Stromness, arguably the most famous place in South Georgia, awoke as the National Geographic Explorer slowly made her way into the harbor. The ruins of the once great whaling-vessel repair station on the north side of South Georgia is where the heroic rescue mission of the Shackleton expedition finally met relief. A grueling 36-hour hike over the island completed their ordeal of more than 400 days of landless misery.
Our experience however was far from misery! It was a beautiful day as ever South Georgia has seen. The light glinted beautifully off the backs of sea mammals hauled out on the beach and the occasional procession of penguins passed by. Groups of intrepid hikers flocked to the beach to join the pinnipeds, snap photos, and hike around the historic site. Besides the wildlife another feast for the eyes was the remains of the buildings that once boomed with industry, but now rest in rust and ruin. Some of the hikers reached the 15-meter waterfall where Shackleton famously descended on ropes to the valley floor where he wearily marched the final two kilometers to the station ‘Ragged, filthy, and evil-smelling’.
Convening back on board the ship for lunch we sailed to the little inlet of Hercules Bay for an afternoon of watersports. The kayak platform was deployed and the staff took guests on Zodiac cruises of the area, in search of the charming little macaroni penguins. The macaroni and rockhopper penguins are two of the crested penguins we have been fortunate enough to encounter on this voyage. The flamboyant yellow feathers on their heads and red bills or eyes make them very photogenic and their silly antics and waddling gait endear them to viewers. Additionally, the waterfalls that circle the bay on all sides and sea caves that loom out of the surf provided great views. Weighing anchor just as the rain started to fall we made our way on to our evening engagement.
Our plans had us reposition again back to Stromness in order to join the National Geographic Orion for cocktails and a tour aboard our sister ship. Not to be out-done, the National Geographic Explorer invited the guests from Orion aboard in return, for dinner and a fabulous live show from the “house band” onboard, the legendary Spice Boyz.
Live from South Georgia—watch on Facebook!
Look for us live on Facebook from one of this island's enormous king penguin colonies! We'll chat with our National Geographic photographer and some of our staff and guests as we explore one of Earth's greatest wildlife spectacles. Follow us on Facebook to see it live!
