Antarctic Trip Nov-Dec 2016 Part 2 Cruise to the Falklands, South George and South Orkney Islands

Ushuaia Harbor

We boarded Hurtigruten’s MS Fram along with 218 other passengers, but our departure was delayed because the harbor was closed due to the high winds. After a few hours, we were underway and headed for the Falkland Islands. I was expecting a rough night at sea, but by the time we reached open water, the winds had moderated considerably.

SA - Falkland Islands - South Georgia - S. Orkney Is - Antarctica - SA

Gorse on Falkland Islands

Black Browed Albatross

Rockhopper Penguin

Albatross colony

Falkland Hospitality

The Falkland Islands are isolated and windswept, more suitable to birds than people, which suited our purpose just fine. We hiked to the breeding area of the Albatross, Rockhopper and Macaroni Penguins. After each hike we were treated to tea and cookies by the friendly locals. Our final stop was Stanley where we had our last opportunity to go shopping.

Magellanic Oystercatcher 

Magellanic Penguin

Upland Goose

South Georgia Island

Male Fur Seal

Fortuna Bay, SG

South Georgia was our next destination. This island was best known for its whaling stations and the terminus of Shackleton’s epic journey to rescue his crew. Now it is one of the world’s largest and best protected wildlife sanctuaries. In fact, no wildlife tour to Antarctica would be complete without visiting South Georgia. We made landings at numerous locations; most notable were St Andrews Bay and Grytviken.  Grytviken was the first whaling station in Antarctic waters. At St Andrews, we saw about 500,000 king penguins and chicks, a truly amazing sight. Nearby was a large population of Southern Elephant Seals.

Baby Fur Seal

Gentoo Penguin

Southern Elephant Seal

King Penguin creches

Whaling Ship

After three days exploring various breeding colonies and historical sites, we headed southwest to the South Orkney Islands, to the oldest research station in Antarctica. We mailed a couple postcards from there, only $7 each for postage and handling! On the voyage down, the ship was surrounded by about 100 fin, sei and humpback whales.

Orcadas Research Station

Arch Iceberg

King Penguin