The Cove

If you’re visiting over summer (October through to March), you can join four-wheel-drive wildlife tours run by Shelley and Peter, bastions of knowledge about Falkland Islands wildlife and flora. Chances are you may get to see albatrosses, rockhopper and Gentoo penguins, dolphins, whales and elephant seals. If you’re travelling under your own steam, make a day of it and head for Port Albemarle/Albemarle Settlement (around three hours) to see the abandoned 19th-century sealing station, the massive and distinctive Three Crowns rock formation and – if you’re lucky – the only mainland reindeer herd in the Falklands. Close by is Cape Meredith, the southernmost point of West Falkland, with its storm-battered landmark lighthouse atop dramatic cliffs. Back at home base, there are beach walks around Byron Sound direct from your cosy pod, or longer hikes amid the tarns and heathland of the surrounding Hill Cove Mountains National Park; it’s something of a birder’s paradise so keep your eyes peeled for snipe and peregrine falcons.