Gypsy Cove or Bertha's Beach: Which Falkland Islands Penguin Beach?
The short answer. Choose Gypsy Cove if you have a short call or a tight budget. It is a free public reserve 6.5 km from Stanley, with Magellanic penguins in burrows and gentoos next door at Yorke Bay. Choose Bertha's Beach if you have four hours or more and want time with a gentoo colony on a white Ramsar beach. It is on Fitzroy Farm, about an hour's drive out, and the landowner charges for access.
These are the two penguin beaches most cruise passengers choose between. They are both good. They just suit different days. Every tour to either is on the private tours in the Falkland Islands, and this post helps you pick the beach first.
Gypsy Cove and Bertha's Beach side by side
Here are the differences that decide it for most people.
| Gypsy Cove (with Yorke Bay) | Bertha's Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 6.5 km (4 miles) from Stanley | Fitzroy Farm, near Mount Pleasant, about an hour's drive |
| Who runs it | Public: the Cape Pembroke peninsula National Nature Reserve | Private farmland, with the landowner's permission |
| Access charge | None; open at all times | Yes; figure not published, included in tour fares |
| Penguins | Magellanic in burrows; gentoos at Yorke Bay | Gentoos and Magellanic penguins |
| Other wildlife | Night herons, oystercatchers, steamer ducks, geese; sea lions now and then | South American terns, the flightless steamer duck, Commerson's and Peale's dolphins, sea lions |
| Status | National nature reserve | Important Bird Area and Ramsar site |
| Tour length | 2 h 30 to 2 h 40 on a shared tour | 4 to 6 hours |
| Shared fare | $133 to $137 per person | $379 per person, eight at most |
What you see at Gypsy Cove
Gypsy Cove is the most accessible wildlife site from Stanley. It is part of the Cape Pembroke peninsula National Nature Reserve, and it is open at all times. You look down from a path on Magellanic penguins nesting in burrows. Remember they are summer birds, and easiest to see in the early evening.
The birdlife is rich for such a short trip. Falklands Conservation lists 24 species ashore and three more out to sea. You may see night herons, oystercatchers, steamer ducks and geese, and now and then sea lions. On Ordnance Point you can find the remains of Second World War guns.
Next door, Yorke Bay has the gentoos. Most tours visit both. The shared Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove tour gives you forty minutes with the gentoos and thirty above the burrows, in two hours forty.
What you see at Bertha's Beach
Bertha's Beach is on Fitzroy Farm, near Mount Pleasant Airport. It takes its name from the shipwrecked barque Bertha. It is an Important Bird Area and a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance.
The draw is gentoos on open white sand, with Magellanic penguins too. You may also see South American terns, the flightless steamer duck, and Commerson's and Peale's dolphins close in. More than 80 plant species grow here, five of them endemic.
It feels different because it is quieter and further out. On the private Bertha’s Beach day you get two hours on the sand with your own guide. One group of four wrote that the best part was being on the beach with only their party and the guide.
💡 Did You Know? Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay were the last two beaches in the Falklands to be cleared of mines, before the islands were declared mine-free on 14 November 2020.
What each one costs you
Gypsy Cove is free to enter. You can even walk there from Stanley; the tourist board calls it “an interesting walk”, and small buses run on busy cruise days. A tour saves your legs and adds Yorke Bay. The Gypsy Cove and Stanley highlights tour gives you a full hour at the cove for $133.
Bertha's Beach is private land. The landowner charges for access and publishes no figure. Every tour that goes there includes the charge in its fare. You cannot simply turn up; you need permission, which the tour arranges for you.
What each one costs in time
This is usually what decides it. A Gypsy Cove tour keeps you under three hours from the jetty. A Bertha's Beach day keeps you four to six. Before you book, check your all-aboard time and the last tender.
The weather can differ too. One traveller noted that it can be very different at Bertha's Beach from Stanley, so dress for both.
Farm beaches can close. Bertha's Beach is on working farmland, and in February 2023 one family found it closed because bird flu was killing chicks. Their tour ran elsewhere. If your whole trip rests on one beach, book a tour with free cancellation, and look at the Bertha's Beach tours for days that also include Gypsy Cove.
Can you go on your own?
To Gypsy Cove, yes. It is a public reserve, open at all times, and you can walk from town or take one of the small buses on a busy cruise day. Tenders land in front of the Jetty Visitor Centre, so you start from the waterfront.
To Bertha's Beach, not really. It lies about 8 km southeast of Mount Pleasant Airport, and the airport alone is about 52 km from Stanley. You need a vehicle and permission from the farm's tourism coordinator, and charges may apply. A tour solves all three.
If you do visit both, scrub your boots in between. Falklands Conservation asks every visitor to clean footwear between wildlife sites, as a biosecurity measure.
Do both in one day
You do not have to choose, if your ship's hours allow a five-hour tour. Three days cover both beaches:
- The small-group Bertha’s Beach day: an hour at Bertha's Beach and half an hour each at Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove, eight people at most, $379 a person.
- The private Eco Nature day: an hour at Bertha's Beach and forty-five minutes at Gypsy Cove, with lunch, $333 a person.
- Private Penguin Paradise: an hour at Bertha's Beach, an hour at Yorke Bay and half an hour at Gypsy Cove, with lunch, $565 a person.
All three include the Bertha's Beach charge. The trade is a longer day and a bigger fare for two very different beaches.
The verdict, by traveller
- Short port call, under four hours: Gypsy Cove and Yorke Bay, without question.
- On a budget: Gypsy Cove. Walk it, or take the shared tour.
- Keen photographers: Bertha's Beach, for two hours of gentoos on open white sand.
- Birders: both. Gypsy Cove for the checklist, Bertha's Beach for the terns and the Ramsar wetland.
- Families with small children: Gypsy Cove, for the shorter drive.
- A full day ashore: do both on one of the days above.
If kings are on your list, neither beach is the answer; that is Volunteer Point, set out in the five penguin species. With children, read the Falklands with kids first. The mine-clearance story is in the Falkland Islands facts post, and the memorials near Stanley are in the 1982 memorials guide. Where each beach sits is on the map, and the private options are on private tours. If you want the longer version of this decision, the species guide and the planning guides go further.
Picked your beach? The first card below does both beaches in one small group, the next two go private to each, and every other option is compared on Falkland Islands Tours.
Tours to Gypsy Cove, Bertha's Beach, or both in one day
Let the Bertha’s Beach Penguins Make You Smile
Bertha's Beach, Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove in one outing, eight people at most.
From $379 per person
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Private Falkland Island Tour Gypsy Cove Cape Pembroke and Stanley
Gypsy Cove, Yorke Bay and Cape Pembroke with your own driver and lunch.
From $379 per person
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Bertha’s Beach & Beyond - Your Falklands, Your Way!
Two hours with the gentoos at Bertha's Beach, private, the access charge included.
From $410 per person
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