World Country Guide

Travel - International

Air
Travel to and from the Islands is courtesy of the UK Ministry of Defence. There are seven flights in any four-week period by Tristar from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, in the UK. Tour operators and travel agents will make the necessary arrangements if the holiday is booked through them; independent travellers need to contact a travel coordinator at the Falkland Islands Government Office (see Contact Addresses section). Return flights from the UK are via Ascension Island. The other option is to fly British Airways from London Gatwick to Santiago and connect with a LanChile flight (once a week only, on Saturdays) to Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt in southern Chile and then on to Stanley. Bookings for this flight can be made through British Airways, LanChile or agents. The Falkland Islands Tourist Board can provide up-to-date information on changes to the normal schedule.

Approximate flight times
From Brize Norton to Mount Pleasant is 18 hours (including a refuelling stop at Ascension Island); from Mount Pleasant to Punta Arenas (Chile) is five hours.

International airports
Mount Pleasant Airport (MPN) is approximately 56km (35 miles) from Stanley. There are limited duty-free facilities at the airport. Buses connect the airport and Stanley.

Departure tax
20. Children under two years of age are exempt.

Sea
Cruise companies operating to the Falklands include Carriage Travel and Zegrahm Expeditions. The main shipping company operating to and from the UK is Darwin Shipping, The Falkland Islands Company, West Store Complex, Ross Road, Stanley, F1QQ 1ZZ (tel: 27633; fax: 27626; e-mail: darwin@horizon.co.fk; website: www.the-falkland-islands-co.com).