On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
arrieve
I went to Antarctica in 2018 and enjoyed every minute of what I believed was a once in a lifetime adventure. It’s so far away, and so expensive to get there, that most people never get to have that experience and I appreciated how lucky I was.
One thing I regretted was that I wasn’t able to do the one-week extension to South Georgia after seeing Antarctica. I was still working then and I couldn’t spare the extra vacation days or the money. But every time I have seen pictures of South Georgia in the years since or talked to people who’ve been there, I’ve always been sorry that I hadn’t just said screw it and gone when I had the opportunity.
Then last year I got a notice of unclaimed funds belonging to my late mother. And I had a cruise credit from my trip last Christmas through the Suez Canal from Athens to Saudi Arabia because all of the Egyptian ports were taken off the itinerary due to the war in Gaza. Neither was a huge amount of money, but when I saw that the cruise company had trips to Antarctica that included South Georgia, this time I did say screw it. I took the rest of the money out of my IRA, which of course you shouldn’t do, but did I mention Screw it?
I still have several hundred pictures I haven’t processed yet, but here is some of what I have of South Georgia, which is absolutely magical. I am so glad I went. And yeah, I’d love to go back….
I spent Christmas in Rio (it rained three of the four days I was there, so not a lot of interesting pictures to share), then flew to Santiago, where the tour started. We left early the next morning, taking two charter flights to Puerto Williams, on the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego, where we boarded the ship.
We were scheduled to sail for three days across the Scotia Sea to reach South Georgia, which is really out in the middle of nowhere. We made excellent time though, and arrived in the early afternoon on the third day. So after some negotiations with the South Georgia authorities, we were able to arrange an extra excursion and do a zodiac cruise in Elsehul Bay that afternoon.
There were fur seals and elephant seals lounging on the beach, penguins waddling on the rocks and porpoising through the water, and a colony of albatrosses up on the mountain. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe how magnificent it was. Someone took a picture of me on the zodiac with a camera in my hand and a huge grin on my face, and I still smile when I think of it.
Here are some king penguins on the beach. They are mostly found in South Georgia, so I had never seen them before.
A gentoo penguin strolling among the seals. These are mostly elephant seals with a few fur seals mixed in. I love how the colors of their fur match the colors of the rocks.
There was one lonely chinstrap penguin hanging out by itself. I saw more chinstraps later in Antarctica but this was the best picture I got
Also new to me: macaroni penguins, the only ones we saw on the trip. I love their punky feathers.
The kelp that lined the beach made beautiful abstract patterns. I hadn’t known that kelp is not actually a plant, it is algae. (I don’t think this knowledge will ever be relevant to my life, but that’s okay. I like knowing things.)
Fortuna Bay was scheduled to be our first landing in South Georgia, but the scouting crew found too many dead animals, so we had to stay on the zodiacs.
The biosecurity measures on this trip were much more stringent than they had been seven years ago—then we had to have our boots and all of our outerwear inspected for potential contaminants before going ashore for the first time and our boots had to be scrubbed, disinfected, and left in the mudroom when returning to the ship. But now you are no longer allowed to kneel or crouch or sit or place a bag upon the ground in either Antarctica or South Georgia. (Basically nothing should touch the ground except the soles of your boots.) This is because of the avian flu; it’s killed large numbers of penguins and other sea birds, and it’s also killing seals. So it’s not safe to be around any dead animals; we probably would not become infected ourselves but we could inadvertently spread the virus.
The zodiac ride turned out to be so spectacular I don’t think anyone minded not landing. The water was calm, and despite the large iceberg in the middle of the harbor it was warm enough to shed our hats and gloves.
There were so many seals you could hear them from the ship, but also more king penguins and other sea birds. I occasionally closed my eyes, just wanting to savor the moment, but then had to open them again immediately because some nearby animal was doing something cute.
A giant petrel swimming in the bay. I had seen several flying around the ship on the trip across the Scotia Sea but none close up. Here you can get a good look at that very complicated, so-ugly-it’s-almost beautiful, beak.
That afternoon was another zodiac cruise in Prince Olav Harbour. There are abandoned whaling stations all over South Georgia, but these were the most extensive ruins we saw. I liked the juxtaposition of the wrecked, rusting, tanks and buildings and machinery, and the herds of seals that have now claimed the beaches as their own
A view from farther out in the water, showing the mountains and the wreckage along the shore.
Fur seals are lively and social and endlessly entertaining to watch, but I do have a soft spot for elephant seals. You would never describe them as “lively,” at least when they’re piled on the beach like enormous furry sausages. (They can move, of course, but it isn’t quick or graceful.)
And when you’re observing from a distance, you can’t always see their faces, which I find both strange and oddly beautiful. Some of the adults remind me of the faces on the angry apple trees in the Wizard of Oz. Fortunately this young seal was curious enough about our presence to swim out to get a better look at us, giving us a better look as well.
Jeffg166
I didn’t know South Georgia existed.
Auntie Anne
Oh, what a lovely trip! I’d have been grinning ear-to-ear as well. Thanks for sharing the pictures because they are fabulous.
Rusty
Was this the whaling station where Shakelton landed? I want to see South Georgia from reading the stories of his expeditions incredible survival and rescue. Beautiful pictures.
BretH
I’m transported this morning. Great photos and commentary!!
divF
The science fiction writer Ursula Le Guin was fascinated by remote polar regions. The Left Hand of Darkness is set on a planet named Winter, and she wrote a short story (Sur) about a secret expedition to the South Pole by a group of women that took place before Scott and Amundsen. She named one of the planets in her Hainish novels New South Georgia, with its capital city Kerguelen.
I am also drawn to such remote and desolate regions, due to family connections. My mother grew up in a small village off the coast of Newfoundland. Her father was a cod fisherman, in the pre-refrigeration era.
arrieve
@Rusty: No, Shackleton landed at King Haakon Bay, not too far from Elsehul. Then he and two of his men walked over the mountains to the whaling station at Stromness. Ships never go to King Haakon Bay because it’s on the wrong (stormy) side of the island. We didn’t go to Stromness, but there is a picture of Shackleton’s grave at Grytviken in the pictures tomorrow.
Gloria DryGarden
Your descriptions are wonderful. I didn’t realize s Georgia island was so special and magical. Thank you for these close ups, really more detail than I’ve ever seen on some of these birds..
im stunned that avian flu has gotten down there..
stinger
Wow! What a great experience! Wonderful photos!
J.
Wow. Love the story and the photos. I want to go to South Georgia! (To quote one of my favorite lines from Risky Business, “Sometimes you gotta say, What the fuck.”)
MCat
Thanks for the great photos particularly the last one of the seal. What a beautiful face that seal has. And the penguins are lovely. You are quite adventurous to go there.
pieceofpeace
Thanks for the pictures of a faraway land I know nothing about. What a trip of discovery and delight for you. Do the seals and other residents feed off the kelp? Also notice the lack of snow, but perhaps the area isn’t as cold as imagined.
Torrey
Amazing pictures, and wonderful, informative commentary. Yeah, I like knowing things, too. Thank you!
WaterGirl
You have a great “voice”, arrieve! That image of the (seemingly) tiny penguin hanging with the seals is utterly charming.
And we still have 2 more parts to go!
Gary K
South Georgia? Did you get to Valdosta?
arrieve
@pieceofpeace:
I think there is plenty of snow during the winter, but I was surprised by how green South Georgia is in the summer. It’s very different from Antarctica, where if you’re lucky there might be some moss!
The penguins eat fish and krill, and the seals eat the same, along with squid and, yes, penguin. But some of the smaller marine life eats kelp, and my understanding is that the kelp breaks down in the water and helps feed the krill. So circle of life!
arrieve
@Gary K:
That’s on the bucket list. I always wanted to see the famous penguins of Valdosta.
YY_Sima Qian
@arrieve: Great photos and descriptions, sure transported me back to South Georgia! I think South Georgia, the Serengeti & the Okavango Delta are the most magical places on Earth for wildlife.
Sucks to hear about the impact of the avian flu, though… Ughh!
Miss Bianca
Wait, algae isn’t a plant?
There go two miscreants
Enjoyed the pictures of someplace I will never get to, and also a “notice of unclaimed funds” seen in the wild that was NOT a scam of some kind!
Ruckus
@arrieve:
Antartica is ice and snow. Now that said it is amazing. I’ve stated where I’ve traveled to and on this world before and it covers a lot of ground, ocean and a fair bit of snow and ice. The best part of being in the USN was ending up in far away places, seeing things that most never get to see. Some in the wild and some in some amazing cities. I actually consider myself somewhat lucky, I got to go to a lot of places few ever see and some that were travel destinations.