You’re probably here because you’re planning a trip to Antarctica and have seen an itinerary including somewhere called South Georgia… It’s fair enough to wonder if it would be worth the extra money to try to visit! Everyone planning a trip to the 7th Continent want to see glaciers, icebergs and penguins. But then the price difference between the two itineraries and wonder if it’s actually worth the jump!!
After visiting both Antarctica and South Georgia on the same expedition, my answer is simple: if your budget allows it, South Georgia was the highlight of the entire trip. Hands down. That might sound surprising considering Antarctica is often described as the trip of a lifetime. Antarctica was spectacular! But South Georgia felt wilder, more alive and at times, almost impossible to believe.
This remote island in the South Atlantic is home to some of the largest concentrations of wildlife on the planet. Imagine standing on a beach surrounded by literal hundreds of thousands of king penguins while elephant seals the size of small cars fight a few metres away. There are no roads, no towns and no permanent population. Just mountains, glaciers, wildlife and a landscape that feels untouched by the modern world.
If you’re considering adding South Georgia to your Antarctica itinerary, here’s everything you need to know.
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Where Is South Georgia?
South Georgia is a remote island located in the South Atlantic Ocean… quite a detour from the South American continent and Antarctica. Although many people assume it is part of Antarctica, it actually sits several hundred kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a British Overseas Territory and measures approximately 170 kilometres long. Despite its relatively small size, it is covered in rugged mountains and glaciers. A lot of the scenery actually reminded me of Norway.
The landscape is so different to Antarctica. I went without knowing what to expect and was blown away. It has grassy plains, beaches and exposes mountain landscapes. Now, add the extraordinary amount of wildlife and it might soon be your favourite place too.
Why is South Georgia so famous?
If you’re a fan of David Attenborough documentaries, you might’ve seen Life in the Freezer which the episode of the king penguins was filmed on South Georgia! It is famous for two main reasons:
Wildlife
It is nicknamed the Serengeti of the Polar Regions. The island hosts some of the largest seabird and marine mammal colonies on Earth! It was estimated that South Georgia is home to millions of penguins. There are two huge king penguin colonies on the island. One is estimated to be a few hundred thousand and the other almost a million strong! Before you include any of the other penguin colonies found on the island.
Depending on when you visit, you may see:
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- King penguins
- Gentoo penguins
- Macaroni penguins
- Elephant seals
- Fur seals
- Wandering albatross
- Grey brow albatross
- Giant petrels
- Various whale species
The sheer number of animals is difficult to comprehend until you see it for yourself. It’s truly a sight unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Ernest Shackleton
One of the most famous explorers of the last century and polar explorer. South Georgia is deeply connected to one of the greatest survival stories in history. In 1916, after the loss of the Endurance during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, explorer Ernest Shackleton and a small team crossed the Southern Ocean in a lifeboat before making an incredibly difficult crossing of South Georgia’s mountains to reach help. Today, visitors can pay their respects at Shackleton’s grave in the former whaling settlement of Grytviken, a former Norwegian settlement.
Is South Georgia Worth It?
I would honestly go back just to visit South Georgia again. Without hesitation. Sure, Antarctica has huge icebergs, dramatic ice covered landscapes but nothing compares to the sheer wildlife in South Georgia. Personally, most of my memorable moments, especially wildlife encounters, in the whole expedition was on this island.
It’s hard to describe the feeling you have on South Georgia. Maybe it is the feeling of how small and insignificant you feel. I kept having existential a crisis about being a part of the rat race, how incredible our world is and there must be more to life. Personally, as a wildlife photographer, it’s one of the closest things I’ve had to what I describe as heaven.
Thousands of king penguins stretched across the horizon… elephant seals constantly vocalising… everywhere you looked, there was something to observe. Very cliché, but it felt less like visiting a destination and more like stepping into a nature documentary. If wildlife is one of the main reasons you’re considering Antarctica, South Georgia often exceeds expectations.
The Wildlife We Saw During Our Expedition
King Penguins
The king penguin colonies are the main attraction. Sure, you can find king penguin colonies on the Falkland Islands/Isla Malvinas or mainland South America. But South Georgia takes it up a couple of notches. The king penguin colonies found here have over hundreds of thousands of individuals. The most famous locations being Salisbury Plain and St Andrews Bay. They are as impressive as you would think. This is genuinely one of the experiences that I think lives up to the hype.
Elephant Seals
You’ll often find them sprawled across beaches, occasionally blocking the route between your zodiac landing and the rest of the site.
Fur Seals
Their size do not compare at all to elephant seals and they are a lot cuter, in my opinion. They may be small compared to elephant seals, but they are significantly faster. Expedition guides have to regularly brief passengers on how to behave around them because curious juveniles often approach visitors.
Different Albatross species
South Georgia is one of the best places in the world to see albatross, especially the wandering albatross – the largest flying bird in the world. Their wingspans reach over three metres. It’s actually quite hard to comprehend the size because you usually see them gilding along side the ship and have nothing to compare their size to.
Gentoo Penguins
These funny guides aren’t nearly as plentiful on South Georgia as their more famous counterpart, the king penguins. But they sure are entertaining to observe. They are permanent residents of the islands and during certain times of the year, you can observe their mating rituals and habits slightly earlier than their Antarctica relatives because of the slight weather difference.
How do you visit South Georgia?
There are no commercial airports for tourists or the few staff members manning the Grytviken base. Everyone who visits South Georgia has to come on an expedition cruise either departing from South America or the Falkland Islands. It isn’t a short sail either. It takes approximately 2 full days at sea before you make landfall (from Falkland Islands). Even then, that depends on the weather forecast. The weather is so unpredictable and raw, that you don’t know if you’re able to dock for an excursion until the boat gets to the site and evaluates the conditions.
Whilst visiting South Georgia is a bit uncommon, there are a couple of itineraries that do visit! The common being:
Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica
This is the classic route if you’re planning on visiting. Depending on the company, you may either depart from Ushuaia, Argentina or Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. This was the itinerary we took with Antarpply Expeditions, you can read all about my review of the experience here.
South Georgia-Focused Expeditions
This is a pretty niche option and the reason why most people don’t take it is that it does not include Antarctica. Your departure point would be from Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. The cruise pricing isn’t too dissimilar to an Antarctic expedition either. This gives you more time dedicated to exploring the island and experiencing the wildlife. I would say this is for the die-hard animal lover or someone who has been to Antarctica and just wants to revisit South Georgia.
Whilst it’s harder to find, companies such as Secret Atlas and Poseidon Cruises offer this itinerary option.
How many days do you need in South Georgia?
This obviously isn’t really up to you as independent travel isn’t allowed… or if it is, it’ll be beyond what I could ever afford. However, most expedition cruises spend between three and five days around South Georgia. That might not sound like much but weather conditions and landing opportunities often dictate schedules. Because expedition itineraries are flexible, no two visits are the same. Unfortunately, you can have days where landings are cancelled due to restrictions, sea conditions or wind. While it can be annoying considering how much time and money go into an expedition, it’s just part of travelling in one of the world’s most remote environments.
How expensive is South Georgia?
Unforutnately, because of it’s remoteness and how many extra days it takes simply sailing to South Georgia… Adding South Georgia typically increases the overall cruise cost by several thousand dollars compared to a standard Antarctica itinerary. While prices vary significantly depending on vessel, cabin type and season, many travellers find themselves debating whether the additional expense is justified. Which is completely fair enough.
With Antarpply Expeditions, our small expedition cruise costs approximately USD$11000 per person during the 25/26 season. I’ve seen other companies that are upwards of USD$16000, some even fetching closer to USD$22000 – before any sales. It is definitely a lot of money for a few days experience, but personally, if I had to choose again – I would definitely pick South Georgia every time for my interests.
Things nobody told me about South Georgia
Stricter regulations for South Georgia
The regulations for visiting South Georgia are actually stricter than those for visiting Antarctica! Which is wild. However, Antarctica is not owned by any one country so it is governed by a consensus-based international treaty and IAATO. Whereas South Georgia is a sovereign British Overseas Territory so it allows the South Georgia and Sandwich Islands Government to enforce stricter environmental and biosecurity regulations to protect its remote, fragile and pristine environment.
Restrictions on cruise capacities
When planning our trip, I realised not every ship actually had South Georgia included on their itinerary. Because of the stricter regulations that the South Georgian Government sets, only cruise ships carrying less than 500 passengers can set sail for South Georgia and enter its waters! Ships with over 200 passengers were heavily restricted on where they were able to visit – with only 6 approved sites.
Significantly fewer visitors than Antarctica
Considering that only smaller cruise ships can enter South Georgia’s water, that cuts out all the larger cruise ships that go to Antarctica. in the 25/26 season, it was reported that approximately 16 000 people visited the British Overseas Territory.
Now, while IAATO is still compiling the information, it’s estimated that approximately 120 000 people visited Antarctica! Now of this, it’s estimated 70 000 passengers were on expedition cruises (landed on Antarctica) and 40 000 passengers were on cruise ships that weren’t allowed to have any landings on the continent (just sailing-by). Another 10 000 passengers were those on fly-cruises (skipping the Drake’s Passage).
But regardless… over 7.5 times more people visited Antarctica than South Georgia!
The wildlife is louder than you expect
I feel like you would expect the wildlife to be loud because of the sheer numbers of them. But regardless, I don’t think anything actually prepares you for how loud and communicative they are! If you’ve been on an Africa safari, you might have experienced how quiet the surroundings are. Well, it’s not the same here! Penguins and seals really seem to chatter a lot! All part of the South Georgian soundtrack.
The smell is unforgettable
I’m not sure why I didn’t think about this. When I write it out, it sounds so obvious but I never thought about it. Considering there are hundreds of thousands of penguins, you’ll understand. The stench is really close and it hits you as soon as you make landfall! I still don’t think it’s worse than the Cape fur seal colony in Namibia, but it’s a strong contender!
The scenery rivals Antarctica
I expected wildlife… it is after all, known for it! However, I wasn’t expecting the landscapes. They are beautiful and can easily rival those of the Norwegian coast. The mountains are towering and stunning.
It felt more alive than Antarctica
Don’t get me wrong, Antarctica amazed me. However, as we visited in the start of the season, there weren’t as many animals as South Georgia. Apart from viewing from deck, I don’t think there were any landings where there were no animals present. There was always movement, something happening.
Should you add South Georgia to your itinerary?
If your main goal is to set foot on Antarctica, then there’s no doubt that an Antarctica-only itinerary may be enough. But if you’re already investing significant time and money into reaching one of the most remote regions on Earth, South Georgia is the place that takes the trip from incredible to unforgettable. I think everyone we’ve spoken to would’ve heard about how much I loved South Georgia. It was simply unbeatable, even after visiting Antarctica. After visiting and experiencing the best that South Georgia has to offer, I still wonder how a place like South Georgia can even exist. I’d happily return in a heartbeat!
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