Avian Flu & Travel to South Georgia

Since the beginning of November there has been a growing number of landing sites temporarily closed to ground-based landings in South Georgia and the situation remains dynamic. It's important to note that these locations remain open for exploration and enjoyment for visitors via zodiac excursions.

Swoop is monitoring the situation very closely; as well as getting regular updates from the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, we are in close contact with our ship operators, particularly those with ships that are currently in the area. Furthermore, we've recently had a Swoop staff member on board ship in South Georgia sharing insightful updates from the ground.

With some of the island’s landing sites currently inaccessible for going ashore, and the need for heightened biosecurity, this will inevitably mean some adjustments to your visit. However, having a flexible itinerary and being adaptable are watchwords in Antarctic expedition cruising, and all of our ship operators are highly experienced and adept at making the most of any situation and quickly revising plans where necessary.

Here are some of the adjustments you should be aware of:

• Increased biosecurity measures All efforts are being made to ensure that visitors aren’t an added vector for Avian Flu, which means heightened biosecurity measures and the need for very thorough cleaning of your kit and boots both before and after landings, and a ban on sitting, kneeling or squatting on the ground. Your expedition team will cover this in detail when you’re aboard.
• Uptick in zodiac excursions Zodiac cruising has always been a key component of any trip to South Georgia and often provides the best platform for wildlife watching when the weather or sheer density of animals makes an actual landing impractical. Where landing sites are currently closed to shore landings, the good news is that you’ll still be able to experience them by zodiac, appreciating the mass of wildlife set against the backdrop of South Georgia’s majestic mountains.
• Photography The increased time for exploring by zodiac, as well as on shore restrictions on being able to get really low viewpoints for photography should be factored in. Due to the likely greater distances between you and your subject matter, we strongly recommend packing a proper camera if you can rather than relying on your mobile phone alone, which is unlikely to have the zoom capabilities you need to capture those memorable images you're looking for.
• More flexible itinerary While the situation has recently stabilised with no further landing site closures and others reopening, it remains dynamic. Travelling in such southerly latitudes always comes with challenges and requires a degree of nimbleness and evolution when it comes to the actual daily programme. Your Expedition Leader is a master of adaptation, and will keep you updated and well briefed throughout your trip.

In February 2024, a small number of cases of Avian Flu were confirmed in skuas in one location on the Antarctic Peninsula where tourist landings are not permitted. There are currently no changes to ship itineraries in the Peninsula as a result, and voyages continue as planned under normal operating circumstances.

Increased biosecurity measures have been in place in Antarctica since 2022 and continue to be maintained.

Most South Georgia cruises also visit the Falkland Islands. Since October 2023, the islands have recorded only a small handful of isolated cases of Avian Flu, and government officials continue to monitor the situation closely. Falkland Islands landing sites remain open to expedition cruise ships, with visitors following the same simple biosecurity procedures as for South Georgia and Antarctica.

Avian Flu is a virus that exists naturally in wild bird populations and is spread by faeces and respiratory secretions. Most strains of the virus are harmless but the H5N1 strain, also known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or HPAI, carries a much higher risk to animals. As the name suggests, it mainly affects birds but has also affected some wild mammal species including marine species like seals living in close quarters with infected birds. It carries a very low risk to humans.

Since 2020, the HPAI strain has spread across the northern hemisphere and southern Africa causing widespread mortality, particularly among seabird populations. Spread by migratory birds, it arrived in North America in 2021 and quickly spread across South America in 2022.

South Georgia has long had some of the tightest environmental regulations anywhere in the world to help protect its wildlife. Thanks to the efforts of the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, the island has been named an ecosystem in recovery. Strict conservation measures such as the eradication of accidentally introduced rats and mice and a tightly policed marine protection area extending 200 miles from its shores have allowed its wildlife to flourish once again. It's a far cry from the days when it was a centre for industrial whaling.

Protecting an ecosystem requires constant vigilance, however. All visitors to South Georgia (including those arriving by expedition cruise ship) have to stick to certain quick and simple biosecurity protocols to help preserve the island's wildlife by preventing the accidental introduction of pathogens or invasive species.

With this in mind, the authorities had already drawn up contingency plans to cover the risk of Avian Flu being introduced to South Georgia by migratory birds.