South Georgia Cruises
South Georgia cruises are becoming increasingly popular due to its awe inspiring wilderness and wildlife. Attractive to bird watchers, nature lovers or the just plain intrigued, cruising in the waters near South Georgia provides many excellent opportunities for photography and for using your binoculars.
South Georgia is suprising in its geography, hosting around 140 glaciers it makes for truly dramatic scenery. Mount Paget is the highest mountain on South Georgia reaching a height of 9,624 feet. Abandoned whaling stations bear testimony to a less environmentally conscious era on South Georgia, but now Elephant Seals and Fur Seals can be seen on many beaches. Sir Ernest Shackleton was buried at Grytviken in 1922.
Travel map of South Georgia including the South Sandwich Islands
Featuring:
- Illustrated biographies of explorers and other notable people
- Historical time line
- Colour Photos and text on the wildlife
- Details of many visitor sites
- General information about the islands more >>
Being protected from the prevailing westerly winds, the indents in South Georgia 's coastline provide a natural habitat for wildlife. Several bays are edged by steep sandy beaches. All of the valleys leading down to these places have been scoured by glacial activity in the past, or are still being deepened by the island's glaciers.
South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia's neighbours are the South Sandwhich islands which are volcanic in origin. Zavodovski island is perhaps the smelliest as it releases noxious volcanic gasses, earning various apt names for its landmarks such as stench point, Reek point and noxious bluff. The human visitors to this island are staggered by the noise of the estimated one million breeding chinstrap penguins. Although uninhabited there are now arrangements to have limited visits by cruise ships, enabling visitors to witness the wilderness and abundant wildlife on these remote volcanic Islands.
