
South Georgia
Why Visit
From dazzling snow-capped peaks to placid emerald bays and the luminous blue wedges of tabular icebergs, South Georgia is an astonishing wonderland teeming with the largest concentration of wildlife on the planet.
Give all five senses a workout as you explore the islands, bays and coves by Zodiac inflatable boat and on foot. Step onto shores covered with sleek fur seals and their adorable pups. Hike the icy landscape, literally following in the footsteps of Ernest Shackleton. Observe elephant bull seals the size of small automobiles snoozing. If you sit quietly among them, a young “weaner” just might come close for a cuddle.
And then there are the penguins—iconic mascots of the Southern Ocean. Hike to the top of a hill and be thrilled by the sights—and sounds—of a veritable city of king penguins. Hundreds of thousands of these amazing three-foot-tall creatures gather to breed and raise their young on this sweeping shore known as Salisbury Plain, and other sites like Gold Harbour. Because of South Georgia’s unique staggered penguin breeding cycle, you’ll have incredible opportunities to observe and photograph penguin chicks in various stages of development—at very close range.
Meet the gentoo, macaroni and chinstrap penguins of South Georgia, their thriving colonies tucked into beautiful inlets and pristine coves. Among the numerous species of seabirds here—literally countless millions—it’s the wandering albatross that claims the wow factor. Just imagine the takeoffs and landings possible (and impossible) with a wingspan that can reach 11 feet! In juxtaposition, marvel at the graceful acrobatics of humpback and southern right whales feeding in the nutrient-rich waters that sustain all wildlife here.
Fittingly, human history here has its own awe-inspiring tales to tell. Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance shipwreck-by-ice and the epic rescue of his crew is surely the world’s ultimate heroic tale. Many South Georgia cruises offer the chance to follow in Shackleton’s footsteps and pay homage to this legendary Antarctic explorer at his gravesite at Grytviken.
For those in search of the last wilderness frontiers on Earth, South Georgia Island travel offers the ultimate up-close nature encounter, an experience that is sure to envelop your senses and touch your spirit. In short, it’s the sparkling jewel in the crown of adventure travel.
Note: For travelers seeking a full Antarctic cruise experience, South Georgia can be combined with Falkland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula cruises.
History
Shaped like a whalebone and isolated from everywhere else in the known world, South Georgia Island first appeared on the map about 340 years ago. This remote island measures about 100 miles long and two to 30 miles wide. While no history book definitively names its discoverer, most agree that it was Antoine de la Roche, a merchant from London who first documented the landmass in 1675. And only because his ship, sailing from Lima back to England, was blown significantly off course as he rounded Cape Horn.
In 1775 Captain James Cook, that undaunted explorer of the southern hemisphere, was the first voyager to actually step onto the island. An officer of the Royal Navy, he named it the Isle of Georgia in honor of his king. Cook returned to his homeland with incredible accounts of wildlife, especially fur seals.
Between 1786 and 1825, all South Georgia travel revolved around commercial voyages, literally moving the fur sealing industry to this remote speck on the map. Valued for their pelts, 1.2 million fur seals were slaughtered, bringing the species to the brink of extinction. The whaling industry also took its turn on South Georgia, led by Norwegian sea captain Carl Anton Larsen. In 1904, the first whaling station was established at Grytviken Bay, followed by settlements at Leith, Stromness and Husvik. More than 200,000 whales were processed here until the mid-1960s. Visitors today can see the remnants of this industry in the abandoned whaling stations that remain on the island.
In a more celebrated arena of human history, South Georgia Island boasts one of the world’s true heroic explorers—Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose epic 1914 Antarctica-bound voyage abruptly ended when his ship, the Endurance, splintered in the ice off Elephant Island. A seemingly unbelievable series of events followed when Shackleton left most of his crew behind to go in search of help. He sailed 800 miles in a small open boat before crossing the uncharted glaciers and mountains of South Georgia to Stromness Whaling Station. From the island he was able to deploy help to his stranded men, incredibly rescuing every crewmember 17 months after the shipwreck. Today, visitors following in a much more comfortable wake on their South Georgia cruise can pay homage to the iconic adventurer at his burial site in Grytviken.
It wasn’t until 1877 that South Georgia was studied for its natural characteristics—when Austrian naturalist Heinrich Klutschak first published copious observations of the island’s wildlife, climate and topography. A delegation of German scientists created the first detailed maps in 1882, informing the world of this sub-Antarctic wonderland crowned by two soaring mountain ranges, Allardyce and Salvesen.
During the austral summer (November through March), 75 percent of the landscape is covered by vast glaciers, ice cap and snowfields. The rest of the land is trimmed in moss and lichen-covered rocks. The wave-tossed shores are edged with pebbly beaches. This landscape is home to one of the densest population of wildlife on Earth—every nook and cranny seemingly inhabited by an avian or marine creature. There are even about 2,000 reindeer that roam the island, introduced by the whalers in 1911.
Today, the waters again teem with humpback, right and sperm whales, along with graceful orcas and bottlenose dolphins. More than two million fur seals—about 95 percent of the planet’s population—and half the world’s population of elephant seals arrive here every summer to breed, along with thousands of leopard seals.
The island is home to about 30 million birds, including petrels and prions that vie for nesting space. A quarter million albatrosses find their way here annually, including the light-mantled albatross and half the world’s population of wandering albatross. The penguin contingent includes four million macaroni penguins, nearly half a million pairs of king penguins, 200,000 gentoos, about 12,000 chinstraps, and smaller populations of macaroni and Adelie. In recent (2011) marine explorations, researchers discovered that the waters surrounding South Georgia teem with life previously unknown to humans—species so numerous and varied that the biodiversity now rivals that of Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.
South Georgia cruise travel draws visitors with a passion for the far-flung, the remote and, above all, the wild. Tour operators are mindful that everyone lucky enough to visit is a steward of this wild place, and organizations such as IAATO and the British Antarctic Survey ensure that pristine conditions will remain for the generations to come.
How to Choose a Trip
When looking for the perfect trip to Antarctica it’s easy to become confused by the many different options. Several factors come into play when you’re selecting a trip and knowing your preferences in each of these areas will help you narrow the field and select the trip that’s just right for you.
When to Travel
Trips to Antarctica operate between November and March each year. We recommend traveling between December 1 and February 15 for the very best weather and wildlife viewing. Baby penguins are born right around December 15th and then wear their brown furry coats in January. By February, the penguins all look like adults, and come mid-February, the penguins and seals start heading back out to sea.
Some of the best trip rates are offered in November, yet the sea ice can be quite thick at this time so you may not reach as far south as you would later in the year, plus you won’t see any baby penguins. Late February/March is a great time to see whales and dolphins as the sea ice is more open then. Still, the penguins are almost all gone at that time, plus they’ve been on shore all season and left red guano on the once pristine glaciers. November, February and March are great times to be in Antarctica as long as you know what to expect.
If you can travel anytime, we suggest you travel to Antarctica between December 1 and February 15.
Trip Options
As this may be the only time you visit Antarctica (unless you contract “Polar Fever” as many do and find yourself returning again and again), it’s important to consider how much time you would like to spend in the region and which itineraries offer the very best experience.
Trips that visit the Antarctic Peninsula range from 10-14 days while trips that include visits to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia average 18-25 days. If you have enough time available, it’s well worth including all three destinations, particularly South Georgia which is one of the most spectacular wildlife spots on Earth!
Why South Georgia?
Here's a client comment about South Georgia: "South Georgia was without doubt the most memorable part of our expedition. The wildlife, scenery, remoteness all combined to make it an unforgettable experience. In fact, the Antarctic itself was somewhat anti-climactic after that. If it were available I would heartily recommend people consider visiting South Georgia."
Why is South Georgia so special? There are only a handful of places on the planet that offer such an incredible wildlife experience and South Georgia is one of those places. Imagine stepping onto a sandy beach and being welcomed by tens of thousands of king penguins as far as the eye can see. South Georgia offers the chance to see several wildlife species that you will not likely see in Antarctica: king penguins, macaroni penguins, thousands of fur and elephant seals, nesting wandering albatross with 20-foot wingspans, light mantled sooty albatross, and the list goes on..
We consider the longer 18-25 day itinerary that includes South Georgia and the Falklands to be the “gold standard” of trips to Antarctica.
Ship Options
There are essentially two styles of ships that travel to Antarctica: the simple research vessels that offer basic accommodations, and the more attractive and luxurious expedition vessels which are more like floating hotels with large cabins, beautiful furnishings and many amenities. Both styles of ship offer fantastic experiences in the region and the key is to decide which style is right for you.
Research Vessels: These simple ships, some hailing from Russia, have basic furnishings and feel a lot like a college dorm. Some have long tables in the dining room, cabins with shared, dorm-like baths, and lecture halls that are under the waterline with no windows. They also tend to offer more adventurous trips and optional activities like kayaking and camping or even mountaineering and cross-country skiing. These ships attract an active, sometimes younger set of fellow passengers eager for fast hikes and often focus more on exciting shore visits and wildlife viewing than on in-depth education programs.
Expedition Vessels: These beautiful ships are more like floating hotels and have expert service and cuisine as well as the most highly credentialed naturalists and guides onboard. Cabins are often larger with private baths and attractive furnishings. Restaurant-style dining, spa services, elevators, more comprehensive gym equipment and other amenities can be found on these more comfortable ships. Many of these ships offer the kind of first-class experts the world turns to for climate change research or wildlife habitat information. The goal of these ships is to offer a wonderfully comfortable environment as well as exciting shore visits and amazing wildlife viewing. A few expedition vessels offer kayaking and camping as well.
We recommend that you select the style that will feel just right to you. The simpler ships do not necessarily offer lower rates so the style of ship may not determine your best value which varies from ship to ship.
Ship Size
The size of a ship does make a difference in Antarctica where, due to conservation guidelines, only 100 passengers can be on shore at one time. Ships that carry 100 passengers or fewer will take all passengers to shore at one time, while ships starting at 126 passengers are required to take passengers to shore in shifts. This works very well, however, as there's no waiting and you disembark when your group is called.
Half the passengers on a larger ship may have a Zodiac cruise around the shoreline while the other half explores a landing on foot, or vice-versa. This may shorten your shore visits from 2.5-3 hours to 2-2.5 hours per shore visit for the larger ships.
If having as much time on shore as possible to see the most wildlife you can is most important to you, you will want to select a ship carrying close to 100 passengers or fewer.
Let us help you
Planning a trip to Antarctica is exciting yet you may find yourself considering two or more ships that seem right for you. Let ExpeditionTrips take the guesswork out of selecting your Antarctica trip. Our company is a crossroads for information and we can help you select the trip that will offer the kind of experience you are seeking. We’ll help you select the perfect trip for your journey to the great White Continent!