What travellers wrote after their own day ashore, in their own words, alongside every operator’s published rating. Prices and what each fare covers sit with the Falkland Islands guided tours.
These are travellers’ accounts of the day they booked. The mixed ones stay: a four-star saying Gypsy Cove is not Volunteer Point, a three-star whose tender landed too late, and a beach closed by bird flu tell you more about the choice than another line of praise would.
★★★★★
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
About two hours to the colony, and the last hour was proper four-wheeling across open fields and bog. The kings stole the show, thousands of them with fluffy brown juveniles, and the gentoo colony beside them was a bonus.
Raquel D. · Two travellers · January 2026
★★★★★
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
We had seen penguins from a distance in Antarctica, but this is what completed the trip. After recent rain the track was very muddy, and our driver picked his way round the worst of it with real care.
Crystal Z. · Cruise passenger · January 2026
★★★★☆
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
The penguins were wonderful and the ride out was an adventure. On the way back the brakes began to fail and we were kept in the same vehicle, which was a worry.
Janice R. · Traveller · March 2025
★★★★★
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
The off-road section is an experience rather than an ordeal; the vehicles are built for it. White sand, turquoise water and thousands of penguins, and we were back in plenty of time for the last tender.
Caroline P. · Cruise passenger · January 2026
★★★★★
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
Friends on other penguin tours needed binoculars. We were close enough that we did not, with thousands of birds around us.
Kent H. · Traveller · February 2026
★★★★★
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
We were just grateful the ship got into Stanley at all. It is a long drive and we were soaked through, but seeing the kings with their chicks was worth all of it.
Sharon G. · Cruise passenger · March 2025
★★★★★
Falkland Islands Shared Tour Sightseeing with Penguins
A sunny, windy morning and a downpour in the afternoon, so pack waterproofs. Our guide and driver were sixth- and fifth-generation Falklanders; plenty of gentoos at Yorke Bay, fewer Magellanic penguins at Gypsy Cove.
Gaynor P. · Traveller · February 2026
★★★★☆
Falkland Islands Shared Tour Sightseeing with Penguins
Far cheaper than the ship's own excursion, and we saw three kinds of penguin, though fewer than I had hoped. Friends on the ship's tour saw more and paid a good deal more; two short walks, one over sand, then a drive round Stanley.
David M. · Cruise passenger · February 2026
★★★★☆
Falkland Islands Shared Tour Sightseeing with Penguins
The operator could not have done more, and we did see penguins, a king among them. But if the kings are why you came, spend the money on Volunteer Point; Gypsy Cove is not the same thing.
Diane W. · Traveller · March 2026
★★★★★
Falkland Islands Shared Tour Sightseeing with Penguins
Dress warmer than you think: fifty degrees felt like thirty in the wind. About half the price of the ship's tour, and back with hours to spare before all aboard.
Brian W. · Cruise passenger · February 2026
★★★★★
Falkland Islands Shared Tour Sightseeing with Penguins
Our guide and driver looked after the slower walkers without holding anyone else up. When our cruise itinerary moved us a day earlier, the booking was sorted without fuss.
Angela S. · Cruise passenger · March 2026
★★★★★
Bertha’s Beach & Beyond - Your Falklands, Your Way!
Our guide was a native of the Falkland Islands who doubled as a wildlife warden on the beach, friendly but firm about the distances. He shaped the tour to our group, and the tea and his mother's cake kept us going.
Chitra D. · Small group · February 2026
★★★★★
Bertha’s Beach & Beyond - Your Falklands, Your Way!
The best part was being on the beach with the penguins with only our four and the guide. We were close, respectfully, and took as long as we liked at each stop.
Lynn S. · Group of four · February 2024
★★★★★
Bertha’s Beach & Beyond - Your Falklands, Your Way!
Our guide was waiting when we came off the ship. Take a camera and dress for the weather: it can be very different at Bertha's Beach from Stanley, and we were back in good time to look round town.
Mark R. · Cruise passenger · January 2020
★★★★★
Bertha’s Beach & Beyond - Your Falklands, Your Way!
There is a lot of driving, and our guide's stories made it pass quickly. A small car problem cost us only a few minutes on an otherwise excellent day.
Darrell H. · Traveller · December 2024
★★★★★
Gentoo Penguin Colony Falklands Tour with Transportation
About an hour and a half against three-plus for the others, which suited a short cruise stop. Through town, out past the airport, plenty of penguin time and the shipwreck on the way back.
Scott H. · Cruise passenger · February 2026
★★★☆☆
Gentoo Penguin Colony Falklands Tour with Transportation
Our tender landed us after ten and the tour had already gone; the next one was at four. The tour itself was good, but the long wait wore us out, and a start time at booking would have let us plan around the tenders.
Robert C. · Cruise passengers in their seventies · January 2026
★★★★★
Gentoo Penguin Colony Falklands Tour with Transportation
Loads of penguins close up and plenty of birds, from a 4x4 carrying six at most. Our guide even added an extra stop at no charge.
Barry Q. · Traveller · January 2026
★★★★★
Private Penguin Paradise Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley
Our guide made sure our two-year-old had a wonderful time, and stopped whenever my husband, a keen birder, wanted a photograph. Two locations, big gentoo colonies and home-made snacks.
Lea M. · Family with a toddler · March 2023
★★★☆☆
Private Penguin Paradise Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley
Bertha's Beach was closed because bird flu was killing chicks, and we were told in advance. The replacement stops were good, but the day ran five hours rather than eight at the same price, and lunch at the lighthouse was cold and windy.
Christine W. · Group of four · February 2023
★★★★★
Private Penguin Paradise Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley
Getting ashore in the Falkland Islands depends on the weather, and ours cut the day short when the ship called everyone back early. We still got to Bertha's Beach first, with hundreds of gentoos and their chicks.
Tim H. · Cruise passenger · February 2026
★★★★★
Private Penguin Paradise Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley
Our eight-year-old grandson had a Falkland Islands activity book and coloured pencils for the drive. We had as long as we wanted at Bertha's Beach and Gypsy Cove.
Ginger E. · Grandparents with a grandson · March 2025
★★★★★
Private Falkland Island Tour Gypsy Cove Cape Pembroke and Stanley
A private tour for my husband and me and one other cruise passenger. We saw the two sea lions by the lighthouse, reached a spot the tour buses cannot, and still had time to shop in Stanley afterwards.
Ana R. · Couple · February 2026
★★★★★
Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands
Our second time on this Falklands trip with the same company, and just as good. Walking among the penguins, and the four-wheeling out to Volunteer Point and back, made the day.
Tom M. · Repeat visitor · February 2026
★★★★★
Private Falkland Island Tour Gypsy Cove Cape Pembroke and Stanley
Three kinds of penguin, a lot of birds and Commerson's dolphins. Our guide was patient and knew the peninsula well.
Anna A. · Traveller · February 2026
★★★★★
Private Coastal Gems Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley
My daughters, four and seven, loved every minute. The sandwiches and small touches showed how much care went into the day.
Angel H. · Family with young children · January 2024
★★★★★
Private Falklands Guided Eco Nature Tour
A properly custom day: we chose what to focus on and were never rushed at a stop. The home-made lunch was excellent, and there was even a detour to the shop when we asked.
Robb B. · Traveller · January 2026
★★★★★
Private Shackleton and Wildlife Tour in the Falkland Islands
We toured with the explorer credited with finding Shackleton's Endurance, who was passionate about the discovery. We came away with a copy of his book.
Debra B. · Traveller · January 2026
★★★★★
Let the Bertha’s Beach Penguins Make You Smile
Asked in advance what sandwich filling we wanted, met early on the jetty, and driven a route that kept us clear of other groups. Plenty of penguins, and dolphins too.
Anna J. · Traveller · March 2026
★★★★★
Falkland Islands Wildlife & Stanley Highlights Tour
Informative and friendly, and an honest picture of the islands. Our guide lent a steadying arm on the walk down to the penguins.
Diane P. · Traveller · March 2026
★★★★★
Kelp Point - Private 4x4 Tour - Elephant Seals and Penguins
Like being inside a nature programme, with nobody else there but us and the guide.
Sarah B. · Traveller · March 2026
★★★★★
Whale Point to See Penguins and Elephant Seals
Close to the penguins and to enormous elephant seals, and well organised from the first message. More private and far cheaper than the ship's excursion.
David G. · Cruise passenger · December 2025
★★★★★
1982 War Memorials and Points of Interest in Falkland Islands
Our guide took us to every place we asked for, knew the islands and their history in depth, drove well and brought very good snacks.
Pablo N. · Traveller · February 2025
★★★★★
Kelp Point 4x4 Elephant Seals and Gentoos Falklands Tour
The driver and the vehicle were the best part. The road was muddy and rough, and that was all part of the fun.
Barbara H. · Traveller · January 2026
Reviewer after reviewer mentions a fifth-, sixth- or seventh-generation Falklander at the wheel. Sharon and Kapps on the shared shore tour, Dan, Fran and Peter at Bertha's Beach, Jimmy's drivers at Volunteer Point, Roxy on the Penguin Paradise day: the day is described through the person.
Cake, flapjack, shortbread and home-made sandwiches come up on almost every private and small-group day. It is the detail people mention right after the penguins.
At Bertha's Beach and Volunteer Point travellers describe penguins a few metres away. At Gypsy Cove, the Magellanic penguins are fewer and further off; the lower ratings on the shorter tours are almost all about distance, never about the guide.
Fifty degrees that felt like thirty, rain in the afternoon after a bright morning, a ship that called everyone back early, a ship that could not land at all. Pack for the wind and read the cancellation terms before you pay.
About two hours each way by the reviewers’ account, the last stretch off-road across bog and pasture. Most loved it; a few found it long; one described failing brakes on the way home.
These figures are the operators’ own, published on their booking listings and shown here as they stand. They belong to the operators, not to us. One fare is priced per group of up to four rather than per person, and the last column says so.
| Tour | Rating | Reviews | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Point in Falkland Islands | 4.8 | 223 | From $398 per person |
| Falkland Islands Shared Tour Sightseeing with Penguins | 4.7 | 143 | From $137 per person |
| Bertha’s Beach & Beyond - Your Falklands, Your Way! | 4.9 | 80 | From $410 per person |
| Private Penguin Paradise Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley | 4.8 | 42 | From $565 per person |
| Gentoo Penguin Colony Falklands Tour with Transportation | 4.8 | 26 | From $40 per person |
| Let the Bertha’s Beach Penguins Make You Smile | 4.9 | 20 | From $379 per person |
| Private Falkland Island Tour Gypsy Cove Cape Pembroke and Stanley | 5.0 | 11 | From $379 per person |
| Kelp Point - Private 4x4 Tour - Elephant Seals and Penguins | 5.0 | 10 | From $444 per person |
| Private Falklands Guided Eco Nature Tour | 5.0 | 9 | From $333 per person |
| Private Coastal Gems Tour: Penguins, Scenery & Stanley | 5.0 | 8 | From $537 per person |
| Private Shackleton and Wildlife Tour in the Falkland Islands | 5.0 | 7 | From $379 per person |
| 1982 War Memorials and Points of Interest in Falkland Islands | 5.0 | 3 | From $1,102 per group, up to 4 |
| Whale Point to See Penguins and Elephant Seals | 5.0 | 3 | From $448 per person |
| Falkland Islands Wildlife & Stanley Highlights Tour | 5.0 | 2 | From $133 per person |
| Kelp Point 4x4 Elephant Seals and Gentoos Falklands Tour | 5.0 | 1 | From $482 per person |
Two of the elephant seal tours go to Kelp Point and a third to Whale Point, which the tourist board says is the same beach under another name. Which private days go where is on private tours, and the farm beach itself on Bertha's Beach tours.
Read the practical detail on visiting the Falklands, weigh the choices in the guides, then compare what each fare covers on Falkland Islands Tours.