South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, an Antarctic Oasis
South Georgia
South Georgia is a barren island covered with mountains and snow, 1,300 km (800 mi) from the Falkland Islands. Together with the South Sandwich Islands, it forms a British overseas territory. The island's area is 3,756 km² (1,450 sq mi), and its highest peak rises to 2,934 m (9,625 ft). The climate on South Georgia is Antarctic, so snow covers almost two-thirds of the island.
South Georgia is the only inhabited island in the whole archipelago, with the only settlement of Grytviken, which is regularly visited by cruise ships. Grytviken, translated from Swedish as «Pot Bay», was found in 1904 as a whaling station, becoming consequently a port-of-call for ships heading to Antarctica. In 1966, when the local whale population was destroyed, the settlement was abandoned. Today, it has only some inhabitants during the summer months; their task is to manage visitors.
See and Do Around Grytviken
King Edward Point is the capital of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (later referred to as SGSSI), as well as its major landing stage. It is located 1 km from Grytviken and is accessible only via a dirt track. The base situated here is off-limits to visitors, but the hills around are open for exploration; however, prepare yourself for tough hiking.
King Edward Point Research Station is South Georgia’s main Antarctic survey base, maintained by Great Britain (the minor base is on Bird Island). In summer, the population is 44, decreasing in winter to 12 people busy with wildlife protection. The building also houses the SGSSI Government Officer and a post office.
Grytviken Church is South Georgia’s major landmark, built in 1913 as the outpost of the Norwegian Lutheran Church. Due to the lack of religiousness amongst whalers, the building varied its purpose to a library, a cinema, a food shop, and a concert hall. Finally, it has become a church again, to contain Shackleton’s coffin (the person whom we’ll discuss later). Having passed through renovation in 1996-98, it has become an Anglican Church and still holds occasional services.
Grytviken Cemetery was established in 1902, but the first burials date back to 1846. The most famous grave belongs to Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874 — 1922) who saved several men marooned on Elephant Island and later died during an expedition. Since then, a tradition has appeared to pronounce a toast by the grave and spill some of the drink to give a «treat» to the island’s most prominent deadman. Another grave worthy of attention is that of Frank Wild, Shackleton’s deputy, who remained in charge of the expedition after the loss. After the forced retreat, Wild ended up in Johannesburg, where his ashes lay until found and brought to South Georgia in 2011.
The South Georgia Museum, operating from October until February, is located in the house of a former whaling station manager. It contains a free collection of the island’s exploration, whaling, and natural history, as well as an extensive online collection.
The whaling station has been abandoned since 1996 and is unaccessible for visitors. However, you can view the rusty building from the vicinity.
Hope Point lies a bit further off the track, heading to King Edward Point. It contains a memorial cairn to the forementioned Sir Ernest Shackleton, erected in 1922 by his crew members. If venturing there, beware of fur and elephant seals which may act aggressively.
Gull Lake, lying south of Grytviken, can be reached by hiking the track. Today, the lake is a reservoir used to supply a hydroelectric power plant. Come here to enjoy nice views and watch terns which nest here.
Another hike available in South Georgia leads to Maiviken Cove, situated across the hills lying to the north from the settlement. The trail is 3.5 km long, but takes 2 to 3 hours due to its complexity. On the way back you may take a Zodiac boat, preferably from Poa Cove, in order not to disturb gentoo penguins and fur seals inhabiting this area.
South Sandwich Islands
The South Sandwich Islands are a group of eleven islets with active volcanic activity, 760 km (470 mi) from South Georgia. Their entire area is 310 km² (120 sq mi), and the islands’ surface is mainly covered with glaciers.
The southern eight islands of the archipelago were discovered by James Cook in 1775, while the northern three — by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1819. Captain Cook named the discovered islands in honour of Lord Sandwich, who was then the First Lord of the Admiralty. The word «south» was added to distinguish these islands from Hawai’i, which used to be called the Sandwich Islands at the time.
A group of islands within the South Sandwich Islands, the Traversay Islands, were discovered by an Imperial Russian Navy expedition led by Bellingshausen and Lazarev in 1819. This group is represented by the Zavodovski, Leskov, and Visokoi Islands.
Other islands groups are: Candlemas Islands (Candlemas and Vindication); Central Islands (Saunders, Montagu, Bristol); Southern Thule (Bellingshausen, Cook, Thule (Morrell) Island).
Throughout the XX century, the South Sandwich Islands were claimed and reclaimed by Great Britain and Argentina. From 1955 to 1982, the latter successively maintained two naval bases on Thule Island, but they were forcibly removed after the Falklands War. Since 1995, two automatic weather stations operate on the islands of Zavodovski and Thule. They are maintained by the South African Weather Bureau. Currently, the South Sandwich Islands have got no permanent population.
Wildlife
Animal life includes penguins and seals, along with introduced reindeer. The number of animals and birds dwelling in the archipelago is enormous, with 5 million seals of 4 species, and 65 million birds of 30 species.
Marine life is represented by whales, icefish, krill, etc. The waters around the islands are an important habitat for migrating whales and commercially important fish species which play an essential role in the Southern Ocean food web.
In 2012, the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands established the Marine Protected Area, comprising 1,07 mln km² (410,000 sq mi). The protection measures imposed in the area are aimed at preservation of at least 92% of the sea floor and prohibit fishing within 12 nmi and 3 nmi from South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, respectively.
Information For Tourists
Because of SGSSI’s seclusion and remoteness, there are neither sleeping nor eating facilities on the islands. All the visitors have to sleep on the ship and bring all the food and drinks they need. If you want to stay on one of the islands, your visit will be deemed an expedition, which has to be approved prior and costs £1.000 per group. Besides, a Regulated Activity Permit has to be received.
Mind that the vessel you arrive on has to receive a visit permit, which covers all passengers on board. Air transportation is impossible as there are no landing strips, neither on South Georgia nor on the South Sandwich Islands.
The only way to visit SGSSI is by sea, on a cruise ship (primarily in summer) or on your private boat. While the seas around South Georgia are ice-free year-round, the South Sandwich Islands are beset by pack ice from April to October. Moreover, SSI’s landing points are rather dangerous.
To pay a visit to SGSSI, you need to have a valid passport. There are no visa requirements, but either the ship’s captain or expedition organiser must obtain clearance for landing, which is done online for over 60 days prior to the arrival. When visiting for the first time, the vessel must land in Grytviken for a physical check-out. In another case, this step can be skipped, and the process may be conducted online. The number of fees and charges is large, starting with a £130 fee per visitor.
Be sure to leave no trace both in terms of biosecurity and the environment: don’t bring any unprocessed (fresh) food ashore, check your clothes and boots before every landing, and take away all the rubbish. Avoid feeding or petting wild animals. While drinking from meltwater pools is not recommended, a bit of ice can be taken to the ship to be melted. Beware of the sun, particularly during the Southern Hemisphere’s spring months: use high protection sun cream, wear a hat and sunglasses.
Mobile signal and Internet connection are absent, so you have to use your ship’s satellite phone. Mail can be sent from the post office at King Edward Point. Souvenirs (stamps, postcards, and some books) can be bought in the gift shop. It accepts Falkland pounds, British pounds, US dollars, and Euros.
Conclusion
Tourism is developing in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands nowadays, with cruise ships passing through the islands either from the Falkland Islands or to the Antarctic Peninsula. Why would those tourists go that far from civilisation? The answer is — to experience one of the most remote and wildest places on Earth, a true Antarctic oasis. Would you dare to do the same?