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  • Hello from me and about 1,000 king penguins here in the Falkland Islands.

  • I've made it to the Falkland Islands, thanks to Falkland Islands Tourism, who's hosting me for this trip.

  • And if you're like a lot of people I spoke to leading up to this trip, you might be wondering, "Where are the Falkland Islands?"

  • The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean.

  • They're about 300 miles east of the Southern Patagonian Coast.

  • And this is a very exciting destination for me because it's known for incredible wildlife.

  • This is one of the best places in the world to see penguins.

  • In fact, right behind me on this beach is a Gentoo penguin colony.

  • I'm currently on Bleaker Island, and something really fun about the Falklands as a destination is one of the best ways to get around is by plane.

  • They have the Falkland Islands Government Air Service, or FIGUS, that does daily flights to different locations.

  • So this morning, I hopped on a plane, flew out here, got some amazing coastline and water views on the way.

  • It just feels very adventurous.

  • And this place is so remote.

  • I am the only person here on this beach with hundreds of penguins I can see around me.

  • Something I will never get over is how penguins nap.

  • They tuck their beaks back behind a wing, and it is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

  • But they also are one of the most interesting sleepers in the animal kingdom because they nap thousands of times per day, averaging just seconds per nap.

  • So these penguins are actually falling asleep for a few seconds, then waking up.

  • And studies suggest this adds up to a solid 10 plus hours per day of sleep.

  • And it's been an adaptation to survive in a constantly disruptive environment.

  • This morning I'm back out exploring, but I've come to a different part of the island with a Rockhopper penguin colony.

  • And oh my gosh, I thought the gentoos were cute when they were sleeping.

  • The rockhoppers with their eyebrows are so adorable.

  • And someone told me that there's one random macaroni penguin in this colony.

  • So for the past 20 minutes, I've been walking around, keeping my eye out for a penguin that doesn't look like the rest.

  • And I thought, maybe I'm not gonna see him.

  • And then lo and behold, he's standing in a pile of his own molten feathers.

  • He looks like he's seen some things.

  • This area is so beautiful.

  • I'm at these cliffs and there are these giant waves breaking against them.

  • And with the penguins on the cliffs, it's so photogenic.

  • This afternoon, I'm out at Volunteer Point, which is probably the thing I was most excited for on this trip because there's a large colony of king penguins here.

  • These penguins are so beautiful.

  • When I got to this colony, I was speechless.

  • Like I just stopped and stared.

  • They're even prettier than I imagined and so fun to photograph.

  • Just looking through my viewfinder already at the images.

  • I'm so excited.

  • And they're currently in their breeding season.

  • So there are lots of little babies.

  • There are even some that have an egg.

  • This feels like a dream.

  • It is a dream come true to be here photographing them.

  • I spent the next couple of days exploring East Falkland with guides and it was really cool to travel across the countryside and see just how vast these islands are.

  • There are over 700 islands in the Falklands, but a total population of less than 4,000 people.

  • So you can really feel the sense of community here as well.

  • Like with this roadside bake safe.

  • This is a box that a local farm fills with fresh baked goods and it's an honor system to pay what you think is fair for what you take.

  • Most of these drives were pretty long with a lot of off-roading.

  • So it was so nice to grab a snack.

  • The Falkland Islands have the largest population of Gentoo penguins in the world, along with four other species, Rockhopper, King, Magellanic, and Macaroni.

  • Around a million penguins nest here every summer and they are one of my favorite animals to watch.

  • They have so much personality.

  • They're vocal and they're super curious.

  • I swear I spent half of this trip walking backward to keep my distance from them.

  • Something I learned about penguins on this trip is their tuxedo coloring is counter shading to camouflage them while swimming.

  • When seen from above, the black on their backs blends with the depths of the ocean and when seen from below, their white bellies blend with the surface and sky.

  • One of my favorite places I visited in East Falkland was the Mural Farm with Kidney Cove Tours.

  • This is one of the most incredible pieces of private land I have ever seen.

  • It's 10,000 acres and it has an amazing coastline and four species of penguins choose to live here.

  • I mean, can you imagine this being the wildlife in your own backyard?

  • I asked the owner if he ever gets offers to buy the land and he said yes and they are turned down very quickly.

  • If you come to the Falkland Islands, your main launching pad is going to be the town of Stanley.

  • The buildings have colorful roofs and there's some shops and restaurants.

  • They have a museum showcasing the history of the Falkland Islands.

  • A lot of the hotels and restaurants have water views.

  • I've been staying at the Malvina Hotel this week and my room has this beautiful view of the water.

  • And the nice thing about Stanley is while it's a great spot to use as a launching pad to take flights out to other islands or to do these off-roading trips like I've been doing this week, there are also a lot of great places to visit nearby.

  • Right now, I'm out in the Gypsy Cove and York Bay area.

  • This is about 15 minutes outside of Stanley.

  • It's this beautiful spot with a hiking trail along the coastline and beautiful beaches and some wildlife.

  • So it's easy to just run out here for a couple hours and hike around and explore the coastline.

  • And today is my last day here in the Falklands.

  • This week has been incredible.

  • I knew I was going to see wildlife here, but I really didn't expect to see so many penguins.

  • Like if you are into penguins, this is a penguin paradise, especially if you're interested in seeing this kind of wildlife, but you don't want to do something like an Antarctic cruise.

  • Like when I posted all of my Antarctica content last year, I got a lot of messages from people that were like,

  • "I would love to go see the penguins, but I can't do ships. I get seasick."

  • So this is a destination that you can fly to and drive out to see the penguins.

  • Easily one of the most unique places I've ever visited and still so untouched.

  • There is just so much wide open space here.

  • It's a really, really special place.

  • And I've just had the best time.

  • Thanks for watching and coming along with me on this one.

  • I hope you've enjoyed seeing a bit of the Falklands with me and I'll see you in the next one.

  • Bye.

Hello from me and about 1,000 king penguins here in the Falkland Islands.

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