South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Travel Guide

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands OVERVIEW

Harsh, inhospitable, and sitting at the end of the world, South Georgia rewards with experiences which more than fully make up for any inconvenience caused by its remote location. Of all the places you have been to, this sub-Antarctic theater with scenography of cracking glaciers and abandoned whaling stations is one where you get closest to nature.

They say St. Andrew's Bay, indenting the island's north coast, holds the greatest and most approachable concentration of wildlife than any other place on earth. And indeed, there are no words to describe the spectacle of 500,000 king penguins filling every inch of space not taken by rookeries of cuddling seals and gigantic sea elephants authoritatively occupying the sands along the edge of the water while snow-white albatrosses provide a musical background. If only the odor weren't so nagging...

While on the island, make sure to stop in Grytviken, the rusty whaling harbor and principal settlement, with a great collection of artifacts housed in the Museum of South Georgia, a souvenir shop, and a tiny church, where you can pray for the ocean to show mercy on your way back home.

Together with South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia falls under British sovereignty as an overseas territory. With 170 kilometers in length, it is by far the largest in the group and thus, the focus of visitors' attention. Lack of air access makes it a sporadic destination for tourists, but it is certainly one of those places that give the most satisfaction when attained, and whose crude, arresting beauty is not easily forgotten.