Sea Lion Island is just four miles long and a mile wide but it is one of the richest wildlife environments in the Falkland Islands. Within a few hundred yards of the purpose-built tourist lodge, thousands of penguins jostle for space on the beach with hundreds of huge Elephant Seals. At the other end of the island, Rockhopper penguins share the cliffs with King Cormorants and there is always a good possibility of a close encounter with a beautiful, if slightly dangerous, Striated Caracara. Walkers will be rewarded by sightings of huge numbers of marshland birds in numerous freshwater lakes and ponds. Sea Lion is the most isolated of the Falklands' inhabited islands, and is one of the most relaxing for exploring at your own pace. Absolute minimum stay is two nights, a better stay is three nights and if you are a wildlife fanatic, even four nights can keep you busy. The Sea Lion Lodge was built in 1986 and is the only "purpose built" hotel in the Islands. It is also one of the world's most southerly hotels, and one of its most remote. It is new and shiny and clean, offering all the amenities in this remote location, and its manager Jenny Luxton, will look after your every need. There are seven rooms each with private bathroom and 2 single rooms that share a bathroom. There is a dining room, a bar and a video lounge. There is a small selection of t-shirts, hats and other souvenirs. Most wildlife is within walking distance, allowing you to allocate as much or as little time as you wish to any one area. There is a huge Rockhopper colony, gentoo colony, magellanic penguins everywhere, and a long elephant seal-studded beach. Besides penguins, beaches and elephant seals, there is a charming lagoon surrounded by tussac grass that deserves a lazy few hours to take in the diversity of wildlife. The striated caracara, one of the rarest birds of prey on earth, is in abundance and friendly. Called locally "Johnny Rook" because they will aggressively steal anything small and shiny, they are a curious breed and not at all afraid of man.