South Georgia and Falkland Islands

South Georgia and the Falkland Islands are completely remote and magical destinations, rich in diverse wildlife and history. Many longer Antarctic cruises will visit the Antarctic Peninsula along with South Georgia and the Falklands. However, some cruises visit without including Antarctica, ideal for travellers who have already been to the Peninsula and are seeking something new.

South Georgia is a magical island, exquisite in its beauty and virtually unspoilt. It is adorned with emerald green bays, blue glacier ice and formidable snow-covered peaks. Home to over 30 million breeding birds, thousands of seals, wandering albatross, four breeding species of penguin and the largest colony of king penguins on this planet - the island teems with life. A South Georgia cruise is the best way to experience this unique and special place.

If the spectacular wildlife is not enough of a drawcard, South Georgia travel will bring you to a part of the Antarctic that is steeped in history. The island was an intrinsic part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914-17 Trans-Antarctica Expedition in the Endurance, one of the most incredible adventure stories and most heroic survival stories of all time. This region was once the centre of the whaling industry and an Antarctica cruise to South Georgia will allow you to see the relics and remains of abandoned whaling stations and to visit Shackleton’s final resting place.

If you love haunting beauty, history, and wildlife, the Falklands are inhabited islands, with rough windswept terrain, coastal wetlands, beautiful white sand beaches and dramatic rock faces set against stunning skies. Comprising more than 750 islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, the Falkland Islands are a haven for wildlife - home to large colonies of elephant seals and fur seals, vast populations of black-browed albatrosses and other abundant birdlife including five species of breeding penguin.

Surrounded by decades of controversy, the Falkland Islands (or Islas Malvinas as they are known in Argentina) have been settled and claimed by France, Spain, Britain and Argentina. Travel to the Falkland Islands will give you an insight into the area’s fascinating history and reveal some of the haunting relics and memorials of war. The colourful seaside town and capital, Port Stanley, boasts many reminders of its British heritage including a selection of traditional English-style pubs, old red phone boxes and numerous Land Rovers - in fact some say that the people here are more British than the British themselves!

With the greatest concentration of wildlife on the planet, captivating history, and ruggedly beautiful terrain, the islands of South Georgia and the Falklands are one of the jewels in the Southern Ocean's crown. Why not discover it on an Antarctica cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula?