Things to do in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

25 things to do in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Stand beside Shackleton's grave in Grytviken

  Pay homage to Sir Ernest Shackleton at his granite grave in the small whalers' cemetery, a poignant tribute to the legendary explorer's connection to South Georgia.

  Grytviken

• Photograph the king penguin mega-colony at St Andrews Bay

  Witness over 150,000 pairs of king penguins blanketing the glacial outwash plain against a backdrop of towering mountains and the Ross Glacier.

  St Andrews Bay

• Kayak among icebergs in Drygalski Fjord

  Paddle through crystalline waters in a deep glacial fjord, weaving between sculpted blue icebergs calved from the Risting and Jenkins Glaciers.

  Drygalski Fjord

• Wander the ruins of the Leith Harbour whaling station

  Explore the rusting boilers, flensing decks and beached whale catchers of this once-busy Norwegian station, now being reclaimed by nature.

  Leith Harbour

• Observe southern elephant seal harems at Gold Harbour

  Walk carefully among enormous beachmaster bull seals and their harems at the foot of the Bertrab Glacier, with king and gentoo penguins as neighbours.

  Gold Harbour

• Spot macaroni penguins at Cooper Bay

  Scramble onto tussock-covered slopes to find the flamboyant yellow crests of macaroni penguins nesting above a rugged cove frequented by chinstrap and gentoo penguins.

  Cooper Bay

• Hike the final leg of Shackleton's traverse from Fortuna Bay

  Follow in Shackleton's footsteps on the last overland stretch of his epic 1916 journey, descending from the col above Fortuna Bay towards the deserted Stromness station.

  Fortuna Bay to Stromness

• See the king penguins of Salisbury Plain from a safe distance

  Marvel at the second-largest king penguin rookery on the island, a sea of black, white and orange stretching between the Grace and Lucas Glaciers.

  Salisbury Plain

• Listen to the ice groaning at the Nordenskjöld Glacier front

  Cruise close to the towering blue face of this active tidewater glacier in Cumberland East Bay, waiting for blocks of ice to calve with a thunderous roar.

  Nordenskjöld Glacier

• Visit the restored Norwegian Lutheran Church in Grytviken

  Step inside the simple timber church built by whalers in 1913, which still hosts occasional services and weddings amid the old station buildings.

  Grytviken

• Zodiac cruise through the floating ice graveyard of Cumberland Bay

  Zigzag past brash ice and bergy bits in a rugged inflatable boat, getting eye-level with crabeater and Weddell seals hauled out on ice floes.

  Cumberland Bay

• Land at Elsehul harbor to observe grey-headed albatross

  Enter a natural amphitheatre of tussock grass where thousands of grey-headed and black-browed albatrosses nest on steep slopes above the sheltered inlet.

  Elsehul

• Search for southern right whales in the Bay of Isles

  Scan the waters from a ship's bridge or Zodiac for the distinctive v-shaped blow of recovering southern right whales that feed and rest in this rich marine habitat.

  Bay of Isles

• Walk the beach at King Haakon Bay where Shackleton landed

  Stand on the same pebble shore where the James Caird made landfall in 1916, completing one of history's greatest small-boat voyages.

  King Haakon Bay

• Explore the scientific base at King Edward Point

  Visit the modern British Antarctic Survey research station beside Grytviken to learn about fisheries monitoring, marine science and rat eradication efforts.

  King Edward Point

• Hike up to the alpine tundra behind Grytviken for panoramic views

  Climb through tussock to a high point overlooking the harbour, Cumberland Bay and the Allardyce Range – a world of snow, rock and sea.

  Grytviken

• Photograph the wandering albatross display platform on Prion Island

  From a designated boardwalk, watch the largest flying birds on Earth perform courtship rituals on a grassy area set aside for this vulnerable endemic breeder.

  Prion Island

• Drift silently past the Willis Islands' rockhopper penguin colonies

  From a ship, observe northern rockhopper penguins ricochet up sheer sea cliffs to high nests, alongside flashy blue-eyed cormorants.

  Willis Islands

• See chinstrap penguins on the volcanic black sands of Zavodovski Island

  Gaze at one of the planet's largest chinstrap penguin colonies, thriving on an active volcanic summit in the remote South Sandwich archipelago.

  Zavodovski Island

• Witness the steaming crater of Montagu Island from afar

  On a rare expedition cruise through the South Sandwich Islands, watch fumes rise from the ice-filled caldera of this heavily glaciated volcano.

  Montagu Island

• Tread carefully among fur seals at Maiviken

  Negotiate a beach fiercely guarded by Antarctic fur seals to reach the sprawling gentoo penguin colony that lines the shore of this sheltered cove.

  Maiviken

• Visit the old cemetery and blubber cookery at Stromness

  Wander through the abandoned whaling station where Shackleton finally reached help, seeing the twisted metal cookers and the names on weathered wooden grave markers.

  Stromness

• Cruise the entire adventure-filled length of Drygalski Fjord

  Let the ship penetrate deep into the mountain-walled inlet, past glaciers and shimmering icebergs, often reaching a dead-end of sheer ice cliffs.

  Drygalski Fjord

• Spot light-mantled sooty albatross on the cliffs of Elsehul

  Look up to see the delicate, pale-backed albatross gliding on stiff winds above the cove, one of the most elegant of the region's seabirds.

  Elsehul

• Hike the rugged interior from Fortuna Bay to Stromness

  Retrace the last miles of Shackleton's traverse over alpine terrain, fording streams and crossing a mountain pass before the sight of civilisation.

  Fortuna Bay to Stromness