Things to Consider

  • Trips departing in October, November and March may offer a greater feeling of exclusivity as there tend to be fewer vessels navigating the island
  • Early season departures in October may catch territorial beach battles between huge male elephant seals 
  • December and January are the most popular times to visit since this coincides with the Antarctic high season
  • Keen photographers may want to travel at the beginning or end of the season as the colours and light conditions of the slightly shorter days produce particularly dramatic results
  • Some beaches may be less accessible during high summer as feisty fur seals return to the beaches in vast numbers
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What our customers think of South Georgia

St. Andrew’s Bay South Georgia probably stands out as the most memorable. To be able to walk among the hundreds of thousands of king penguins, elephant seals, fur seals, albatross and other sea birds with a backdrop of glaciers and mountains ending at the sea was beyond imagination. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2025

Michele Krantz - USA

10/10 - This trip was WAY more than I expected. The wildlife and scenery were beyond imagination. The captain on our ship went out of his way to make sure we experienced the wildlife or scenery we saw along the way. Our schedules were adapted to ensure we saw and experienced what we encountered. The guides were all extremely educated and knowledgeable in the areas we visited. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2025

Michele Krantz - USA

10/10 - I think we got really lucky with the weather. We were able to do so many landings/zodiac cruises and dives (I did a dozen + a polar plunge). Diving with a lots of sea lions, seals, and ctenophores around me. Seeing a colony of 100,000s of king penguins. Whales literally swimming right next to/under our zodiacs. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2025

Matthew-Dean Argame - USA

10/10 - Extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, expeditions, activities. Excellent expedition team. Ship perfect. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2025

Ian Stewart - UK

10/10 - We were highly focused on getting to South Georgia Island because of our longstanding admiration and respect for Shackleton and his accomplishments. We were thrilled to pay our respects at the grave. We were not aware of how amazing the wildlife on South Georgia would be - the king penguins were thrilling. If we had only gone to the Peninsula it would have been great but not nearly as impressive and mind blowing. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2025

Alisa Schreier - USA

10/10 - I would do it all over again. Most memorable moment? Seeing the masses of frolicking penguins and seal pups in South Georgia.

Travelled: December 2024

Colin Isenman - UK

The terrain in Antarctica is hard to describe and the wildlife in South Georgia was almost beyond belief. We had an awesome snowshoe at Fort Point and the hike and pilgrimage to Shackleton's grave was remarkable. We had wonderful meals with expedition staff and fellow travelers. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2024

Leslie Ritter - USA

10/10 - The trip is not complete without visiting South Georgia Island and wildlife on the island. Our most memorable moments were the pristine landscape of the continent and wildlife on South Georgia Island in their natural habitat. Read the full review

Travelled: March 2024

Brad Amaraneni - UK

10/10 - Outstanding adventure, Antarctica is so wonderful and South Georgia was something else. We saw a lot of it in documentaries, but seeing it in real life was like standing amidst a National Geographic documentary. Read the full review

Travelled: March 2024

Prasanth Sakhamuri - UK

10/10 - Being in Antarctica was an amazing experience - but South Georgia and the Falklands added another level to the trip, especially for wildlife. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2023

Lesley Croskery - South Africa

Review:

Swoop says

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Visiting South Georgia early or late in the season avoids the risk of crowded beaches due to adult male fur seals. Arriving in the new year means you'll find plenty of adorable seal pups instead.

Alex Mudd Head of Swoop Antarctica

South Georgia When To Go timeline

  • Spring

    South Georgia’s wildlife activity begins ramping up for Spring just before the arrival of the first expedition cruise ships in October and November. The beaches are dotted with rapidly growing elephant seal pups, and you might see the last of the massive beachmaster males fighting it out over the few females yet to breed.

    Early breeding king penguins return to shore to mate, while gentoo, macaroni and chinstrap penguins are already starting to lay their eggs. Seabirds are also beginning to nest, including light-mantled albatrosses on the tussocky cliffs and brown skuas camouflaged on the ground near penguin colonies.

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  • Summer

    King penguins have a long breeding cycle that means they raise two chicks every three years – in December the early breeding kings are now incubating eggs while last year's chicks are starting to fledge. Gentoo chicks start to hatch.

    South Georgia's beaches start to really pack out for the peak of the fur seal breeding season. Aggressive males patrol the crowded shores, sometimes turning prospective landings into zodiac cruises. Elephant seal pups (now called weaners) continue to fatten.

    If you get on shore, it's a good time to see enchantingly fluffy South Georgia pintail ducklings. At sea, the chances of whale sightings get better and better as more arrive in their feeding grounds.

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  • Summer

    The early season king penguin chicks join mass creches in February while their parents go to sea for food. Late breeding kings, having just fledged their chicks hatched the previous season lay their eggs. Other penguin chicks begin to fledge, along with petrel chicks.

    Elephant seals continue to moult and fur seal pups to continue to grow and become ever more confident and curious around visitors.

    The Scotia Sea between South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula abounds in whale spotting opportunities.

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  • Summer

    The early season king penguin chicks join mass creches in February while their parents go to see for food. Late breeding kings, having just fledged their chicks hatched the previous season lay their eggs. Other penguin chicks begin to fledge, along with petrel chicks.

    Elephant seals continue to moult and fur seal pups to continue to grow and become ever more confident and curious around visitors.

    The Scotia Sea between South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula abounds in whale spotting opportunities.

    voyage map
  • Autumn

    As days shorten, only the fur seal pups remain on the shore, waiting to follow the adults to sea. Whale spotting remains excellent. Wandering albatross chicks are hatching, ready to be fattened up through the winter, while the last of the chinstrap penguin chicks are finally fledging.

    The early season king penguin chicks are now at their plumpest and fluffiest. Newly hatched late season chicks have little time to build up their reserves as winter approaches and many will not survive to adulthood.

    As snow and ice have receded during the summer months the island also becomes more accessible, and you may get the opportunity to explore further inland than you would during spring or early summer.

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Plan your trip

A group of three king penguins on the beach in South Georgia, with mountains in the background

South Georgia Wildlife

Numbers alone simply can’t explain how extraordinarily abundant and breathtaking the wildlife of South Georgia is: this is the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean

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