Included South Georgia by Zodiac & Walks Ashore
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Port
The Seabourn South Georgia Experience (Day 1)
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Activity Level
Moderate Activity
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At (prices in USD)
$0.01
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 1.5 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Remote and forbidding South Georgia, the most rugged of all sub-Antarctic islands, digests the fury of the surrounding stormy seas. The frigid Southern Ocean is the most nutrient-rich on Earth, attracting whales by the thousands, legions of elephant seal, flotillas of fur seals, masses of penguins, and clouds of pelagic birds to both dine at the endless buffet, and to be dined on — a beautiful, brutal world of nature most raw. Leave the ship to explore one or more of the many potential environments on South Georgia with a Zodiac expedition, a ship cruise, a beach landing, or a walk ashore at a wildlife hotspot.
Grytviken: Grytviken, encircled by steep, rugged mountains, is the only settlement on South Georgia. Founded in 1904 as a whaling station, it was once home to 300 souls. Nowadays, Grytviken resembles a ghost town, strewn with a curious range of rusted tanks, oil processing plants, flensing tools, and the skeletons of derelict whaling vessels. The house of the station manager doubles as the South Georgia Museum, while the Lutheran church ages staunchly, standing proud in a field of senescence. Among the white crosses of the cemetery, a monument marks the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton. This failed explorer became an unlikely hero after snatching inconceivable victory from the jaws of crushing defeat. Grytviken has its own post office, which sells rare South Georgia stamps, and across the cove is the British Antarctic Survey scientific station at King Edward Point. Marching across the hinterland, dramatic glacier-covered mountains rise sharply to be crowned by Mount Paget at 6,900 feet (2,935 m).
Wildlife: Amid the vastness of the Southern Ocean, South Georgia is a place of pilgrimage for penguins — a place to feed, to breed, and to rear their young. Hundreds of thousands of king penguins nest on the beaches and flat plains — a mosaic in motion and a chaotic cacophony. Other penguins, along with skuas, petrels, albatrosses, and pipits, roost along its shores. A few million fur seals loll about like puppies, and hundreds of thousands of elephant seals jostle for a snooze-worthy scrap of sand.
Please note: Included Expeditions cannot be booked in advance. The ship's Expedition team will communicate finalized content and departure information. Dress warmly in layers with a windproof and waterproof outer layer; bring a warm hat, gloves and a scarf. Life jackets are provided and must be worn. Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed.