SOUTH GEORGIA Home to millions of  King Penguins All the pictures on this page were taken by Brown and Keene photographer, Ken Hutyra

King Penguin Chick and Parents on South Georgia

South Georgia is a wonderland of scenery and wildlife. I do encourage anyone considering the shorter Antarctica trip to reconsider.  The King Penguins are a really special breed and cannot be seen on an Antarctica only trip.  Both areas offer incredible experiences that are so different that it seems a shame to venture to Antarctica and not include the islands of South Georgia. On our first trip I was not sure if I would enjoy the experience so I opted for the shorter Antarctica only trip.  This simply meant I had to return to also include South Georgia. In the end it cost me more time and money than if I had done both in the first place.  If your time and finances allow it, I sincerely suggest you consider a cruise that encompasses both areas.  Many consider their experiences in South Georgia as the highlight of the entire trip.  

Salisbury Plain in the Bay of Isles: Nothing can prepare you for what you see when you land at Salisbury Plain.  Just the scenery alone is spectacular.  As you step on the black sand beach you are welcomed by some inquisitive King Penguins, baby fur seal pups, elephant seals and then you will see literally hundreds of thousands of King Penguins. A truly awe-inspiring sight, as far as the eye can see, up and down the beach and into the hills  – King Penguins.  As you make your way around the beach there will be Regent naturalists to answer any questions and to point you to the areas to walk to ensure you do not disturb the penguin colony.   The penguins are all around you.  These are such majestic birds and you feel so privileged to be standing on this beach surrounded by the calling penguins. It is quite noisy.  The penguins are in all stages of development. The young chicks have a thick brown coat that eventually sheds.  When they are in the process of the change they look quite amazing as the shedding is not even. The little chicks remind me of the ugly ducking story.  They look quite different from the regal adult King Penguins. Examples of chicks in different stages below.
 

Chicks in Various Stages of Molting	Adult King	Touchdown!

The Beach at Salisbury Plains	King Penguins by the Thousands	Adult King, Chick and Fur Seal

 
ROSITA HARBOR: This harbor is home to thousands of fur seals.  The ship runs zodiac cruises around the edge of the bay, stopping at the areas of most activity to see the antics of the young fur seals and their parents. The little seals are learning to swim in the protection of the beds of Kelp and further out the larger seals are porpoising around the zodiacs. This was our first sighting of a “blondie”, a white fur seal that is not an albino since they have some pigment.  The birds were fascinating as they landed close to the zodiacs and flew over our heads. We were told we could not land on shore since an adult fur seal can be quite defensive of her young.  It was not safe because there were so many seals. However, even without landing it was a fantastic afternoon and it exceeded my expectations.
 

Albatross	A Blondie Young Fur Seal	Walking on Water

 
FORTUNA BAY, SHACKELTON, GLACIERS AND Whaling Stations: south Georgia has an interesting history with the incredible story of Sir Ernest Shackelton and the whaling industry that was so vibrant in the past.   Sir Ernest Shackelton and five of his men navigated a small boat from Antarctica to South Georgia to find help to rescue twenty two of his men stranded on Elephant Island at Point Wild.  The ship stopped at various places and pointed out areas of the islands that were pertinent to the story.  On this day we off loaded those who were brave enough to take the final part of the hike that Shackelton made to reach the whaling station in Stromness Bay. Those who stayed on board enjoyed the incredible scenery of glaciers, mountains and old whaling stations along the coast. Our ship edged in quite close to these stations that are in various stages of disrepair.  We were able to land in Stromness Bay but had to stay clear of the old whaling station since it is dangerous to walk around these dilapidated buildings. What was surprising was a herd of reindeer that were bought here by the whalers as a food source and are still flourishing in South Georgia.  The beach was covered with fur seals and their young, with some more blondies and the wonderful King Penguins for the keen photographers.
 

Hike to Stromness Bay	Baby  Blondie Fur Seals	Whaling Station at Stromness

GRYTVIKEN: Grytviken is the official entry port of South Georgia and a Maritime officer will come on board to clear the ship.  This is where Sir Ernest Shackelton is buried and the ship held a ceremony at the gravesite. Around the gravesite were large elephant seals. We could smell them before we saw them wallowing in mud along the pathway.  Located in the abandoned whaling station is a whaling museum and a small church.   A walk was offered over the hill for wonderful views of the bay to the museum and church or you can take a shorter walk along the harbor and see all the baby fur seals.   The museum offers insight into the life of the whalers – it is small but very well done. You can buy items such as postcards, tee shirts, cups, etc.  and post letters from the post office located inside the museum. There was much frenzied buying in this tiny store.  The church was tiny and very picturesque.  The ship musicians played a concert inside the church and served hot tea and cookies to the passengers. It was a delightful afternoon. 
 

Shackelton Graveyard	Inside the Museum	The Church at Grytviken

ST. ANDREWS BAY: We awoke this morning to see bright sunshine shining on the mountains and hordes of Kings Penguins on the land. This is reported to be the largest King Penguin Rookery in South Georgia. What a magnificent sight - we were all anxious to get ashore.  We were certainly NOT disappointed.  There are small hills you can climb and look down to so many King Penguins that it was hard to even comprehend. Small pictures cannot depict the scene we saw so I did not show a picture of that here.   Activity was taking place everywhere and all our cameras were clicking away as the Penguins entertained us with their antics. The waterfront was especially active with baby seals and penguins going in and out of the water and interacting with each other.  As you can see by the picture below, you can come ashore and just stay right where you landed. The penguins really are inquisitive. Often it is best to stay in one place and just enjoy what is around you rather than trying to cover a lot of territory at the landing site. 
 

Heaven Among the Kings	Reflecting Mountains and Penguins	Reflecting Mountains and Penguins

GOLD HARBOR: This was many people’s favorite landing in South Georgia.  The diversity of scenery is truly spectacular; mountains, glaciers, plants, seals, birds and thousands of King and Gentoo penguins.  The combination of the glacier and the rich green plants make for a stunning backdrop to the penguins.  At our landing site there were many elephant seals all piled on top of one another, grunting and making loud noises. They are so big when you are close to them. We all experienced an overwhelming sense of wonder at everything we were seeing.  A stream ran through the beach area and many penguins were in the water and crossing between areas.  Seeing the Gentoo penguins and the King penguins together was a treat. 
 

Glaciers, Green and Penguins	Stop! Go no further	Seals and Penguins Share Territory