South Georgia & the Wildlife

The Serengeti of the Southern Ocean — king penguins, albatross and elephant seals.

Antarctica is the last true wilderness, a continent with no residents and no crowds, where a private expedition places the great white silence entirely at your own unhurried pace.

When to go

Travel November through March, when the Antarctic summer opens the ice and daylight barely fades; December and January bring peak wildlife, while November delivers pristine snow and March offers the finest whale watching. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

The experiences

A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:

• Walk a beach at Salisbury Plain among hundreds of thousands of king penguins as your naturalist guide keeps the respectful distance the wildlife deserves.
• Watch wandering albatross court and nest on Prion Island from a private landing timed for the calmest morning light.
• Cruise close in your own zodiac to elephant seals hauled out in vast, snoring rows along the tussock shore.
• Stand at Grytviken beneath the peaks that Shackleton crossed and hear the story told where it actually happened.

A sense of the rhythm

This is a longer, sea-going journey with several days of open ocean rewarded by landings of overwhelming abundance. Mornings and afternoons are spent ashore among wildlife in numbers that defy belief, with the ship as a warm refuge in between. The rhythm rewards patience and delivers moments few travelers ever witness.

South Georgia alone or with the Peninsula?

South Georgia is the wildlife climax, but reaching it means long ocean days, so most travelers pair it with the Peninsula and the Falklands in one grand loop. A combined voyage is the richer experience yet demands close to three weeks; a South Georgia focus alone suits those short on time but sure of their sea legs.

How to do it well

The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:

• Come in November or December for peak king penguin activity and the courtship of the great albatross.
• Sequence the Falklands first, then South Georgia, then the Peninsula, easing gradually into wilder seas.
• Budget a genuine three weeks; this is not a journey to compress.
• Do not underestimate the crossings, and pack for real ocean swell rather than the calm you may be hoping for.

What only your advisor can open

The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.

Who it's for

Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.

Estimated investment

From US$26,000 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.

Designed entirely around you

Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.

Your Virtuoso privileges

As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.

Continue exploring Antarctica

Part of our Antarctica travel guide. Related private journeys:

• The Peninsula Expedition
• Fly the Drake
• The Emperors

Begin the conversation

Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design South Georgia & the Wildlife around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →