Why your bucket list Antarctica cruise isn’t complete until you’ve been to South Georgia

For many travellers, Antarctica isn’t just at the top of their bucket list but is also at the forefront of their imagination. And once they’ve been, it’s a place that resides firmly in their heart. Luring travellers with its mystery, isolation and grandeur, the frozen wilderness almost always exceeds expectations.

However, beyond the peninsula lies the Antarctic region’s best-kept secret: South Georgia. It’s a place wilder, further, richer and more abundant in wildlife than you could ever imagine, and you haven’t really gone south until you’ve visited this remote wonder on the cruise of a lifetime.

Venture beyond the peninsula and uncover South Georgia.

Why is South Georgia so special?

A chain of sub-Antarctic islands, South Georgia is often likened to the Galapagos or Serengeti – and with good reason. Almost like magic, the mixture of warmer sub-Antarctic currents, fierce ocean winds and frigid colder currents collide, forcing an explosive upwelling of rich, nutrient-dense marine life that’s pushed to the surface. This creates a feast that draws seabirds, seals and whales from across the oceans, who then gorge, breed, nest and rest on South Georgia’s islands.

Over four million fur seals haul out and give birth on the islands each summer, while hundreds of thousands of king penguins create a black and gold wave as they incubate their eggs and feed their young on the stony shores. Half the world’s population of southern elephant seals call the islands home, and the 4000-kilogram males fight to defend their harems along the shores. With more biodiversity than the Galapagos, the sheer density and concentration of wildlife that hauls out, lands and swims ashore here, along with the marine mammals who swarm along its coast, is incomparable to anywhere else on earth – including the rest of the region.

Beyond the geography and biodiversity, however, is the rich history and legend that surrounds South Georgia. Once plundered for its marine life, many of the former whaling stations – including land sites at Stromness Harbour – are now rust and ruins, a tombstone-like testament to a different time.

A landing at Grytviken is the highlight of the trip for many travellers (weather permitting); they can visit the South Georgia museum, the island’s church and the ruins of the whaling station. This is also the final resting place of revered polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, who famously sailed to South Georgia and walked across its unmapped glacial interior to raise the alarm after his ship, The Endurance, was crushed in ice. Visitors can pick a delicate path between the elephant seals to pay their respects at Shackleton’s grave.

Witness how ice and ocean meet at Drygalski Island. (Image: Yuri Choufour)

What to see in South Georgia

Far more remote than Antarctica and cradling a fragile landscape, landings on South Georgia are at the whim of the weather and how low impact a visit will be. But whether you sail under a deceptively inviting bluebird sky or cruise in a zodiac along the coast, South Georgia throbs with energy.

Just imagine: when the expedition crew cuts the engine, its hum fades, giving way to the gentle crackling sound of ice. It’s broken by a gasping wheeze; just metres away a humpback whale surfaces, its slick, shiny back pockmarked with scratches. It turns on its side to expose a pinkish-white belly, so close you can discern the barnacles from the sea lice. The gentle giant raises a flipper almost in salute before rolling back down, its tail gently creasing the surface as it sluices back into the depths.

Along with Grytviken, popular landing spots include the king penguin rookeries at St Andrews Bay, Salisbury Plain and Gold Harbour. Here, the nesting pairs with their golden feathers and silver plumage race against time to lay eggs and fatten their young before winter begins.

Bird watchers flock to the incredible wandering albatross nesting sites, including Prion Island. Follow a special boardwalk to the top of the island, walking among the tussocks of green grass that provide nesting platforms for the incredible sea-faring birds, whose wingspan is the largest of any feathered animal. Afterwards, wait on the beach for your zodiac and expect to be rushed by a cacophony of small seal pups, as eager and curious as a pack of canines, with dishplate-wide eyes and an incredible ability to loop through the water in chase.

See king penguins. (Image: Yuri Choufour)

Getting to South Georgia

HX Hurtigruten Expeditions operates a fleet of three ice-class ships that head south every Antarctic season, including their state-of-the-art hybrid-electric ships. Running expeditions since 1896, HX offers visitors one of the most extensive science-focused programs in Antarctica, partnering with the University of Tasmania on a world-first program to ensure passengers can get the most out of their trip south.

With a friendly and informal onboard atmosphere, a dedicated full-time expedition crew, all-inclusive itineraries and environmental protection a core focus of every voyage, HX delivers you to the heart of the Great White South, making the most of a once-in-a-lifetime experience in a place everyone should see.

Experience a once-in-a-lifetime journey with HX Expeditions. (Image: Yuri Choufour)

The details

Expeditions to South Georgia with HX are normally combined with a voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula, with visits on their 23-day Life Returns Springtime Expedition to Antarctica and In-depth South Georgia, Falklands and Antarctica Expedition. These start at $25,058 per person, with no solo supplement on selected departures.

Explore the untouched wonders of South Georgia. (Image: Tessa Van Drie)

Start planning your South Georgia adventure of a lifetime at travelhx.com.