Port Louis

Open to the public only occasionally, Port Louis still holds ruins of Louis de Bougainville’s French settlement of 1764, of Louis Vernet’s early-19th-century colony, and the tomb of Vernet’s deputy Matthew Brisbane, who took charge after the British displaced Buenos Aires in 1833 (Brisbane died at the hands of renegade gauchos, and other colonists had to flee to an offshore island for their lives). Dating from 1843, the handsome ivy-covered farmhouse is the Falkland Islands [1]’ oldest habitable building; a museum may be in the works.

Several hours north of the settlement, Seal Bay is one of East Falkland [2]’s finest wildlife sites, with southern sea lions and many penguins, including Magellanics, rockhoppers, and the occasional macaroni. While access is restricted, some Stanley [3] operators may get permission.

For information on Port Louis, contact farm owner Peter Gilding (tel. 51060).