South Georgia possesses the greatest density of wildlife on Earth. Millions of penguins, Antarctic fur seals, albatross, and elephant seals, all shoehorned onto an island 170kilometers long. This fabulous subantarctic island is several days sailing north of the Antarctic Peninsula and 1450km south of Stanley, in the Falklands. The glaciated interior rises nearly 3000metres and was made famous by Shackleton, Crean, and Worsley’s epic traverse back in 1916 to get help for the stricken crew of the Endurance after they’d sailed to the island in high seas in a lifeboat. What makes it so rich in wildlife is an upwelling of cold South Atlantic nutrients creating a biological soup of phytoplankton that ensures the island’s mega-biodiversity is forever replenishing. 

It wasn’t always such a natural paradise, however. Since being in possession of the British crown since 1775 when James Cook claimed it for King George III, it endured almost two-centuries of ruthless exploitation. First the sealers came in the late 1780s and then from 1904 CA Larsen established a devastating Norwegian whaling presence that decimated whales all the way down to Antarctica. With the closure of Leith Harbour station in 1965, whaling ended, and South Georgia became home only to a handful of scientists from British Antarctic Survey. The island began to heal. 

Nowadays the main industry here is adventure cruising. South Georgia is increasingly found on Antarctic itineraries, typically on three-week trips that also includes the Falkland Islands. Zodiac transfers are allowed to key wildlife spots such as St Andrews, but all landings are wet, meaning you hop out into the shallows and wade ashore. There is no land accommodation for travellers. The old whaling station at Grytviken makes for a wildly atmospheric whaling station, and it’s where Shackleton is buried having died offshore in 1922. You can visit his grave. One of South Georgia’s must-do highlights is to walk the final part of Shackleton’s epic cross-island traverse, that nowadays ends in Grytviken. 

Southern elephant seals: They pop up along the coast throughout the summer. The greatest spectacle is a haul-out beach full of cantankerous males post-breeding season letting their tonnes of blubber unashamedly hang out.

Other wildlife: You’ll see agile leopard seals hunting penguins in the shallows and the likes of gentoo, macaroni, and chinstrap, trying to avoid them. Keep a sharp eye open for occasional Weddell seals.

Birdlife 

The birdlife density defies belief. Black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses are often seen on the wing but look out and gasp at the three-metre plus wingspan of the magnificent wandering albatross. Alongside myriad species of petrels you’ll see the world’s most southernly songbird, the endemic South Georgia pipit. It’s bright yellow and hops around the shoreline. 

Whale watching

There are good chances to see whales in South Georgia’s krill-rich waters. It’s a major feeding ground during the subantarctic summer even if numbers likely remain depressed and recovering after the onslaught of South Georgia’s whaling industry that ended here in the 1960s. Each time I’ve been to South Georgia I have seen humpback whales. My first time was a magical encounter in King Haakon Bay, where I followed Shackleton’s epic lifeboat sea voyage.  On a recent trip I saw fin whales, the second largest of the species and new research is showing blue whale populations are recovering. Don’t rule out seeing transient orca ecotypes. 

Footwear:

You’ll be provided with muck-boots for South Georgia to use throughout. You won’t wear these casually on deck as they’ll stay in the ship’s ‘mud room’ and likewise, if a hike is offered, you may want better ankle support. 

• On ship, I would recommend a warm pair of walking shoes with good gripping soles for a wet deck and something smart-causal to slip into for meals.

• Hiking boots for South Georgia is a good option if you cannot walk longer distances in the muck-boots. But penguin poo is persistently pungent, so maybe best stick with the muck boots, or you may experience unpleasant aromas on your own footwear long after you’ve returned home.