Our ship spent the sunny afternoon of 7 March in Godthul Bay. It was calm and clear, so they pulled out the kayaks and allowed us to roam (in pairs) around the bay. It was entrancing to simply park within the kelp forest and watch the fur seal pups frolicking – and they were as curious about us as we were about them! I highly encourage you to take three minutes to enjoy this video of the fur seals; for you, as for me, patience will pay off. You can almost imagine them, just like human children, daring each other to touch the kayak paddle!
A hike from Maiviken to Grytviken, and a toast to Shackleton!
Before breakfast on the misty morning of 7 March, I was among a hardy group that was shuttled via Zodiac to the shore in Maiviken, a small bay in the center of South Georgia’s eastern coastline. We sloshed our way up through the soggy hillside to the rocky height of land on the Thatcher peninsula, and down into the storied whaling village of Grytviken. This tiny settlement encapsulates, in a few small acres, every important aspect of South Georgia human history – sealers, whalers, explorers, soldiers, governors, researchers, and even tourists. Read on and check out the gallery!
As the afternoon waned on 6 March, we sailed deep into a deep fjord at the southern tip of South Georgia, its walls lined with glacier after glacier. As the glaciers have receded – all too fast, in recent years – the fjord has gotten longer, and it took an hour for us to motor slowly “upstream” to the head of the fjord, where the Risting Glacier was actively calving into the tidal bay.
Glacier near the head of Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia.
Visit the gallery for more photos and a video panorama. You’ll note one tiny iceberg, recently broken off the glacier, just large enough to allow a fur seal a spot to rest while it fished for its dinner in the frigid waters of the fjord.
A Zodiac tour gives our first glimpse of Macaroni Penguins.
After a delightful morning in Gold Harbour, on the afternoon of 6 March we stopped briefly in a tiny bay on the southeastern point of South Georgia Island – Cooper Bay. We were not able (not allowed?) to land here, so they took us out in groups to tour the bay by Zodiac. On the beach we saw a small, mixed colony of penguins – Chinstrap, King, and Gentoo – and nearby a steep, rocky hillside frequented by Macaroni Penguins.
Macaroni penguins – Cooper Bay, South Georgia.
Visit the gallery for more photos. The weather was windy and the water was choppy, and it was difficult to photograph wildlife from a bouncing boat!
A sunrise visit shows why Gold Harbour got its name.
It was 4:30am on 6 March as a hardy group of guests quietly stopped by the top-deck café, looking for coffee, tea, and pastries. The Endurance was resting calmly in the middle of Gold Harbour, so named by the early sealers because the morning’s first rays of sun tend to paint the surrounding cliffs with a golden glow. The weather was calm but a bit misty; nonetheless we soon climbed down to the bottom deck to don our waterproofs and were launching the Zodiacs by 5:30 as the horizon behind us hinted at the coming day. Each Zodiac had a lighted pillar to aid the ship in tracking us in the morning gloom; the penguins on shore seemed nonplussed by this early wake-up call.
Landing in Gold Harbour, South Georgia.
The mist later rose, leading to a spectacular morning on the beaches of Gold Harbour; after a return to the ship for a hearty breakfast, we made a second trip on which I joined a group for a hike up to the headlands – and sweeping views of the harbour, its glaciers, and tens of thousands of penguins.
King penguins – Gold Harbour, South Georgia.
Read on, and be sure to check out the two galleries of photos and videos: sunrise and hike.
After a delightful morning visiting the penguins and seals on the beaches of Right Whale Bay, we re-boarded the National Geographic Endurance and enjoyed a hearty lunch while it sailed further down the coast to the Bay of Isles. As we approached shore, hundreds of King Penguins leapt in the choppy waters in front of the ship, curious about this odd, huge creature that had joined them in the bay. This brief video gives you a sense of their frolic and a panoramic view of this broad alluvial plain fed by two glaciers – it’s the best way to see the whole scene!
David with King Penguins – Salisbury Plain, South Georgia.
We quickly cleaned and donned our waterproof boots and pants and hopped into the Zodiacs for a trip to shore… this time to visit the vast glacial plains known as Salisbury Plain. Read on, and check out the gallery of photos and videos!
Our first opportunity to land on South Georgia was in Right Whale Bay, on the morning of 5 March. The stony beach was home to several thousand King Penguins and hundreds of fur seals. We were able to wander among the seals, across the grass, and around the edges of the penguin colony, slopping through the mud, penguin guano, and wet rocks. The weather threw us a bit of everything – drizzle, flurries, sleet, sunshine, and a stiff wind bursting downslope from the glaciers above. We were dressed warmly and the excitement of meeting penguins face to face – quite literally – made for an exciting morning. Read on and don’t miss the gallery of photos and videos!
An overview of our five-day visit to South Georgia Island.
Finally, on the 5th of March after two days at sea en route from the Falkland Islands, we approached the shores of South Georgia island just as the sun rose over its shoulder. Watch this brief video panorama as the ship approaches Right Whale Bay on the northern shore at the west end of the island.
Sunrise and first glimpse of South Georgia.
Where is South Georgia Island – and what makes it such a special place? Read on for an overview of our action-packed five-day visit to this incredible corner of Planet Earth.
Two days from the Falklands to South Georgia – and two days back again.
It is a looooong way to the island of South Georgia, even from the Falkland Islands. We spent a full day at sea sailing from Ushuaia Argentina to the Falklands, then two full days at sea sailing from the Falklands to South Georgia… and then reversed that trip on return.
…total of six days at sea.
Fortunately, our time at sea was not in the least bit boring! And, perhaps surprisingly, there were many things to photograph along the way. Read on!
As noted in the prior post, we boarded the National Geographic Endurance in Ushuaia, Argentina, and sailed down the Beagle Channel and out into the South Atlantic. After two nights and a full day of sailing, we pulled into the port of Stanley in the Falkland Islands. In this post, I share a bit of what we found.
David Kotz 