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Published: December 22nd 2016
“The inner part of the country was not less savage and horrible: the wild rocks raised their lofty summits till they were lost in the clouds and the valleys laid buried in everlasting snow. Not a tree or shrub was to be seen, no not even big enough to make a tooth-pick.”
Captain James Cook, 1777
Mt Brown overlooks the administrative capital of King Edward Point and the old whaling station of Grytviken. Hiking to the summit was my first venture into the interior - it is a stunning place! The flat areas are really wet and swampy, the hills are steep and rocky – it’s a harsh environment. The view from the windy summit was superb – I was surrounded by a tangle of rugged glaciated peaks, deep valleys and fjord systems.
Ah! South Georgia…
South Georgia is a gem -a wildlife destination like nowhere else! The raw nature in this small British Overseas Territory is both visually overwhelming and stimulating for the olfactory system. It is always an honour to visit this remote island and get up close and personal with its masses of king penguins, fur seals and mighty elephant seals. Quarter
of a million King penguins greet you on the beach at St Andrew’s, an almost impossible jam of elephant seals smother the beach at Gold Harbour, and aggressive fur seals protect the ghostly remains of Stromness Whaling Station.
I always struggle to capture South Georgia with words. It is too intense to describe…
It’s an amazing destination – far from anywhere with remarkable topography and otherworldly wildlife. It has a dark history of whaling and sealing, but a bright future as a protected nature reserve…
From South Georgia we set course for the rarely seen and super-rarely visited South Orkney Islands. It was a real treat to get to experience this bleak part of the sub-Antarctic…
The ship then continued further south and west to the Antarctic Peninsula…
Dave
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bob
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Amazing as always!
Love your travels and posts....keep 'em coming.