One of the largest of the smaller island in the Falklands archipelago (if that makes any sense!), Pebble Island is an absolute must visit during your time in this amazing part of the world.
Stretching 30km from east to west, amazingly, Pebble Island is only home to about 8 permanent residents!
Easy to access from the capital Stanley, and with a wealth of attractions to enjoy (from history to wildlife), Pebble Island is one of the most diverse and dazzling spots in the Falklands.
A favourite on the so-called Penguin Trail (the classic tourist route across the archipelago), there’s a great lodge on Pebble Island, which is run by born and bred Falklander Riki but, as always, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a busy and commercialised place!
Pebble Island Lodge can only sleep up to 14 people, so you’ll really feel like you have the island almost to yourself!
From epic penguin sightings, plus sea lions and falcons, through to unique war memorials and stunning landscapes, Pebble Island is a renowned wildlife spot and a great place for war history buffs too.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting…
Related Posts
- Visiting Sea Lion Island, Falklands: All You Need to Know
- Getting Off the Beaten Track at Hill Cove, Falkland Islands
- 20 Best Things to Do in Stanley, Falkland Islands
Why Visit Pebble Island?
With great hiking, a huge variety of wildlife and some fascinating war history, Pebble Island has something for everyone.
Named after the attractive, translucent pebbles found on it shores, Pebble Island’s agates were created from silica that accumulated in cavities left behind when gas escaped from volcanic lavas and are millions of years old.
Many can be found near the white-sand Elephant Beach on the island, which is absolutely stunning and, at 6.4km long, is the longest beach in the Falklands – it’s easy to get here from the central settlement on the island where the landing strip and all the accommodation is.
Over on the eastern end of the island, heathland with low cliffs and ponds dominate and are home to a significant populations of waterfowl and wading birds, including the magnificent black-necked swans (with 75-100 seen on the ponds in the summer months).
Red Sholver and Cinnamon Teal an also be spotted here.
On the western side, the island is hilly, with 3 main peaks making a small chain that is excellent for walking, comprised of the 277m tall First Mountain, the 237m Marble Mountain and the 214m high Middle Peak.
Along the Pebble Island coastline that stretches from east to west, Peregrine Falcons have been recorded, along with Black-Crowned Night Herons, Imperial Cormorants and, of course, the 3 incredible species of penguins – Rockhoppers, Gentoo and Magellanic.
For history buffs, Pebble Island was also one of the most significant sites during the 1982 conflict, as an SAS-raid took place here.
This attack on the Argentinian airfield that had been established on Pebble Island is now commemorated by a small cairn.
There are also memorials here for HMS Coventry and an Argentine Learjet.
Wreckage debris from the SAS attack can still be spotted across parts of the island.
How to Get There?
Pebble Island is one of the most visited smaller islands in the Falklands archipelago.
It’s just a 45 minute plane ride from Stanley with the local FIGAS service – a domestic flight and freight network that connects the archipelago’s islands – meaning you can easily get there.
You should book these flights in advance and expect to pay around £70 one way.
Learn more about how to book, pay and plan your FIGAS journeys across the Falklands in this article I wrote about flying to and around the islands.
In general, at least 2 FIGAS planes a day in the spring and summer arrive and depart Pebble Island, mostly taking passengers to and from Stanley, as well as other nearby islands such as Keppel and Saunders.
Where to Stay on Pebble Island?
There’s 2 main places to stay on Pebble Island and both are located within the island’s settlement, which is the centre of the island and also home to the FIGAS landing strip.
The first place to stay is The Nest, which is run by Alex and Dot Gould and comprises of self-catered accommodation sleeping up to 4 people.
Call +500 41094 or email [email protected] to make a booking.
Alex and Dot Gould also own Pebble Island.
The other place to sleep on the island, and the spot where I stayed, is called Pebble Island Lodge.
This is fully catered, cosy spot run by Riki Evans and I absolutely loved it.
Welcoming, warm and very relaxed, it was the perfect place for my first night out of Stanley and I immediately felt at home here.
Pebble Lodge can only sleep up to 14 people so, as with most Falkland accommodation, bookings need to be made in advance, especially in the high season between November and March.
I recommend booking 6-12 months ahead of your trip!
Yes Falklands is a place where you need to plan, simply because there’s not a huge amount of places to stay and a lot of people wanting to visit!
Get in touch with Riki by calling +500 41093 or emailing [email protected].
You can also book Pebble Lodge and learn more about the facilities on their website.
Location
Located just a few minutes’ walk from the landing strip, you can easily stroll the 200m to the lodge on Pebble Island when you land, although likely Riki will give you a lift, especially with your bags.
Rooms & Lounge
Pebble Lodge was originally built as a farm manager’s house in 1928, but converted into the warm, cosy and comfortable lodge seen today in 1987.
I slept in the bedroom downstairs, which was wonderfully light and airy and had a fab ensuite bathroom with piping hot water in the shower and good pressure.
A comfy double bed, wardrobe, bedside table, desk and charging points completed the homely picture.
The rest of the lodge’s guest rooms are upstairs, while downstairs you have the dining room and wonderful guest lounge.
An incredible space, with huge glass windows and doors, sitting in the cosy lounge is the perfect way to soak in the landscape of Pebble Island and yet stay out of the wind!
Enjoy a free tea or coffee here, or grab something from the honesty bar.
There’s a balcony if you do want to step outside, otherwise the huge squashy sofas are the perfect place to relax with a good book after a day out exploring.
Food
Pebble Island Lodge is fully catered, so I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, lunch and dinner here during my 1 night stay.
The food I had here was some of the best I experienced during my time on the Falklands, including a delicious vegetarian curry for lunch and a 3 course meal for dinner, which involved lots of vegetables and salad – I couldn’t have been happier!
The wonderful serving staff here were so kind and the portions were huge… so make sure you leave some room for dessert!
All meals are served communally in the dining room.
This is especially nice for solo travellers (like me!), as you get to meet fellow guests who are usually pretty interesting people… after all, not any old tourist ends up in the Falkland Islands!
Wifi
If you have some of the Sure Falkland Wifi Hotspot cards, you can also get wifi across Pebble Island Lodge.
For more information about wifi connections in the Falklands, check out the post I wrote about the 21 things to know before you travel here.
How to Get Around Pebble Island?
You’ll certainly need a vehicle to explore Pebble Island, because it’s so large!
However, because you’ll fly here, there’s no chance of bringing a vehicle to Pebble, so you may be able to rent one from Riki, although I highly recommend you have significant 4WD experience because this is rough island driving!
There are no roads on Pebble Island, so at best you’ll be on 4WD grassy tracks and, at worst, you’ll be driving on the beach or through bogs!
Rather than risk getting stuck here, which has happened to many a tourist, why not save yourself the stress and take a tour with Riki?
Leaving from the lodge and easy to organise, Riki can take you out on tours of the island in his 4WD – either to the east or west of Pebble.
Tea and cakes are provided enroute (this is the Falklands after all!) and you’ll also get Riki’s expert local knowledge and experience.
Enquire about tours when you book your accommodation at Pebble Lodge to make sure you can get in!
How Long to Stay on Pebble Island?
As one of the larger of the archipelago’s smaller islands, I’d recommend a stay of 2-3 nights in Pebble if you really want to see it all.
That said, I only had 1 night here and still found visiting incredibly worthwhile.
1 night is definitely better than none!
Things to See and Do on Pebble Island
The things to do in Pebble Island can usually be split into 2 camps…
East
The eastern part of the island, which can be access straight from the settlement, is low-lying and features many lakes and ponds.
This is the place to head for the majority of the island’s wildlife sightings.
It depends on your interests of course, but if you only have 1 night on Pebble Island, I recommend heading here.
The landscape is amazing, with lots of natural water spots and abundant birdlife as a result.
The stunning white sand Elephant Beach can also be found here and, by Cape Evans, you can spot huge colonies of penguins – with hundreds of Gentoo, Magellanic and Southern Rockhoppers on the cliffs in close proximity to each other, along with Imperial Cormorants.
You can also enjoy amazing coastal views from Wreck Point and Cape Tamar, where Southern Sea Lions and Commerson’s Dolphins are often spotted, along with Turkey Vultures.
West
The west of Pebble Island is where you want to head for hiking on the island, as well as visiting the war memorials.
You can walk up First Mountain, Middle Peak and Marble Mountain in a trail in either direction, or pick one and then discover the conflict history of this island via spots that include HMS Coventry, the Argentine Learjet Memorial and the SAS Commemorative Cairn.
If you do head west and want to experience some wildlife too, then you can, with Magellanic and Southern Rockhopper Penguins regularly spotted around Cape Coventry and Jenesta Point, as well as Rock Cormorants and Gentoo Penguins populations found at Green Rincon.
Just enter your details below and I'll email it to you - simple!
Information will be sent to the email provided above
Mini Travel Guide to the Falkland Islands
How Long to Spend in the Falkland Islands?
I recommend 7-14 days across the islands.
When to Visit the Falkland Islands?
The high season and best time to visit is between the months of October and March – the islands’ spring and summer months.
Where to Stay in the Falklands?
In Stanley, choose from Malvina House Hotel or Tu Guesthouse.
Recommended Falkland Island Tours
If you’re keen to travel to the Falkland Islands, check out these amazing tours!
Top 5 Packing Items for the Falklands
Windproof Coat Merino Base Layers UV Sunglasses 30+ SPF Face Sunscreen British AdapterFor more info about what to pack fo the Falklands, check out this post I wrote, which includes a complete checklist.
Travel Insurance
World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while travelling and claim online from anywhere in the world.
Alternatively, if you’re a long-term traveller, digital nomad or frequent remote worker seeking travel health cover, check out Safetywing’s Nomad Insurance policies.
Travel Money
There’s only 1 bank in the Falklands (in Stanley), so it pays to have some British Pound cash on you, as well as a debit and credit card.
Most island lodges and hotels allow you to pay on card, which is what I did, using my Wise card.
The easy way to spend abroad with real exchange rates, no markups and no sneaky transaction fees, my Wise card works just like a debit card… and it links easily with Google and Apple pay – sold! Grab yours here.
PIN IT TO PINTEREST!
So there you have it, my full travel guide visiting Pebble Island in the Falklands.
Hope the info was helpful, and I’ve convinced you to visit this stunning spot!
Still have questions about travelling to Pebble Island?
Then don’t hesitate to drop them into the comments box below and I’ll get back to you…
My trip to the Islands was sponsored by Falkland Island Tourism but, as always, all views are my own.
This page contains affiliate links meaning Big World Small Pockets may receive a small commission on any purchases at no extra cost to you.
