A Photographers Dream Trip: Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica

Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica cruises are a particularly unique adventure. A typical Antarctic cruise will last 7-10 days and involve travelling from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula and back. This cruise gave us the opportunity to explore landing sites in the Falklands and South Georgia as well as Antarctica, greatly expanding the opportunity to get some beautiful shots. 

We visited the largest king penguin colonies on the planet, watched battling bull elephant seals, and were enchanted by stories of Shackleton's fated journey south. For a photographer like myself this was the trip of a lifetime. 

Our first stop was the Falkland Islands, which are just over a day's sail from Ushuaia. I wasn’t expecting to be impressed by the Falklands, I was expecting it to be a slightly uninteresting appetiser to the main course of South Georgia & Antarctica, however it is a fascinating environment. The contrast of penguins on white sand beaches makes for some brilliant, if not slightly comical, photos.

South Georgia is a further two days sail from the Falkland Islands and for me it is the headline act of the show. One of the most spectacular places on the planet for wildlife. You would struggle to take a bad photo here. King penguins and seals line the beaches, everywhere you point your camera there is a photo waiting to be taken.

For wildlife photographers South Georgia is an absolute must. 

Antarctica feels like an almost alien landscape, particularly in comparison to the previous stops. For an environment so dominated by ice I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with its colours. The blues of the ice and water, the greens and oranges from the sky, the wildlife contrasting against it all. It is a truly magical place.