Visit Bluff Cove Lagoon For Penguins In Stanley Falkland Islands
After we wandered around the port town, we visited Bluff Cove Lagoon for penguins in Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Penguins were definitely an exciting part of our Oceania Cruises trip around South America.
On our travels we found penguins around the world. We were surprised when we saw African Penguins outside of Cape Town in South America at the Boulder Penguin Colony. At visits to the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium in Japan and several times to the Monterey Aquarium in California, we always made sure we visited the penguins. So we grabbed at any chance to see more penguins!
Our ship arrived in the Falkland Islands a bit late in penguin season. But we were delighted when we saw so many Gentoo Penguins. And even saw the King Penguins.
We enjoyed the morning on wandering in the town of Stanley. We learned quite a bit about this interesting point out at sea. When it was time for our penguin excursions, we headed back to the dock area and met our group.
Heading Out To Find Penguins
When we arrived at a parking lot at Bluff Cove Lagoon, we were transferred to small Land Rover jeeps in groups of four. There was a new rough stone road being created for the jeeps. But when the road ran out, we moved off-road. It was not the wild off-road jeep ride we had on our visit to Moab in Utah or our desert jeep adventure in Dubai. But it was still fun.
When we reached Bluff Cove Lagoon there was a short briefing about what we would see as we walked. We were told to stay inside the path marked with white triangles. And sent off to visit with the penguins for an hour. It did not take us long to realize how little time that was!
The First View Of Gentoo Penguins
Our first view was of a large field of moulting Gentoo Penguins. The ground was littered with shedded feathers and penguin poop.
When we stopped and looked at the penguins, they soon wandered over and checked us out. Some crept up slowly. But others ran in their funny waddling way. They seemed very inquisitive about us tourists.
We moved from group to group of penguins. They were a fun start on our day to visit Bluff Cove Lagoon for penguins in Stanley.
King Penguins And Their Babies
When we booked our tour, we knew we would see the Gentoo Penguins. But we were delighted when we were told that there was a group of King Penguins at the site. The group all sat in one area.
When we looked closely, we saw the chicks burrowed under the adult King Penguins. As we watched, the babies came out for feeding or care.
The King Penguins were definitely an unexpected treat when we visited Bluff Cove Lagoon for penguins in Stanley.
Bluff Cove Lagoon For Penguins Swimming
We kept walking from group to group of penguins. The surf was high and we saw a group of penguins by the beach. We stopped to interact with a small group that seemed particularly curious.
Down at the water we saw Gentoo Penguins as they tentatively approached the waves. It often took several waves before the penguins launched in and headed out to swim. And it was fun when we saw them run back out!
It was fun to see the playful penguins in the surf when we visited Bluff Cove Lagoon for penguins in Stanley
Tea And Diddle Dee Berries
On our trip into Bluff Cove Lagoon, the guide pointed out a small shrub with berries. These tiny Diddle Dee berries were used to create jam. The final treat on our visit was to visit the Cafe for tea and scones with Diddle Dee berry jam. There was a souvenir shop that sold all kinds of penguin goods. And a museum too.
But the one hour visit was not enough. We wanted to spend most of our time with the penguins. So by the time we reached the cafe, it was time to re-board our Land Rover. We really needed much longer to visit Bluff Cove Lagoon for penguins in Stanley.
Plan To Visit Bluff Cove Lagoon For Penguins In Stanley Falkland Islands
We were so happy we booked an excursion to visit Bluff Cove Lagoon for penguins in Stanley. We saw so many more penguins than we expected. It was the end of February and we were afraid that the penguin population would have moved.
It was great to have some time to wander around Stanley. And we learned a bit about the Falkland Islands.
We really wanted to head out to Volunteer Point for a different penguin experience. But it was a long trip from Stanley. And we did not have the time with one excursion already booked. This just meant there was more to do on a return trip, perhaps when we cruised to Antarctica? To our delight, we found more penguins on our cruise around South America when we visited Magdalena Island in Chile.
Did you visit Bluff Cove Lagoon for Penguins in Stanley Falkland Islands? Or did you see penguins somewhere else?
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I wasn’t aware that one can watch penguins in Falkland Is. I thought Ushuaia is the best place. Thanks for bringing it to my knowledge.
We were so happy the penguins were around when we visited the Falkland Islands. A treat for sure!
Loved to see the penguins in the Bluff cove lagoon and islands. It was good to see so many of them and the baby penguins hanging out with the adults.Deedle Dee berries sound interesting. Thank you for sharing.
We too were happy we saw so many penguins on our visit to Bluff Cove Lagoon. The babies definitely drew our interest.
Seeing penguins in real life would be such a surreal experience! Your photos are amazing – I can’t even imagine being that close. Thanks for sharing!
It was great to book this day trip and get to see so many penguins so close up. They were hilarious to watch as they moved and waddled around!
WOW!! What an experience. I can’t believe how close you were able to get to them. And your photos are insane! We went to a Penguin colony near Puerto Madryn in Argentina. I love penguins so much, such beautiful animals. Although we didn’t get to see as much action as you!
This was the first but not last penguin encounter we had on that trip. More coming later. We loved that we got large groups and two different kinds.
Seeing penguins would be awesome, but that’s really cool the King penguins showed up for you! What a cool experience!
The King penguins definitely were an unexpected treat!
You guys are my definition of getting the most out of life. Your teamwork is amazing. Thanks so much for bringing us along.
We finally got a chance to start to write and publish about our South America travels. And we could not pass on starting with our penguin fun! We sure loved this chance to see so many penguins.
Squeeee what an amazing place to visit! I looove your photos of both the King Penguins and the Gentoo Penguins. The Gentoo Penguins look like such cute little chonky fellas! Do they seem to have as much personality (penguinality?) as oozes through these photos?
The penguins did indeed have a lot of personality. Loved just watching them strut about.
Penguins are lovely and so beautiful. I observed them in Argentina, but I didn’t manage to be as close as you in the Falkland Islands. You had a great adventure and took amazing photos. I would love to visit Bluff Cove Lagoon to photograph them.
We were happy we saw so many on our stop in Falkland Islands. And got so close too!
I love coming across a post about a subject that I haven’t read about before and this one ticks those boxes. To visit the Falkland Islands is a unique trip and to see the penguins is the icing on the cake. I recently took a trip to see puffins on an island in Wales and this reminds me of that – they seem such friendly little creatures. I have seen the penguins in South Africa and on a beach in Melbourne so maybe this should be next on my list!
Penguins were definitely high on our list when we booked this trip. So we were so glad when the Falkland Islands delivered. We saw even more penguins when we hit Chile!
Oh what an experience! You must have been kiddy the entire day. To be able to watch them waddle out to see and run back to the shore, to see the King Penguin and the babies come out for feeding, all of it would be such a marvel to see.
Our whole visit to the Bluff Cove Lagoon for penguins was indeed a marvel. We wish we had more time to just settle in and watch. They were such characters.
What a fantastic experience! Love your photos. Such fantastic markings on some of them.
The visit to see the penguins was great. So many great images to record.
Ooh I LOVE penguins! I’d love to see the penguins at the Falkland Islands! They look so adorable! Thanks for the great guide!
It was wonderful to see the penguins in the Falkland Islands. They were indeed adorable.
Oh I’ve wanted to get to the Falklands! Looks like you had a magical trip. Penguins are beautiful, what fun! I saw them outside Ushuaia Argentina. One day I will get to the Falklands!
I hope you do get to the Falkland Islands one day. We were so happy the weather held and we got to spend a great day in port.
What a great place! It must have been an incredible experience to see the penguins on their natural habitat! I never seen them in this context and I hope to manage to see them one day!
We really were excited to get a chance to see so many penguins all at once!
How lucky that there were also King Penguins. Those babies look so cute! An hour sounds indeed as way to short for a visit to the penguins.
We would definitely recommend a much longer visit. It would have been fun to just enjoy all these penguins in their natural space.
OMG< such awesome penguin photos, especially those baby chicks!
It was a real treat to get to see the King penguin chicks. Glad they were still around when we visited.
This remains on my Bucket List and Antarctic too. I know I will get there eventually. Enjoyed this post and your photos as always. Thanks.
Antartica remains on our bucket list. We almost went in February 2022 but we pulled the plug at the last minute. One day!
I absolutely love penguins and must plan a trip to see them in their natural habitat! So great that you got to see the King penguins! ?
It was wonderful to see the penguins in their natural habitat. A great day in the Falkland Islands.
What an incredible experience! I can’t believe how close you can get to the penguins!
There were boundaries to stay back. But we love how close we still got to the large groups of penguins.
What a lovely experience enjoying penguins! I love penguins and it is interesting to hear about Gentoo Penguins and King Penguins. We have seen penguins in many aquariums but visiting bluff cove lagoon must be such an enjoyable experience. Tea and scones with Diddle Dee berry jam sure sounds yummy!:-)
We too have seen penguins in aquariums but this was such a great experience to see them so close and in such numbers.
Penguins are so adorable! I only saw them in the wild twice – and that was both times in Chile on the same trip. The Falkland Islands must have some geat hiking possibilities too! We met a guy in New Zealand who showed us some pictures from a multi-day hike there.
We saw more penguins when we got to Chile too. But this was a great first exposure.
Penguins are probably my favourite animals! This would be a dream trip for me, even though it looks pretty cold and wet in the Falkland Islands. So cool that you got to see them up close and that they came up to you too!
We were definitely glad we got to visit the Falkland Islands. It probably was not as cold as we expected. But worth bundling up.
Wow! What a fabulous trip – I really loved all of the photos of the penguins and think that Diddle Dee berry jam sounds fantastic. One for my bucket list!
I sure hope you get to visit the Falkland Islands one day. Definitely a great one for the bucket list.
That’s amazing that you’re able to get so close to the penguins for those incredible photos. What a unique island to plan a trip to.
The Falkland Islands were a great stop on our trip. We were so glad we got to visit and see the penguins up close.
Penguins are so amazing!! It must have been an amazing adventure seeing them so close. We’re currently travelling around South America and now I really want to visit the Falkland Islands too. Thanks for the inspiration.
I hope you do get to add the Falkland Islands to your current trip around South America. Definitely a highlight of our South America cruise.
Wow! What an amazing experience & I love the shots you got of the penguins. I completely agree that 1 hour would not be enough time, especially if they are curious & by the looks of things very entertaining! I love penguins & especially seeing the King penguins & babies must have been really magical.
The penguins we so fun to watch as they waddled around. We sure would plan more time if we did this trip on our own. But glad we got to see so many.
Great pics. Amazing that you could get so up close and personal with the penguins. What a great experience.
I was happy to share the great pics we got of the penguins. A fun day out in the Falkland Islands.
Penguins are such great characters, aren’t they. I met a few in New Zealand, but I’ll have to win the lottery to get to see any more. This sounds like a great trip.
It is always fun when we find things like penguins in their natural habitat!
That sounds like an awesome tour. Imagine seeing the penguins in their home, and they were friendly too. That’s such a treat you have shared in this post. They look so cute and cuddly in the pictures too.
The penguins were truly a treat to see up close. So fun to watch.
This looks amazing! I’d love to go!
We were sure glad we booked this excursion and saw so many penguins.
I learned something new! I thought penguins only lived in snowy places. I had no idea they lived in places like that. They are so cute. I didn’t know about the Falkland Islands. My bucket list just grew longer! I am a lover for island and green places, especially if I get to see wildlife. Thank you for sharing. I hope to read more about your travels. Nice pictures, by the way.
I am glad to showed you something new. We were delighted with how many penguins we saw. Falkland Islands are often a part of Antarctica expeditions. But we were glad it was included in our South America trip. Lots more from this trip posting in the coming months.
Wow, you were able to get up close these adorable little creatures! They seemed curious and were probably wondering about your camera. They knew how to pose! This is a proof of how travel brings out the innocence in us adults.
We sure acted like kids when we chased the penguins around.
Omggg the baby King Penguins are so cute! Penguins are one of my dream animals to see in the wild. Definitely want to check out the Falkland Islands one day.
We were so happy that we saw several different kinds of penguins on this visit. They were so fun to watch!
Ooooohhh… I’ve just dropped camels as my favourite animal. Those penguins are so adorable. Never seen one in the wild, but I realise now I have to. Those brown fur ball babies I know from the zoo. It’s crazy that in terms of volume some of those babies look almost as big as their parents. Your pictures and post made my day. 🙂
I am happy to put penguins on your list to chase in real life. We saw our first in the wild in South Africa. And we have had penguins on our list for our bucket list trip to Antarctica. So we were delighted we got several opportunities to see large groups of penguins up close on our South America trip. A bit sad that it has taken me so long to finally get these posts out.
Loved your review of the penguins so we booked the Lagoon Bluff excursion just last week. What an incredible experience…we are still on a penguin high! Thanks for sharing your experience!
We are so glad that you enjoyed our post about our visit to the see penguins in the Falkland Islands. And that this inspired you to visit. So glad you had an equally great experience when you visited.