Our information to one of the best time to go to South Georgia Island.
House to one of many best wildlife reveals on earth, South Georgia Island is a vacation spot that evokes, humbles and amazes all who’re fortunate sufficient to journey to its shores.
It’s a land of extremes. The type of place the place you’ll discover hanging glaciers excessive above seashores coated with a whole bunch of 1000’s of king penguins.
Big harems of elephant seals occupy the sand, the males battling one another to the demise for dominance of their females.
The world’s largest chicken of flight, the wandering albatross, nurtures their younger on tussock-covered islands within the harbours.
Mountains rise over 2000m above sea degree, dropping sharply into the turbulent Southern Ocean beneath.
READ MORE: Take a look at our complete journey to South Georgia information!
South Georgia can be dwelling to some tragic human historical past. Corroded whaling stations are scattered across the coast, a haunting reminder of the hundreds of thousands of animals that had been slaughtered in these waters in occasions passed by.
It’s the burial place of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the best Antarctic explorer whoever lived, and one of many world’s most luxurious small museums might be seen within the city of Grytviken.
South Georgia, certainly, is likely one of the most fascinating locations to go to on the planet!
When is the Finest Time to Go to South Georgia Island?
For these seeking to journey to South Georgia, realizing what time of yr to go can have a huge effect in your total expertise.
Must you journey within the early season? What about in the midst of summer season? Is Autumn one of the best time to go to South Georgia?
For those who’re questioning when you will note probably the most penguins, or when the climate shall be higher for pictures, then that is the article for you.
We’ve answered the query and damaged down the professionals and cons of travelling in every of the primary months, from October to April, so you possibly can plan the right journey.
Whatever the season, it’s additionally essential to decide on the correct tour operator on your journey to the ‘Serengeti of the Southern Ocean’.
Small group journeys are superb, and with the delicate setting of South Georgia needing extra safety than ever, deciding on an organization that commits to strict quarantine and sustainable tourism is essential.
EXCLUSIVE – We now have partnered with the world’s high polar tour operator, Quark Expeditions, to supply readers of NOMADasaurus a really particular deal on any journey to Antarctica or the Arctic! Contact us ([email protected]) in the event you’d prefer to study extra.
October to November (Spring)
There’s a few nice causes to go to South Georgia in the beginning of the season, and if you wish to get probably the most dramatic wildlife experiences conceivable, one of the best time to go to South Georgia is in October and November.
The winter has come to an finish and the native wildlife of South Georgia begins to change into extra lively after the months of harsh climate.
It’s now that the elephant seals begin to set up management of the seashores. The blood begins flowing and the mating season is kicking off.
That additionally means the massive bulls begin to combat, usually in violent, bloody confrontations to change into the ‘seashore grasp’ and chief of the harems of females.
Seeing the 4-tonne bulls battling solely metres away from you is a terrifying and spectacular scene. Whereas it’s brutal, that is nature at its rawest.
Not all the elephant seal encounters are intense although. Infants are being born daily on the finish of winter, and the younger pups, generally known as ‘weaners’, are all over the place.
They’re tiny in comparison with the adults, and for the primary few weeks they’re tremendously curious of people.
It’s not unusual to be sitting there observing the colonies and have a weaner come as much as verify you out.
Early season can be a good time to journey to South Georgia as a result of whereas the male fur seals are popping up everywhere in the island, the females haven’t but arrived.
As soon as they do begin to seem on the seashores the male fur seals change into extraordinarily aggressive, making it inconceivable to land on lots of the seashores.
The king penguins have additionally began having their chicks, which suggests you’ll have the prospect to see these brown, fluffy birds populate the colonies.
Moreover seabirds, and most impressively the wandering albatross, the biggest chicken of flight on the planet, have lastly returned to South Georgia because the snow begins to soften.
A few of them construct their nests on Prion Island, a Particular Protected Space that is still open to people in early and late season.
Through the summer season the albatrosses start to have their infants, and the island closes all the way down to minimise hurt and stress to the birds.
Lastly in early season, there are fewer ships that go to South Georgia, which means much less vacationers and extra time to spend on land.
There are a few unfavorable factors about visiting South Georgia in October or November although, and that is primarily as a result of climate.
As winter has solely simply ended, there can nonetheless be quite a lot of snow on the bottom in some elements, and it’s not unusual to get snowfall or heavy rain in these months.
In our opinion although the professionals of travelling within the early season far outweigh the cons, and this time of yr is our advice for when to go to South Georgia Island.
For photographers, that is the right time to go to the island.
December to Mid-February (Summer season)
The summer season is assessed as excessive season within the Antarctic and South Georgia, with lengthy days, good climate and an abundance of wildlife to take pleasure in.
Throughout this time the spotlight is the 1000’s of king penguin chicks that now cowl the complete panorama.
Brief, fluffy and never in in the least shy, they’re onerous to not fall in love with.
The inhabitants of king penguins from December to February is at their highest, and it may be fairly overwhelming to be standing on the seashores or hills and looking out throughout a plain with each sq. foot coated with birds.
Most of the elephants seals have been pushed off the seashores at the moment of yr because the fur seals take over.
They’re extraordinarily aggressive although, which means quite a lot of occasions shore landings aren’t attainable.
In Grytviken the king penguins have taken over, including an enchanting wildlife component to the country decay of the whaling station.
There’s no scarcity of sea birds at the moment of yr too, however the possibilities of seeing probably the most well-known one, the wandering albatross, is low as they’re busy caring for his or her younger on locations like Prion Island.
The hotter waters of summer season additionally imply the whales begin to make an look once more, and in the event you’re fortunate you is perhaps handled to wonderful reveals by humpbacks, orcas and fin whales.
By way of climate, you possibly can anticipate as much as 18 hours of daylight and temperatures round 5 levels.
Summer season is a good time to go to South Georgia, nevertheless you received’t be alone. The Antarctic season is in full swing, and plenty of expeditions embrace a visit to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia of their itinerary.
The bigger numbers of vacationers means schedules are extraordinarily tight for shore landings resulting from strict limitations on visits.
If for some purpose a specific tour will get delayed or cancelled, resulting from climate or tough seas for instance, there’s no probability to increase it or come again one other time.
Excessive season is clearly the most well-liked time to come back to South Georgia, but when you may make it within the shoulder season, that’s what we might recommend.
Mid-February to April (Autumn)
In the direction of the tip of the Antarctic season the marine life within the Southern Ocean are at their most lively.
Hundreds of whales are on a feeding frenzy earlier than they begin their migration north to beat the upcoming winter.
Humpbacks, orcas, fin whales, minkes and sometimes blue whales might be seen within the waters off of South Georgia.
On land the king penguin chicks are starting to malt. Their brown feathers are falling out and so they’re constructing the arrogance to depart their dad and mom and head out into the ocean to fend for themselves.
Different penguin species resembling gentoos, macaronis and chinstraps have their chicks fledging in giant teams.
Cute fur seal pups now cowl the seashores, providing a special photographic alternative than different occasions of the yr.
Many of the snow has melted and the bottom has dried up, so it’s attainable to wander additional inland to hunt out different animals and totally different panorama views.
On Prion Island the wandering albatross chicks are beginning to mature and it’s attainable to go to them in the event you’re on a small group journey.
The tip of the season additionally means fewer passenger ships, and the pliability of shore landings and timings opens issues up as soon as once more.
With winter simply across the nook although, the climate is beginning to flip, and flurries and storms are attainable.
By the tip of March a lot of the tour operators have completed their Antarctic season, and only some outliers stick round into April, though that is thought of very late.
If whales and penguins are your principal purpose for visiting South Georgia, travelling within the autumn is a good alternative.
Can You Go to South Georgia in Winter?
The brief reply to that is no, you can’t go to South Georgia within the winter.
This is because of harsh climate that plagues the Southern Ocean, the ice that builds up across the island and the heavy snow that may fall.
No vacationer ships will go to South Georgia throughout winter because it’s simply not protected or satisfying.
The exception can be in the event you sail by yourself ship there, however you would want to amass near-impossible particular permits to land from the South Georgia authorities.
DISCLAIMER: We travelled to South Georgia with One Ocean Expeditions as a part of our media partnership with them . All ideas, opinions and 1000’s of king penguin photographs captured are, as at all times, our personal.