South Georgia Island Holidays & Tailor-made Tours

A remote uninhabited island in the South Atlantic Ocean about 1,400 kms east of the Falkland Islands. A natural and wildlife paradise.

How would you picture a remote nature and wildlife paradise sanctuary? Chances are that all expectations will not come up to what you’ll discover on South Georgia Island! Imagine pristine beaches, clear-blue water, grassy plains surrounded by the most picturesque alpine panorama. Land on beautiful beaches, and mix and mingle with wildlife in their natural habitat. See penguins curiously waddling right by you, elephant seals lazing in the sun and fur seals nursing their pups. Explore the abandoned whaling stations and learn about the history of the island. Follow in the footsteps of famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and visit key places of his heroic deeds during your South Georgia voyage.

Geography

Snowcapped mountains and glaciers dominate the landscape on this 160km (100miles) long and 32km (20miles) wide island, which is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Grassy plains with tundra plants, fjords and bays frame its coastline. It’s located around 2,024km east of the southern tip of Argentina and the nearest inhabited place is the Falkland Islands, roughly 1,500km to its west.

Climate

If you appreciate moderate temperatures, you’ll feel comfortable on South Georgia. During the winter months (June to August) the temperature may occasionally drop to -10/12°C (10/14 °F), but frosty weather usually doesn’t stay around for long. While summers are usually around 6-10°C (42-50°F), some get as warm as 22 °C (71 °F)! Be prepared to experience rain – with 293 rainy days annually on average, chances are high that you’ll be glad to have packed your rain proofs.

History

Looking at the island today, a calm wildlife paradise, it’s hard to believe that its history has been quite turbulent. With its discovery by European explorers in 1675 (Captain James Cook made the first landing in 1775), the island was quickly claimed by Britain as the Isle of Georgia (named after King George III) and served as a base for seal hunting and whaling. Over the centuries it became a prime spot for whaling before being abandoned in 1966 because it became unprofitable. Too few whales were left.

It’s not only whale blood that was shed here. Did you know that the southernmost battle in the world (The Battle of Grytviken) was fought on South Georgia? On April 3rd, 1982, Argentina’s Navy seized the island, with Britain taking it back only 22 days later on April 25th, with several casualties on both sides. This was the climax of Argentina’s territorial claims dating back as early as 1908, when Great Britain formally annexed Sough Georgia.

Sir Ernest Shackleton gave South Georgia a more heroic tale to tell with his grand crossing from the island’s western shore to the east during his brave mission to save his stranded men on Elephant Island. When he had to abandon his ship, the Endurance, during a Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917), the ship’s crew got stranded on Elephant Island. Their only hope to make it to South Georgia to call for help. Shackleton ventured out in a small lifeboat with only a few men to reach the small subantarctic island without proper navigation and, against all odds, arrived at its western shores. With the last of their strength, the rescue party led by Shackleton crossed the treacherous snow-capped mountains, reached the whaling station of Stromness and launched a rescue mission, saving every last crew member!

Wildlife

Remote and without any permanent human inhabitants, South Georgia is a safe haven for wildlife. While we at Poseidon Expeditions follow all international standards and guidelines on nature and wildlife preservation, animals can often be curious about travelers and come to take a closer look at those who lands on the shores of their pristine paradise.

King Penguins

With around 450,000 pairs living in more than 30 colonies spanning its vast landscapes, South Georgia is home to about half of the world’s king penguin population. At St. Andrews Bay alone you can find 150,000 pairs of these majestic birds. Visit anytime from December to February to see their fluffy brown chicks being spoiled silly by their busy parents.

Elephant Seals

Find these impressive giants dozing on the island’s pristine beaches. You can spot the males easily by their sheer size (up to 5.8 meters, or 19 feet, in length) and weight (up to 3,700 kg, or 8,150 lbs.). Females are much smaller at only up to 4m (12 feet) in length and 800kg (1,800 lbs.) in weight. While they look lazy and slow on land, they are amazing divers that can stay underwater for up to two hours and plunge to depths of 2,133 meters (7,000 feet).

Wandering Albatross

See the largest flying bird in the world on South Georgia in its natural habitat: the wandering albatross! With an impressive wingspan of up to 3.5 meters (11 ft 6 in), they can cover up to 10,000 km (6,200 miles) at a time on their fishing trips, which can last up to 20 days. To get an understanding how big this bird is, head to the South Georgia Museum and compare yourself to the large wingspan of two to-scale models on display.