Falkland Islands Tours›Falkland Islands Shared Tour Sightseeing with PenguinsUpdated 2026-09-10
Falkland Islands Shared Penguin Tour: Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove
★★★★★ 4.7
(143 traveller reviews)
Yorke Bay & Gypsy CoveMax 15
Two penguin beaches and the landmarks of Stanley in two hours forty, with fifteen people at most. You walk the dunes at Yorke Bay, where the gentoos come ashore, then look down on the Magellanic penguin burrows at Gypsy Cove. On the way you stop at the Lady Elizabeth and pass the cathedral, the Whalebone Arch and the museum. It is the most-reviewed short tour on the list, and it leaves time for Stanley.
Hours, prices and access verified by the Falkland Islands Tours team — last checked 2026-09-10
Forty minutes on the beach where the gentoo penguins walk out of the sea.
Magellanic burrows at Gypsy Cove
Half an hour at the nearest wildlife site to Stanley, in a national nature reserve.
The wreck of the Lady Elizabeth
Ten minutes at the three-masted hulk in Whalebone Cove.
Stanley's landmarks
A drive past Government House, the Whalebone Arch and the museum.
Fifteen people at most
A small bus rather than a coach, so everyone hears the guide.
Back in two hours forty
Time to walk the waterfront, eat, or visit the museum before your tender.
The nearest penguins to the jetty, with a guide
Gypsy Cove is 6.5 km from Stanley and is the most accessible wildlife site from the
capital. It is part of the Cape Pembroke peninsula, a national nature reserve, and Yorke Bay
lies beside it. Both beaches were cleared of the last landmines in 2020, and the fences have
gone.
The tour splits its time the right way round. Yorke Bay gets forty minutes, because the
gentoos are the birds you can watch up close on the sand. Gypsy Cove gets half an hour,
from the paths above the beach, because Magellanic penguins nest in burrows and the paths
keep them intact.
Your guides are islanders, and the drive back through Stanley is where you hear about
life here, often from fifth- and sixth-generation Falklanders. Expect two
short walks, one on a firm track and one over sand.
How the two hours forty run
Meet. At the Falkland Islands Tourist Board's Jetty Visitor Centre, where the tenders land.
Yorke Bay. Forty minutes on the beach with the gentoo penguins.
The wreck. Ten minutes at the Lady Elizabeth in Whalebone Cove.
Through Stanley. Past Government House, the Whalebone Arch and the museum, without stopping.
Gypsy Cove. Thirty minutes above the Magellanic burrows.
Back. To the jetty, two hours forty after you left.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
Your ship is in for a few hours and you want penguins without risk to the tender.
You want two species and a look at Stanley in one booking.
You are fine walking over sand and a rocky track.
You would rather pay a shared fare than a private one.
Book something else if
King penguins are the point: the Volunteer Point day goes to the
islands' largest king colony.
You want the beach to yourselves: the private farm-beach
day gives your party two hours with a gentoo colony.
You have back or heart problems, or cannot walk on sand: the one-hour gentoo colony tour
has less walking and lists most travellers as able to join.
You use a wheelchair: the beaches are not accessible, and
things to do covers the waterfront.
Nothing is listed as excluded; tips are at your discretion
Where it meets
At the Jetty Visitor Centre in Stanley, run by the Falkland Islands Tourist Board,
in front of the pontoons where the tenders land. You will be there the moment you step
ashore.
The tour needs enough travellers to run, and the operator may cancel a very small group;
if so, you are offered another time or a refund through your booking. Every meeting point
is on the map page.
Know before you go
Two short walks, one on a firm track and one over soft sand in the dunes.
Not wheelchair accessible, and not advised for back or heart problems.
Dress for wind. Fifty degrees can feel like thirty on the open beach.
Stay on the paths at Gypsy Cove, where the burrows collapse underfoot.
Keep 6 metres from the penguins, however close they come.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, in full.
What travellers said about the beaches and the guides
★★★★★
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
★★★★☆
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
★★★★★
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.
Yes. Gypsy Cove, 6.5 km from Stanley, has Magellanic penguins nesting in burrows, and Yorke Bay next to it has gentoos. The short shared tours visit both in under three hours.
Bertha's Beach or Gypsy Cove: which is better for penguins?
Gypsy Cove is closer and free: a public reserve 6.5 km from town, with Magellanic penguins in burrows and gentoos next door at Yorke Bay. Bertha's Beach is a gentoo colony on a white-sand Ramsar beach on Fitzroy Farm, about an hour's drive out, with a landowner's charge. Pick Bertha's Beach if you have four hours or more.
How long does a penguin tour take on a cruise day?
From one hour for the gentoo colony near Stanley to about six hours twenty for Volunteer Point. Shared tours to Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove take two and a half to two hours forty, and the private farm-beach days four to six and a half hours. Check your all-aboard time before you pick.
What happens if your cruise ship cannot land in Stanley?
Ships bring passengers ashore by tender, and when the wind stops the tenders there is no landing and no tour. Book one with free cancellation and read its terms, because several operators also reserve the right to cancel for weather. Give the operator your ship's details, since a late tender can make a fixed start time impossible.
What should you wear on a Falklands penguin tour?
Windproof and waterproof layers, a warm hat and shoes you can walk in over sand. Stanley's summer highs are about 12 to 13°C, and the wind makes an open beach feel far colder. Bring a cover for your camera and binoculars if you have them.
Will you see king penguins on this tour?
Kings are not what this tour is for. The islands’ largest king colony is at Volunteer Point, and the Volunteer Point day goes there by 4x4 in about six hours twenty.
