When to visit South Georgia

Hailed as the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean, South Georgia is bursting with life throughout the cruise season, so choosing when to take your voyage will ultimately depend on what…
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The statistics alone simply can’t do justice to how extraordinary the wildlife of South Georgia is. At the height of the breeding season, there is said to be more wildlife per square foot here than in any other place on the planet. This is the place to experience the greatest density of wildlife on Earth.
Contents:
Photographing a penguin colony in South Georgia
Fur Seal Pup, South Georgia
Giant petrel, South Georgia
King Penguins, South Georgia
Elephant seal at Stromness Bay, South Georgia
King Penguins, South Georgia
Wandering Albatross at Prion Island, South Georgia
Macaroni Penguins, South Georgia
Humpback Whale, South Georgia
Gentoo Penguins, South Georgia
Elephant Seals at St Andrews Bay, South Georgia
Chinstrap Penguins, South Georgia
If you’re into wildlife or photography you would be mad not to consider going to South Georgia.
King penguin with chick
In comparison to the islands’ non-existent human population, the numbers of penguins which inhabit the islands is overwhelming. There are considered to be 7 million individual birds on South Georgia, largely made up of the three dominant species:
Macaroni: 3 million pairs
King: Half a million pairs
Gentoo: 105,000 pairs
Chinstraps (6,000 pairs), adelie and rockhopper are also found, but in far fewer numbers.
St Andrews Bay & Salisbury Plain are the most famous penguin colonies on South Georgia, both with +200,000 king penguins. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder and set against the dramatic backdrop, the visual and olfactory assault is really quite something.
Hard to miss being a dominant force on many beaches, the islands’ seal population is truly staggering.
Fur seals: There are well over 2 million southern fur seals, with 95% of the world's population converging on South Georgia each summer. The fur seal population was all but wiped out by sealers but they’ve sprung back with a vengeance. Found in such thick densities in December at the height of the breeding season, going ashore can be a real challenge and at times it simply isn’t practical to try to do so. Caution when walking amongst fur seals is strongly advised as they can be aggressive.
Elephant seals: On top of the fur seals, half of the world's population of southern elephant seals (more than 400,000 individual animals) also come to South Georgia to breed. Their curious name comes from their vast size and the large proboscis belonging to the massive adult males. Males elephant seals can be over 20 feet/ 6m long and weigh up to 8,800 pounds (4,000kg) making the beachmaster males defending their harem during November’s mating season a formidable sight.
A haven for birdlife, South Georgia is the world’s most important seabird breeding site with an estimated population of well over 10 million birds.
There are 78 known bird species on South Georgia, including half the world’s population of Antarctic prions and 250,000 albatrosses of different species. One fifth of the world’s wandering albatrosses - the bird with the largest wingspan of all at over 3 metres - also calls this small island ‘Home’.
For bird enthusiasts, Prion Island is a ‘must see’ and well worth timing your visit when it's open to visitors. The biggest drawcard are the nesting wandering albatross sites which are accessible via a series of boardwalks. Access to the island is strictly controlled; it's closed to all visitors between 20th November - 7th January (inclusive).
One of the great benefits of exploring South Georgia by ship is the chance to see cetaceans, the oceans gracile giants.
Humpbacks start to arrive from their tropical breeding grounds in November and are frequently sighted, particularly between the island and Antarctica. Easily identified by their long white pectoral fins.
Fin whales are also in residence, the second-largest of the great whales, particularly off the island’s southern coast. There’s also the possibility of sighting both southern right and blue whales.
Blue whales are easy to spot by their sheer bulk and their small curved dorsal fin located well back on the body. The dorsal fin and pigmentation pattern on the side of blue whales provide a fingerprint for identification.
What can one say other than wow. I expected to see penguins, seals, whales and birds but the amount and variety was something. To be in the midst of hundreds of thousands of penguins in a colony is mind-boggling. Read the full review
Travelled: February 2020
Monica Scott - United States Of America
We would particularly recommend adding in the Falklands and South Georgia. The Falklands was such a lovely surprise and on top of Stanley and the history there the wildlife was amazing and as good as anything else we saw the whole trip. South Georgia lived up to its reputation for the greatest wildlife, plus its dramatic landscape and history. If you can then it is definitely the best itinerary to follow. Read the full review
Travelled: December 2022
Angus Townsend - UK
Spending 20 days with the abundance of wildlife we experienced convinced me that penguins should be at the top of the food chain - not humans. They really have the life - and penguins just make you smile. Read the full review
Travelled: December 2022
Gerry Garber - USA
We’ve been to Alaska several times, as well as Africa and some of the great deserts, but this is a different kind of awe inspiring experience…really impossible to grasp…even with prior research. Favorite encounters were watching the penguins from a respectful distance…..amazing. Read the full review
Travelled: November 2022
Joe Brubaker - USA
The wildlife was amazing! There is such an abundance and variety of everything on shore and off. Even our at sea days were full of sea birds around the ship and whales close by. We saw thousands of penguins and seals everywhere we went. With the kayaking and zodiac cruises we got perspective of animals from the water as well! Read the full review
Travelled: November 2022
Jennifer Crews - Canada
Being completely engulfed by amazing wildlife in such a close proximity. It was a sensory overload in every sense of the word. Read the full review
Travelled: November 2022
Helena Polackova - UK
We discovered why South Georgia is called The Serengeti of the Antarctic! We were surrounded by hundreds of thousands penguins, fur seals, elephant seals to such an extent that it was sometimes too dangerous to make a zodiac landing as the wildlife on shore was too dense. The landscape and the true wilderness of South Georgia is breathtaking. Read the full review
Travelled: November 2022
Helena Polackova - UK
We experienced great albatross colonies and enjoyed seeing at least seven different penguin breeds throughout the journey. Birding and whale watching opportunities on and off the ship were superb. Read the full review
Travelled: November 2022
Helena Polackova - UK
We saw seven different penguin species up close and personal. Five different seal species including amazing encounters with the apex predator "leopard seal". Watching a leopard seal hunt and catch a penguin was nature at its rawest and finest. We saw the complete circle of life, from fur seal pups to the demise of a poor gentoo penguin. There were times when the water was boiling with fur seal pups frolicking in the waves. Read the full review
Travelled: February 2022
Scott Hunter - USA
Having time to stand and watch animal behaviour was special too. We were very fortunate to see all the penguin species (except emperors of course). Seals we saw: leopard, Weddell, crabeater, elephant & bays full of fur seal pups. Whales were often spotted: humpbacks, fin, sei and one minke, I think. Too many bird species to list but getting close to an albatross chick trying to stretch its wings was special and I saw a caracara with a dead penguin in its beak. Yes it lived up to, and exceeded, expectations. Read the full review
Travelled: February 2022
Sue Gatenby - UK
Most memorable moment: the penguin colonies on South Georgia. Each time seeing the massive colonies on South Georgia I was blown away. It was beyond words. Read the full review
Travelled: February 2022
Ron Hart - USA
Except for seeing the emperor...we saw all the penguins. And the seals...so many. My favorite encounter was having a very curious penguin come up and bite my camera lens. Wow! Read the full review
Travelled: December 2021
Gordon Pickering - USA
South Georgia was the highlight with so much wildlife and the history. The museum in Grytviken and the church were also very interesting. All the penguins, thousands of them at a time, was very overwhelming at times. Read the full review
Travelled: December 2021
Gordon Pickering - USA
The diversity and the quantity of wildlife was amazing. We got great pictures. Read the full review
Travelled: January 2020
Deepak Nanda - United States Of America
The wildlife in South Georgia was amazing! I would recommend everybody who makes the journey to Antartica to make sure that they include South Georgia in their itinerary. Read the full review
Travelled: December 2019
Jodie Pigman - United States Of America
Kayaking was a highlight, many people were turned away due to high popularity, so glad your team recommended and got us signed up for this. To be able to kayak through the brash ice and along the shorelines for birds and seals was great. Read the full review
Travelled: December 2019
Steve Hatten - United States Of America
Cannot describe the experience of walking near a wave of 150,000 penguins, seals, and petrels. The nesting Albatross was a sight to see. Read the full review
Travelled: December 2018
Scott & Nereida Paris - United States Of America
After initially being overwhelmed when greeted by 150,000 pairs of kings plus their furry offspring, I discovered so much more to penguins - I love how they use their beaks not just to feed but also to push themselves up or to climb hills. Their cuteness, curiosity and cheekiness are mesmerising, and their unflappable nature - I could watch them for hours. Read the full review
Travelled: November 2018
Jo Cheung - United Kingdom
Review:
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Hailed as the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean, South Georgia is bursting with life throughout the cruise season, so choosing when to take your voyage will ultimately depend on what…
South Georgia is more challenging to get to than almost any other place on each, there is however a choice of routes for getting to South Georgia.
South Georgia may be a cartographic speck on the map and one of the least visited territories on Earth, but it's a true gem amidst the roiling southern ocean. Spectacular …
We know that you just want to get out there and experience the thrill of the Antarctic, but planning a trip to Antarctica can be a daunting and at times, overwhelming task. As …
There isn’t really a best time to visit as you are guaranteed animals in vast numbers at any time. Keen birders should check that their visit coincides with when Prion Island is accessible.
Prion Island is renowned for its nesting wandering albatross. Access to the island is strictly controlled; it's closed to all visitors between 20th November - 7th January (inclusive) so time your visit outside these dates.
Very close is the short answer! The combination of densities of South Georgia’s wildlife and their lack of fear of man means getting close to wildlife isn’t the challenge, it's giving them enough space which is. Finding a curious penguin pecking your rubber boot is common.
This is a tough one, not last because it’s very subjective, but one of Swoop’s Polar Specialists can help here as we know many of the expedition staff.
Absolutely. Being a photographers paradise there will definitely be plenty of camera-toting photographers on board. There are in fact specialist South Georgia Photography cruises too.
For sheer density of wildlife, majestic scenery, riveting history and remoteness, South Georgia is hard to beat in every single one of these categories. It’s one of the least visited places on earth, however the time and effort invested to get there is paid off with rich dividends.
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