When you ask someone why they want to take a cruise to Antarctica, we can guarantee that seeing penguins is always pretty high on the wishlist. And rightly so. Every Antarctic trip will go big on opportunities to see penguins, and even the most casual observer quickly becomes an expert at picking out a gentoo penguin from a chinstrap.
But the two most iconic penguin species of all—king penguins and emperor penguins—won’t be seen on a classic Antarctic Peninsula cruise. These can only be found in certain locations, or even at certain times of year, so finding them demands a different choice of itinerary. So if the humble Adelie or gentoo just won’t do, here’s everything you need to know about making these most extraordinary of penguins the highlight of your polar adventure.
- The king penguins of South Georgia
- Where to see king penguins
- When to see king penguins
- The emperor penguins of Antarctica
- Where to see emperor penguins
- When to see emperor penguins
- Which to see: King or emperor penguins?
King penguins
King penguins are the second largest penguin species in the world, standing at nearly a metre (or 38 inches) tall. They’re one of the most handsome of the penguin species, standing proud with sunset orange flashes on the side of their black heads, with a salmon pink beak and smart silver-grey backs. Everything about them looks regal except perhaps their chicks, who are covered in a fuzzy brown down that makes them look a bit like walking kiwi fruit.
The spoiler alert for king penguins is that while you can see them on some polar cruises, you won’t actually see them in Antarctica itself. These are birds of the Subantarctic, and breed on the islands that lie outside the continent that are close to the Antarctic Convergence, or Polar Front. This invisible line is where the cold waters of the Southern Ocean meet the warmer waters to the north, creating a zone of immense biological richness, and the perfect feeding ground for hungry penguins. Prime among these islands is South Georgia – also known as the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean for its incredible wildlife.
Where to see king penguins
The most important Subantarctic island for king penguins is South Georgia. There are thought to be just over a million pairs of king penguins resident on the island, which is a two-day sail from the Antarctic Peninsula. That equates to somewhere between a third and a half of the global population.
South Georgia’s king penguins congregate in enormous colonies. The largest of these is at St Andrews Bay, where perhaps 150,000 pairs of king penguins can be found on a glacial plain backed by immense mountains. Other huge colonies include those at Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbour, Fortuna Bay, and Right Whale Bay. While the flexible nature of expedition cruising means that exact itineraries can never be guaranteed, these colonies are the gems of South Georgia, and every ship will do its best to visit as many as possible. On top of this, South Georgia is home to millions of fur seals, and tens of thousands of elephant seals, which the penguins must navigate their way through on crowded beaches.
King penguins can also be found on the Falkland Islands, albeit in much more modest numbers. One advantage of visiting here is the opportunity to visit places like Saunders Bay, where if you’re lucky you can see all four of the islands’ breeding penguin species in one go: kings, gentoos, rockhoppers and Magellanic penguins.
Finally, cruises to the Ross Sea on the opposite side of Antarctica, sail via Australia and New Zealand’s Subantarctic islands, including Macquarie Island, which is home to a large number of king penguins.
When to see king penguins
Antarctic cruises that include South Georgia operate throughout the entire polar season, from late October through to the end of March, so if you want to see king penguins, you can fit them into any of your preferred travel dates.
As a bonus, one happy trick of king penguin biology means that whenever you plan to visit South Georgia, you’ll be guaranteed to see chicks. King penguins have an unusual breeding cycle, taking around 14 months to raise their chicks. As a result, chicks are present throughout the entire year. On every visit to a king penguin colony on South Georgia, the air is punctuated by the high whistles of the chicks as well as the wheezy trumpeting of the adults: the perfect serenade for one of the world’s essential penguin encounters.
Emperor penguins
Emperor penguins are the largest species of penguin in the world, standing around 115 cm (42 inches) tall – about the same height as an average seven-year-old child. Few kids dress themselves with such panache though, with their sleek grey coats accessorised with lemon yellow bibs and side patches on their heads. The chicks are rather jollier, with fluffy grey down and cheeky black and white faces: it’s no accident that they were chosen as the stars of the film Happy Feet.
Forget the dancing for a moment though, because emperor penguins are one of the toughest and hardiest creatures on the planet. They spend their entire lives on the sea ice, never once setting foot on solid ground. What’s more, they hatch their eggs and raise their chicks in the darkness of the Antarctic winter, when temperatures can drop to a staggering -60C (-76F).
The emperor penguin is one of only two true Antarctic penguins (the other being the Adelie penguin), who can only be found on the continent and not on any Subantarctic islands. Their dependency on sea ice means that even the Antarctic Peninsula is far too balmy a place for them – so those hoping to see them must head much further south to some of the most isolated locations on Earth.
Where to see emperor penguins
Emperor penguin colonies are dotted around the Antarctic coast, with many of them so isolated that they have only been detected by satellite. There are just over 50 colonies in total, with a global population of around 200,000 pairs. Only one of these is accessible by expedition cruise ship.
The emperor penguins of Snow Hill island, tucked into the Weddell Sea are the northernmost colony of emperors on the planet. Even by cruise ship, it’s not an easy place to access. The sea ice is so thick here that only ships with onboard helicopters are able to visit. Travellers are ferried by air, landing at a safe distance to avoid disturbing the birds. Most visitors expect the sea ice to be flat, but the landscapes are fantastic, and dotted with the surreal forms of icebergs trapped in the ice, adding an extra fairytale element to the encounter with the penguins.
Two other emperor penguin colonies can be visited, but they are so far from the sea that they can only be approached by air from the interior of Antarctica. Akta Bay and Gould Bay offer some of the most incredible wildlife and remote experiences in the world – especially at Gould Bay, where a field camp may be set up to allow an extended stay near the emperors.
Finally, visitors to the Ross Sea, which is a much more southerly latitude than the Peninsula, have a good chance of seeing emperor penguins – though in small groups on the pack ice or at sea, since there are no accessible colonies in this region.
When to see emperor penguins
With emperor penguins so in love with Antarctica’s deep freeze, plus the complex logistics involved in visiting them, trips to see them run on a much more restricted schedule than normal Antarctic Peninsula voyages.
Cruises to Snow Hill are governed by the accessibility of the local sea ice. Because of this, departures only operate in November and early December. Outside these months, there is little chance of cruise ships being able to safely get close enough to the island to use their helicopters.
Trips to the Ross Sea and the interior of Antarctica are likewise only available at certain times of the year. If you’re hoping to include a visit to see emperor penguins here, the travel months are January and February.
Which to see: King or emperor penguins?
When it comes to choosing your iconic penguin, thankfully there are no bad choices. A trip that visits either will also take in the Antarctic Peninsula, allowing you to tick off all the other classic Antarctic penguins, along with its seals, whales and epic icebergs.
For those looking for the ultimate penguin experience, the emperor may have the edge. Their sheer isolation accounts for part of that, but with a restricted number of ship departures, Weddell Sea and Snow Hill cruises are always in high demand. This is a destination that rewards the early booker, as cabins are often snapped up a year or more in advance. But the moment you step out of the helicopter and walk through an iceberg-strewn landscape towards 4,000 pairs of emperor penguins, the patient planning to see them is instantly rewarded a hundred-fold.
On the other hand, king penguins offer a greater sensory spectacle. The colonies seen on South Georgia cruises are mind-boggling in their size and scope, stretching to a horizon that’s broken only by glaciers and mountains. When you throw in South Georgia’s seals, a trip to see the king penguins here offers one of the biggest wildlife panoramas we know – with almost all cruises including a couple of days in the Falkland Islands as well.
For those asking ‘why not both?’ Antarctica’s tough operating environment and unpredictable weather means that no operator offers an itinerary that takes in both Snow Hill and South Georgia. The penguins make it look easy, but for the expedition cruise ships things are a little more complicated.
But we know from experience that many people come back from their Antarctic adventures and immediately start dreaming of another one. So perhaps the question isn’t ‘the king penguins of South Georgia or the emperor penguins of Snow Hill?’ but ‘Kings or emperors: which one first?’
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