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The Falkland Islands: What currency can be used?


rkacruiser
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I am sure that British Pounds are able to be used. Are USD able to be used? For small purchases, post cards, stamps, gratuities, etc. where one would not want to use a credit card, what currency use is recommended?

 

Thanks for whatever information that I will receive!

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How much does he charge for Volunteer Point excursion?

 

Last winter (I'm sure some will chime in with current pricing) it was $195 per person and a significant savings over the price of a similar Princess excursion.

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We had muliple currencies. We got off the ship and took a tour with a local. Just the two of us in her SUV. She quoted us in USD so we paid in USD. That seemed to be the currency that all of the private tour providers were quoting.

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  • 2 weeks later...
We’re doing Volunteer Point with Estancia and payment is in GBP.

 

Hi Karen- I think we are going to join booking this one direct for Falklands for 31st Dec. Have you used Estancia before? This is our first cruise so we are a little nervous about going off the HAL bookings for someone local etc.

Thanks

Lisa

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Hi Karen- I think we are going to join booking this one direct for Falklands for 31st Dec. Have you used Estancia before? This is our first cruise so we are a little nervous about going off the HAL bookings for someone local etc.

Thanks

Lisa

If I can comment here...we went with Nyree (Estancia) almost exactly a year ago...it was wonderful! and less than 1/2 the price of HAL.

She will take USD, but you need to email her now so that you know what her price is in USD. (thinking in the neighborhood of US$180)

 

Let me explain how the Volunteer Point excursions work, and this is true for all, including ship excursions. You will ride for approx an hour over local roads, part of which are gravel and then embark across a large bog which requires 4 wheel drive vehicles (many are Land Rovers). While rare, it is not impossible for even these vehicles to get stuck. To compensate for this possibility, no vehicle crosses the bog area alone. There will always be two or more vehicles traveling together. The bog crossing takes almost another hour and we thought it was quite a nice adventure.

 

At the end of the bog is the Atlantic Ocean...and penguins....oh so many penguins! King, Gentoo and Magellanic. All very photogenic and interesting. Dress warmly...while not freezing, it will be chilly and windy, possibly with drizzle or rain.

 

Expect to stay at the penguin site for an hour or so. Nyree will take your money at this point. You will be able to tell who is on a ship excursion...they have the little HAL stickers on their jackets. There are nice, western standard type rest rooms available. Estancia provides a nice but tiny box lunch.

 

At the end of your visit the process reverses for the trip back to Stanley. If time allows you can ask your driver for a short tour of the city. We did...it took about 10 minutes (very small city). There are a few shops along the waterfront for souvenirs, etc, and then you can tender back to the ship.

 

Have a great trip!

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Hi Karen- I think we are going to join booking this one direct for Falklands for 31st Dec. Have you used Estancia before? This is our first cruise so we are a little nervous about going off the HAL bookings for someone local etc.

Thanks

Lisa

 

Hi Lisa

Thinfool gave a great explanation!

This is my first time as well, and did a lot of research before deciding to do it independently.

Estancia has an excellent reputation and I’m very comfortable using them.

 

Karen

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If I can comment here...we went with Nyree (Estancia) almost exactly a year ago...it was wonderful! and less than 1/2 the price of HAL.

She will take USD, but you need to email her now so that you know what her price is in USD. (thinking in the neighborhood of US$180)

 

Let me explain how the Volunteer Point excursions work, and this is true for all, including ship excursions. You will ride for approx an hour over local roads, part of which are gravel and then embark across a large bog which requires 4 wheel drive vehicles (many are Land Rovers). While rare, it is not impossible for even these vehicles to get stuck. To compensate for this possibility, no vehicle crosses the bog area alone. There will always be two or more vehicles traveling together. The bog crossing takes almost another hour and we thought it was quite a nice adventure.

 

At the end of the bog is the Atlantic Ocean...and penguins....oh so many penguins! King, Gentoo and Magellanic. All very photogenic and interesting. Dress warmly...while not freezing, it will be chilly and windy, possibly with drizzle or rain.

 

Expect to stay at the penguin site for an hour or so. Nyree will take your money at this point. You will be able to tell who is on a ship excursion...they have the little HAL stickers on their jackets. There are nice, western standard type rest rooms available. Estancia provides a nice but tiny box lunch.

 

At the end of your visit the process reverses for the trip back to Stanley. If time allows you can ask your driver for a short tour of the city. We did...it took about 10 minutes (very small city). There are a few shops along the waterfront for souvenirs, etc, and then you can tender back to the ship.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the response - that was really useful. We are booking the trip with them. We are British so GBP is good for us. Count down to our first cruise :-)

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Thank you so much for the response - that was really useful. We are booking the trip with them. We are British so GBP is good for us. Count down to our first cruise :-)

We used Estancia in 2015. The previous poster thinfool was totally accurate in every respect except that your time at Volunteer Point may be longer than one hour. We had ample time to walk around the main rookery, then back to the parking lot for our box lunch (prepared by Nyree's mother), and then down along the beach for another 30-45 minute stroll.

GBP are preferred, crisp newish bills will get you an extra smile.

 

Enjoy!

p836254288-3.jpg

 

p2258835100-3.jpg

Edited by GottaKnowWhen
trying to correct a misattribution of a quote.
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  • 2 weeks later...

We were messaged by our tour guide to bring payment in GBP. He stated if we brought US Dollar the tour price is higher due to he would have to take to the bank and they charge him more to exchange it.

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We saw the island on private tour that took us to areas where we were all alone.

 

Here is my review which also includes the name of the tour guide. Excellent value and paid in GBP.

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/05/29/one-way-to-do-the-falklands/

 

8876142204_3752498965.jpg

 

Great review, thanks for posting. Enjoyed your pics! :)

 

Karen

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We used Estancia in 2015. The previous poster thinfool was totally accurate in every respect except that your time at Volunteer Point may be longer than one hour. We had ample time to walk around the main rookery, then back to the parking lot for our box lunch (prepared by Nyree's mother), and then down along the beach for another 30-45 minute stroll.

GBP are preferred, crisp newish bills will get you an extra smile.

 

Enjoy!

p836254288-3.jpg

 

p2258835100-3.jpg

 

Good to see the positive feedback for Estancia. We are scheduled for a tour on New Year’s Eve and very excited! Thanks for posting the pics!

 

Karen

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  • 3 weeks later...

Estancia confirmed that we can use USD for our tour in February. So that is what I plan to bring. I do have 40 euros left over from a trip to Europe so maybe I can make the payment with a combo of dollars and euros. Or perhaps shops there will take euros.

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