting for you at your next stop. In this case, it’s Bleaker and the island owners Mike and Phyll Rendell whose settlement sits in the center of a beautiful island ringed by virgin white sandy beaches and neat little sheltered coves. A working farm, the focus here is on 1,000 sheep, but also on Hereford cattle, with an emphasis on sustainable, organic farming utilizing non-fertilized winter fodder. Charles Darwin left his footprint here in 1834 when he participated in a survey aboard the famed Beagle. The facilities are impeccable, including their new 4-bedroom cottage Cassard, with beautiful wooden floors, spacious bedrooms, and a large living area with flat-screen TV and leather sofas and chairs that serve up to eight visitors. There’s also a spacious kitchen with all the necessaries, WiFi, a dining area, solar-powered under-floor heating and hot water and a bbq facility. The nearby Cobb’s Cottage sleeps up to five in three bedrooms. Full board accommodation is available or your clients can bring their own. Mike met us at the landing strip and gave us an orientation tour around the island, pointing out where one can find four species of penguin—Magellanic, southern Rockhopper, Macaroni and Gentoo—that inhabit the island, as well as imperial cormorants, ruddy headed geese and a variety of small bird species. The Big Pond area is paradise for bird lovers because it’s home to the Chiloe wigeon, silvery- and whitetufted grebes, black necked swans, and speckled and silver teals, as well as occasional visits by the flying steamer duck. The managers—Elaine and Robert Short—keep the operation running and Elaine is there to ensure your packed lunch is ready, the facilities are kept immaculate and pretty much ensure your stay is going to be a memorable one. In addition to being a working farm, this is a professionally run tourism operation and guests fill their days with hiking, wildlife viewing and photography, all aided by the Rendells with a wealth of knowledge about the Falklands, with Mike, the long-time previous owner of The Malvina House Hotel in Stanley, and Phyll, a recent retiree of the Falklands government. It’s an elegant operation and the Rendells are gracious, warm and friendly hosts. Next morning, it’s back on the 7-seater to Sea Lion Island and the country’s only Natural Nature Reserve, established last year, which means all sheep were removed, fences taken down and only natural species allowed and there’s plenty of those. It’s also home to the only purpose-built tourism resort, the Sea Lion Lodge, where we enjoyed a 2-night stay in impeccable accommodations with three delicious meals a day, an honor bar, WiFi and daily excursions around the island, plus plenty of time to explore on foot, with a relatively flat landscape that makes for easy trekking. It’s hosted by Jenny Luxton, lodge manager and manager of the reserve itself. This is an area that offers the most diverse wildlife viewing you’ll find on the Falklands. There’s a clearly defined hiking route that takes you to specific areas where you’ll find the varied penguin species, sea lions and elephant seals. The sea lions ensconce themselves at the base of a cliff with the females and youngsters, growling and boisterous like combatants in the World Wrestling Federation—huge, hairy and testosterone-filled bulls that take the cute out of Disney movie look-alikes. At Elephant Bay, the southern elephant seals are no less impressive, enormous lumbering creatures that lie on the beach like massive driftwood until they get up to stretch or plunge into the water after a nap. Killer whales patrol offshore waiting for an errant penguin or pup for a snack, although we didn’t see any come close. King penguins are a treat, though, with their stately manner standing straight, tall and imperious, as though waiting for you to bend the knee and honor them as the royal they apparently assume to be. Next afternoon, we flew off for a very brief 1-night stay at Saunders Island, hosted by David and Suzan Pole Evans, owners of the island, for a brief self-catering stay that’s popular with naturalists and nature photographers. The appeal here is the Neck, which you access via a spine twisting, lumpy ride in a Land Rover that’s well worth the ride as it’s a breathtaking coastal area rich with black-browed albatross that offer an unforgettable flight show, swooping and twisting through the bright blue sky, as well as a colony of southern rock hopper penguins that you can watch for hours. Smallest of the Falkland penguins, with colorful, stringy crowns on their heads, they emerge from the ocean, heads bent, flippers held back and trudge inland like serious-minded medieval bishops. february 2012 27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend February 2012

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: The Lodge at Woodloch
Tour Talk: Swain Tours
Celebrity Silhouette
Savoring the Zulu Kingdom
The Falkland Islands-Nature's Last Stand
Asia
One Bal Harbour, Florida
Las Vegas Spa Retreats
Beaver Creek Lodge, Colorado
Bliss Springs Eternal at Esperanza
The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun
Time to "Czech" Out Moravia
Caribbean Uber-Luxe

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