South Georgia cruises

The cruise season in South Georgia starts in November and ends in March. There are no cruises during the winter months due to the harsh conditions in South Georgia.

Each month offers something different in South Georgia.

November is spring in South Georgia and the King Penguins begin to lay their eggs ashore. Humpback whales begin to arrive in the waters around. Seabirds have arrived and begin nesting. Elephant seals are ashore to breed.

December is the first month of summer in South Georgia. The beaches are packed with fur seals and most birds have laid their eggs.

January The final King penguins are laying their eggs. Fin whales return to the waters around South Georgia. Elephant seals start to come ashore. Many bird chicks can be witnessed.

February The first king penguins start to hatch. Humpbacks are sighted on ocean passages to South Georgia. Albatrosses are incubating on their nests. Elephant seals are moulting on the beaches.

March The beginning of Autumn on South Georgia. Adult fur seals have returned tot he sea leaving their pups ashore. Albatross chicks are hatching on Prion Island. Whales can regularly be seen in the waters around.

Secret Atlas run a 15-day expedition cruise to explore South Georgia in February.

Our South Georgia cruises depart from Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

The Falkland islands has good air-links to South America. LATAM airlines fly from Santiago in Chile via Punta Arenas to the Falkland Islands once per week.

It is also possible to fly to the Falkland Islands from the UK via an MOD flight although this is a more expensive and less reliable option.

Please see our South Georgia Travel Guide for more information.

Our South Georgia cruises take just 48 guests, the smallest group size available. In South Georgia some landing sites are restricted to ships with more than 50 guests. A huge benefit of travelling in a group of 48 is that we can have access to all the landing sites on South Georgia.

Unlike larger vessels with higher passenger capacities, our voyages are personal and unique in their approach. Travelling with a small group of guests means more time and flexibility exploring and less time waiting to go ashore.

Our small expedition vessels will get you closer to nature and landscapes that you came than larger ships can due to their smaller size, offering you a great deal more intimacy.

Our Small Ship Adventures give you the opportunity to experience the South Georgia first hand on a real adventure without the crowds of people on larger ships. Our goal is to make you part of the adventure.

A number of companies offer expedition cruises to South Georgia. Usually they include South Georgia with Antarctica and in their itinerary they only allow 2-3 days in South Georgia which is not enough time to even begin to appreciate the island. Due to the unpredictable weather in South Georgia often a day can be removed from an itinerary due to bad weather.

The average number of passengers on these large ships is over 250. In our opinion that is too many people to be landing at sensitive places in South Georgia. Quite often guests are split into groups as not all guests can visit the shore at the same time due to restrictions in size at the landing sites.

Our small ship allows all guests to be ashore at the same time and have unrestricted access to all the landing sites in South Georgia.

Many companies advertise small ship cruises to South Georgia but their definition of a ‘small ship’ varies and can range from anything from 500 guests down to 50 guests. The experience between travelling with 250 guests and 48 guests is huge. Our Small Ship Cruises to South Georgia are the way they should be, intimate, low impact, and offer our guests the richest expereince.

South Georgia is an untamed wilderness and on every cruise we encounter different wildlife. The great thing about South Georgia is that it is very easy to encounter wildlife close up and we visit many key wildlife sites on our expeditions.

South Georgia in our opinion is the best place on Earth to encounter King Penguins in their 100,000’s at St Andrew’s bay. The sound alone is truly phenomenal.

On our expeditions we frequently encounter penguins (Kings, Macaronis, Chin Straps and Gentoos) fur and elephant seals, albatrosses, a wide variety of birdlife and whales.

A part of the adventure of an expedition cruise is to spend time exploring the wilderness which means every trip is different. Our route is decided on the day of boarding and is chosen by the expedition leader and the captain in line with the prevailing weather and ice conditions. Their aim is to ensure that you see the very best that Svalbard has to offer.

On a typical cruise, you can expect daily shore landings to visit sites of historical and natural interest and to undertake short wilderness hikes. Svalbard has over 2000 glaciers and we aim to visit at least 1 calving glacier face which is an incredible sight. On some cruises, if conditions allow we will attempt to visit the edge of the sea ice.

We will also visit known wildlife sites including beaches where walruses haul out and areas where polar bears are frequently sighted.

The weather in South Georgia is highly changeable and the island is known for its strong winds. The climate is cold due to its proximity to Antarctica.

During the summer months the temperature usually varies between 0°C and 5.5°C. With the wind this can feel much colder. Without the wind and when the sun is out this can feel much warmer.

We will supply you with a comprehensive packing list at the time of booking that outlines the types of clothing you will need to keep you comfortable on your South Georgia cruise.

Our cruises are suitable for the vast majority of people and we aim to make them as accessible as possible. We ask that our guests have a good level of mobility as it is a requirement that you can safely step down from the vessel into the landing craft and then exit the landing craft on the beach. Due to the remote areas we visit and the distance from medical assistance, we advise that you have a reasonable level of fitness and are in good health. During the shore landings, we have multiple guides which enable us to split the group if we have some keen hikers and some other guests with more limited range.

We don’t have any age restrictions on our trips and we pride ourselves on having diverse guests from all over the world with a passion for exploring. In the past we have had young professionals eager to explore, middle-aged solo travellers, looking for their next adventure, through to retirees looking to see South Georgia in a more in-depth way. Our trips are friendly and inclusive for all our guests.

Yes, you can and every year we welcome solo travellers onboard where you will find a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

We offer accommodation options for single cabins or sharing a cabin with travellers of the same gender.