Southern elephant seals haul out on the beach at Kelp Point, on Fitzroy Farm near Mount Pleasant Airport, and these are the tours that take you to them. The tourist board says Kelp Point is also known as Whale Point, for the whale bones on its beach, so every tour below reaches the same colony. You travel by 4x4 and are away four to six and a half hours, with lunch in the fare.
Your own 4x4 and guide for six and a half hours: an hour at a gentoo colony, then an hour with the elephant seals at Kelp Point. Lunch and hot drinks are included, and nobody else joins your party.
From $444 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Leave the jetty at 9:15 with up to fifteen others, cross Fitzroy Farm by 4x4 and spend an hour with the seals and gentoos at Kelp Point. Lunch, fees and taxes are covered; children from five join with an adult.
From $482 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two hours at Whale Point, the longest stay with the seals you can book, among elephant seals and gentoo and Magellanic penguins. Lunch, hot drinks and all fees are included, for up to twelve. Confirm your pickup: the start is listed as the airport.
From $448 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A 4x4 across Fitzroy Farm, an hour or two with the seals and the gentoos, and lunch in the fare. Choose your own vehicle or a small group.
Check availabilityIt is a 4x4 day out of Stanley to Kelp Point on Fitzroy Farm, where Southern elephant seals haul out on the beach. The tourist board says it plainly: Kelp Point is also known as Whale Point, for the whale bones found on its beach. So whichever name your tour carries, you are going to the same colony.
You leave the jetty, drive out towards Mount Pleasant Airport, and cross the farm partly off-road. You get an hour or two with the seals, gentoo penguins on the same day, and lunch before you head back. If you are weighing this against the shorter penguin tours in the Falkland Islands, the difference is the seals and the hours.
No tour near Stanley promises you elephant seals. These days do, and they give you real time with them: an hour at Kelp Point on both Kelp Point days, and two hours at Whale Point. You watch the seals from your 6 metres, lying on the kelp or calling across the sand.
You are not trading penguins for seals. The private day adds an hour at a gentoo colony, the small-group day finds gentoos at the point itself, and Whale Point adds Magellanic penguins to the gentoos.
Part of the route is off the road, across open farmland, and the vehicles are built for it. If you like a bumpy ride, you will enjoy it; if you have a bad back or are pregnant, it is not advised.
Each elephant seal tour includes lunch, and two add hot drinks. The landowner's charge is covered too, so you pay nothing extra on the day.
The private Kelp Point day, at $444 per person, is the lowest fare you can pay for the seals. The small-group day is $482 and Whale Point $448.
Your alternative is a shorter penguin tour to Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove. Here is what you gain and give up.
| Elephant seal tour | Penguin tour near Stanley | |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife | Southern elephant seals and gentoos; Magellanic penguins at Whale Point | Gentoos at Yorke Bay, Magellanic penguins at Gypsy Cove |
| Where | Kelp Point, also called Whale Point, on Fitzroy Farm | Cape Pembroke peninsula, 6.5 km from Stanley |
| Getting there | 4x4, part of it off-road | Road, then short walks over sand |
| Day length | 4 to 6.5 hours | 1 hour to 2 h 40 |
| Time with the wildlife | 1 to 2 hours at the colony | 35 minutes to 1 hour |
| Lunch | Included on every one | Not included |
| Price per person | $444 to $482 | $40 to $137 |
| Best for | Wildlife lovers with a long port call | Short calls and first-time penguin watchers |
Check availability — From $444
If you only have a morning ashore, take the penguins near Stanley and you will be back in town by lunch. If you have most of the day and want an animal you will not see anywhere else on a port call, the elephant seals are worth your extra hours.
Every elephant seal tour reaches the same beach, so you choose by who travels with you, how long you stay and where you start.
| If you want | Choose | Time at the colony | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own vehicle, and a gentoo colony first | The private Kelp Point day | 1 hour | From $444 |
| A shared 4x4 from the jetty at 9:15 | The small-group Kelp Point day | 1 hour | From $482 |
| The longest stay with the seals | The Whale Point day | 2 hours | From $448 |
Check availability — From $448
You get a 4x4 across the farm, lunch, the landowner's charge and an hour or two with the seals. The private day and Whale Point add tea or coffee, and the small-group day includes all fees and taxes in an air-conditioned vehicle.
You don’t get a smooth road, since part of the drive is off-road, or wheelchair access on any of them. King penguins are not part of these days; you will find them at Volunteer Point.
Check where your Whale Point day starts. Its listing names Mount Pleasant Airport as the start, 52 km from the jetty, while both Kelp Point days leave from the Jetty Visitor Centre. Send your ship and tender times when you book and confirm your pickup, or read getting from the jetty to the airport first.
You need most of a port day for this one. Check your all-aboard time, allow for the tender, and pick the length that leaves you a margin.
Private or small group, lunch included, and back before all-aboard. You can cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availabilityYou can see where the point sits on the map of the visitor sites, check the season on Falklands weather by month, and find every tour from the jetty on Falkland Islands Tours.