The remote island of South Georgia is a very unique place indeed! Surrounded and nourished by the icy and productive waters of the Southern Ocean, South Georgia is one of the world’s greatest Nature spectacles and at the same time, has the reputation for being an unparalleled landmark of human endeavor and exploration.
South Georgia is a fairly narrow, mountainous and glaciated island of nearly 170 kilometers long by 2 to 40 kilometers wide, lying along the submerged ridge of the Scotia Arc, in the South Atlantic.
The only way to access this dazzling place is by expedition boat, and visitors must be prepared to endure a long sea journey, from the Falklands /Malvinas, the nearest islands, which are located at nearly 1,400 kilometers westwards. Usually, expedition cruises start their journey from the port of Ushuaia, Argentina or from Port Stanley, the Falklands. South Georgia is part of a classic route including the Falklands and the Antarctic Peninsula, lasting between 17 to 23 days.
After a 2 to 3-day sail, traveling eastward on a small expedition vessel (usually carrying app. 100 passengers), you start to feel the island by watching more and more wildlife, including a variety of seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels, prions and storm-petrels and interesting cetaceans including whales, odd-looking and poorly-known beaked whales, and dolphins. Its rugged and glaciated peaks become visible a long way off and is very exciting to get closer and closer, as you can feel that the place is teeming with wildlife. The island holds some of the world’s largest King Penguin colonies and several other species breed here, including Gentoo, Macaroni and Chinstrap penguins. One of the most striking resident birds of South Georgia are albatrosses; Wandering, Gray-headed and Light-mantled albatrosses breezed here plus several species of tubenoses, a generic name given to petrels. South Georgia wildlife cruises.