West Falkland is the Falklands' second largest island. While the term “west” always ferry the mind to bustling streets, technological advances and showbiz of the loud and glittery type, in West Falkland, urbanization is an unfamiliar name. Barren hills dominate West Falkland where the first recorded settlements were chronicled way back in 1867. This was brought about when the government started to offer auctions for land ownership.
Apart from nomadic penguins and frequent migratory birds, a little over 200 inhabitants are dispersed around West Falkland's coastline. The largest settlement is in Port Howard on the east coast, where 30 or so residents look after approximately 42,000 herds and a few thousand cattle. Here, a museum houses relics of the Islands' 1982 conflict with Argentina. Camp life is experienced firsthand at several of Port Howard's colorful lodges. Travelers are treated to trout fishing on the Warrah River, home to the extinct Warrah Wolf, last seen in 1875.
From Port Howard to Fox Bay, the road showcases points of interests like plane wrecks from the Falkland War, Devonian Age rock fossils, and the scenic Hawk's Nest Ponds where water fowls and black-necked swans can be observed at close range. In late spring, flowers bloom of gorse bushes at the charming farms splashed across it barren terrains. At Port Stephens, the strange rock formations known as the Indian Village make for a delightful appetizer before a two-hour walk to the wonderful wildlife of Calm Head.
