But a "tour" in the Falklands does not conform to the standard meaning of the word. There are no uniformed guides in chauffeured modern cars or buses herding you around from site to site and dropping you off in impersonal lobbies of bustling hotels.

A "tour" in the Falklands means pre-arranged services and accommodations.

In Stanley, your services are provided by a guide who does the driving and the vehicle is generally a Land Rover. They speak perfect (though for us thick accented) English and they are knowledgeable on most everything in the Islands and know most everyone. Guides generally have a real job which keeps them busy outside of tourist season, and for whom guiding is a second job during tourist season. Because of the size of the hotels, accommodations assure you of no more than 30-36 other persons vying for service and attention. Restaurants are few and have limited, but creative, menus generally featuring fresh produce, fish and meats. It's a country cousin to Gourmet.

In Camp, your hosts are your drivers, your guides, and either owners or managers of your accommodations, bar and food service. Your hosts are even more colorful than the townsfolk of Stanley. They drive the inevitable Land Rover which they keep meticulously clean. Their cheeks are more rosy, their hair more touseled and their clothes more rumpled. They are always delighted to see you, will spend time sharing their daily activities and their past histories with you and they all still seem as genuinely thrilled with the wildlife as you are. And the food is simply down home good country cooking.

If you are visiting the Islands as an extension to a trip to Patagonia, you'll probably only spend a week - a couple of days in Stanley + Port Howard for a taste of Life in Camp + one or two wildlife saturated islands such as Pebble Island, Carcass, Bleaker or Sea Lion Island.

If you are making the Falklands your destination, you can easily stay two weeks with plenty of Life in Camp and Wildlife Experiences.