Nature and history

7 March 2025

Nature and history

The landscape of South Georgia is impressive, with towering snow-capped mountains, numerous glaciers, and an abundance of wildlife. Our first stop was Grytviken, one of the five whaling stations on South Georgia. From 1904 to 1966, this station was used by whalers who brought their captured whales ashore to be processed into products like whale oil.

Today, Grytviken is an abandoned whaling station, but it is now home to hundreds of fur seals (Arctocephalus) resting among the old installations. Grytviken is the only place on South Georgia with a settled community, consisting of scientists, government officials, and maintenance staff. For visitors, there is a small museum and a post office, which opens specifically when a ship arrives. Just outside Grytviken is a small cemetery where whalers who lost their lives here are buried. The famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who died in 1922, is also buried here.

The following day, we planned to sail to Jason Harbour. However, we soon encountered a powerful catabatic wind, howling down from the mountains with icy strength over the sea. We had to sail directly into the wind, and through the binoculars, we could see large chunks of glacial ice floating in the bay of Jason Harbour. We decided to change our plan and turned around. Our new destination for the day became Saint Andrews Bay, famous for its huge colony of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), which is estimated to number around 200,000.

After three hours of sailing, we neared Saint Andrews Bay. Even before we dropped anchor, we were greeted by the unmistakable smell of the penguin colony. From the ship, we had a fantastic view of the colony, with snow-capped mountains and glaciers in the background. Due to the breaking waves on the shore, it was impossible for us to land with the dinghy, but as an alternative, those who wished could take a tour along the shore to get a close look at the penguins. It was an unforgettable experience!