South Georgia Cruises

Alex Burridge – September 2025
MD Antarctica Travel Centre

Why South Georgia should be considered by everyone looking at booking an Antarctica cruise.

I know that Antarctica is stunningly beautiful and for some the 7th continent.  That said South Georgia for many, i.e. it’s not just me, outshines its more famous neighbor.
In combination I’d certainly suggest they are true to the phrase a trip of a lifetime.

I know the time, and therefore the cost, is far greater to include South Georgia, and this article is simply a list (images and text) as to why, if you can take the time and cover the extra cost, you should choose a voyage that includes South Georgia.

Cooper Bay South Georgia

There are 49 visitor sites on South Georgia.  They vary from wildlife spectacles, to sites offering some great hiking opportunities and historical sites like Grytviken (an old whaling station).

South Georgia is home to four penguin species:
Chinstrap 12,000 pairs, Gentoo 100,000, King 450,000 pairs and the winner Macaroni with over 1,000,000 pairs.  So the Penguin total is about 3,124,000 birds – give or take..

Petrel and shearwater numbers put penguins numbers to shame; 59,237,000 birds yes 59 million…
Add tens of thousands of pairs of albatross, add several million Antarctic fur seals and hundreds of thousands of southern elephant seals and you’ll understand how magnificent South Georgia is and that’s just from a wildlife perspective.

South Georgia’s Awe-Inspiring Landscapes

South Georgia’s physical beauty is simply astounding.  Although a small archipelago the highest point, Mt Paget, rears some 2,935 metres above the sea.  South Georgia is home to many glaciers and significant ice-sheets, having previously been totally covered by a massive ice-sheet.

South Georgia is also now home (well almost) to the world’s largest iceberg; A-23A a 3,000 square kilometre berg is believed to have run-aground some 90 kilometres off the coast of South Georgia.  The berg still reaches 40 metres above sea-level..

Given its location off the Northwestern side of the Island you may not see this enormous berg, as hard as that is to believe given its enormity.

Massive glaciers sweep down to the sea – I’d hazard to suggest that if you didn’t know you’d think this could be Antarctica – so it’s far from all about wildlife.

King Penguins

The stars of the show are very likely the king Penguins.  There are several colonies spread around the island with Salisbury Plain (60,000 pairs), St Andrews Bay (180,000 pairs) and Gold Harbour (25,000 pairs) being the most significant.

A visit to any of these colonies is likely an experience that will linger in your memory for a very long time.  Visually they are beautiful with golden orange markings at the back of their heads and the top of their chest.  They are inquisitive and can also be quite humorous; they will stand next to one another and smack their wings against the other penguin in a quite indignant manner.  The calls of the adults and chicks are also something that will stay with you – it’s these calls that enable to adults to find their way back to their chick, in colonies of tens of thousands of chicks all identically dressed a brown fluffy jump suit.

Due to a strange hang-over from a long distant time King penguins have two breedling cycles each season.  As a result you’ll see the brwon fluffy chicks irrespective of when you visit.

There is growing, but small, population of KIng penguins on the Falkland Islands; so if you do want to see these charismatic and beautiful birds – South Georgia is the place to set sail to.

You’ll always see king penguins, chicks, adults and in there tens of thousands

King penguin chick losing down feathers

King penguin hiking to colony

Vibrant orange gold markings of King penguins

King penguin Fortuna Bay – South Georgia

Kings – Copper Bay

King penguin cooling off Grytviken South Georgia

Wandering Albatross

South Georgia is the world’s main breeding site for Wandering Albatross.  You will see many circling your cruise ship on your sea days.  Prion Island is closed to visitors from November 20 to 7 January (breeding season for Antarctic Fur seals) each year if you are travelling outside this period of time you might have the opportunity to visit Prion Island, where Wandering Albatross nest (50 guests at a time).  Given their breeding cycles and the time it takes a chick to fledge you will always see chicks (waiting for their parents to feed them), hopefully you will also see the adults, either incubating eggs or feeding their young.

Courtship display Wandering Albatross

Wandering Albatross flying near ship

Wandering Albatross visited by Antarctic Fur seal Prion Island

Great Walks, Hikes and Treks

South Georgia offers some wonderful walks, hike and treks.  The great thing is that there are options for all levels of fitness and interests.  Birders may chose to hike up behind Grytviken to see Light mantled sooty albatross, or at Fortuna Bay those interested in Shackleton may choose to hike to the waterfall where Shackleton and his colleagues found their way down from South Georgia’s interior and to the whaling station before setting off to rescue the rest of his crew at Elephant Island, or at Salisbury Plain to have awesome views over the king penguin colony.

Views over king penguin colony at Salisbury Plain South Georgia

Hike to waterfall at Fortuna Bay

South Georgia’s History

Grytviken is an old whaling station after snow in November

The old whale oil vats make for some interesting photography – whales are now returning to the harbour.

In addition to South Georgia’s incredible wildlife – it also has a significant and very interesting history with Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary journey from Elephant Island on the Antarctic Peninsula to King Haakon Bay on South Georgia and then the incredible trek across South Georgia to Stromness whaling station with his two colleagues Tom Crean and Frank Worsley.

Grytviken is where Sir Ernest Shackleton was laid to rest – a very fitting place.  A small ceremony is usually held to toast the ‘boss’.

Antarctic Fur seals and elephant seals

Long whiskered male Antarctic Fur Seal

Bull elephant seals fight for supremacy on South Georgia’s beaches in November each year

Male fur seal and this seasons pups

Female elephant seals are all-together very different

Other Wildlife

Macaroni penguin

Giant Petrel

Light-mantled sooty albatross

South Georgia pintail (endemic)

Battle scarred Bull Elephant seal

South Georgia pipit (endemic)

Young elephant seal popping up in the middle of king penguin colony.

Most ships offer Antarctic Cruises that also include South Georgia (and the Falkland Islands)
Due to distances involved cruises that include South Georgia will be at least 16 days in duration with some as long as 24 days.

Below we’ve linked off to a number of our favourite ships offering Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia cruises.

Please call us on 1300 784 794 and we will be very happy to find the best ship and itinerary for you.

THREE SHIPS OFFERING SEVERAL CRUISES TO SOUTH GEORGIA

Each polar cruise has its own highlights and as the weather varies the schedule may change. Call 1300 784 794 or email contact@antarcticatravelcentre.com.au to talk to one of our Antarctic Experts to find the cruise that is right for you.