Early this morning National Geographic Orion cruised the northwest corner of the Falkland Islands on its way toward Westpoint Island, the site of today’s landing. We were greeted by a wonderful sunrise, with clear skies and calm seas. It would be an early landing, so breakfast was on, and by eight o’clock the first of the guests were headed toward shore. They were the intrepid “long hikers” who chose to get an extra workout by crossing the island, climbing a hill, and finally joining the rest of the guest at the albatross and penguin colony on the other side. Next came the group who did a more relaxed walk over to the colony to see a magnificent display of the native wildlife. Finally, a few guests decided to go with the Land Rover ride option on their final landing day!
We were treated to lots of special behavior, with chick feeding, animated displays, and touching moments, as we immersed ourselves in one last impressive wildlife show. I think there might have been a near record amount of photos taken on our last outing!
There was one last experience to have before leaving this beautiful island, and that was tea at the settlement. Our hosts had prepared some wonderful fare for all to sample before heading back to the ship for lunch. And of course the hotel staff made one last special moment for us with an elaborate spread of delicacies outside on the rear deck, with the sunshine warming everybody’s spirits!
Soon we were starting our journey back to Ushuaia, but not without a little detour around to the other side of the island to get a view of the colony from a different angle. There were some dolphins along the way, lots of albatross, and a final look at these wind-swept islands! Time to head home!
