Our voyage coincides with the start of spring on South Georgia and incorporates the major wildlife sites where vast colonies of penguin and seals fill the beaches on this spectacular archipelago.
Our journey begins in Punta Arenas, where we board the Magellan Explorer and set sail to the Falkland Islands. With the Falklands home to several species that are unlikely to be encountered elsewhere on the trip, we spend our first couple of days on land exploring the archipelago, observing bustling colonies of rockhopper and gentoo penguins, and scanning the waters for Peale's and Commerson's dolphins.
From the Falklands we travel across the open ocean with black-browed albatross and a variety of petrels for company, scanning for the icebergs which drift north from Antarctica. Here is an untamed wilderness teeming with wildlife and as we navigate the archipelago searching for cetaceans, we explore the numerous bays and fjords which indent the islands.
Our itinerary incorporates the major wildlife sites on South Georgia and is timed to coincide with the start of spring - the beginning of the breeding season for many species. Both king penguin and black-browed albatross alike engage in intimate and beautiful courtship rituals, contrasting starkly with the raw brutality of the bull elephant seals. Experiencing these behaviours makes for fascinating viewing but it is the sheer number of animals present that gives South Georgia its ‘wildlife spectacle' status.
In the company of expert guides - Chris Breen, Mark Carwardine, Nick Garbutt, Jonathan Truss, Nick Mackman, Sean Weekly & Dan Free, we witness a remarkable profusion of animals and learn about their behaviour, life cycles and the importance of this remarkable island. Two weeks aboard the Magellan Explorer enables us to enjoy these sub-Antarctic islands and their wildlife tenants in depth. Do join us on this fantastic celebration of Antarctic wildlife!
To find out more about what to expect on our Festival of Wildlife Falklands & South Georgia, watch Dan's video from a previous trip.
Typical Itinerary
Day1: Embark Magellan Explorer
We meet at Punta Arenas and on embarking the Magellan Explorer we meet the expedition team and settle into our cabins, before gathering for an evening briefing and dinner.
Accommodation: Magellan Explorer, 16-nights
Day2: Punta Arenas to Falklands sea crossing
Today we wake in the South Atlantic as we leave behind the tip of the South American continent and sail towards the Falkland Islands.
As we head into the deeper waters, off the continental shelf, a greater range of cetaceans become possible with both the striking hourglass and Peale's dolphins likely, as well as a chance of fin or sei whale. Pelagic seabirds also increase, with Wilson's storm petrels frequently fluttering just above the surface of the waves and magnificent southern royal albatrosses and various shearwaters gliding effortlessly past. Keen sea-watchers may pick up slender-billed prions, common diving, white-chinned and both northern and southern giant petrels among others.
Day3: Explore Saunders & West Point Islands
We begin our morning at the fourth largest of the Falkland Islands - Saunders Island - whose white sandy stretches are busy with Magellanic, rockhopper and sub-Antarctic gentoo penguins. Curious striated caracaras, known locally as 'Johnny rooks' will almost certainly be in attendance alongside marauding Falkland skuas and southern giant petrels.
An afternoon excursion to the photogenic West Point Island and its breeding colony of black-browed albatross will give us an excellent opportunity to observe and photograph these magnificent birds before we return to the vessel and set sail for South Georgia.
Day4: Explore Port Stanley
This morning we visit Port Stanley before setting sail for the crossing to South Georgia.
Stanley, in north-east East Falkland, is the capital of the Falkland Islands and, whilst only the size of a small town with approximately 2,400 residents, was made a city in May 2022. It's a very quaint and picturesque place to spend a few hours, visiting the small number of gift shops, excellent maritime museum and historic church which are all located within a few hundred metres of each other.
Guided walks will be offered around Stanley or alternatively there will be the option of a short excursion to nearby Gypsy Cove, a sandy bay a few kilometres outside Stanley which is home to a colony of Magellanic penguins and is a popular location for dolphin sightings.
Days5-6: Sail to South Georgia
As we sail toward South Georgia, we attend an engaging programme of lectures and presentations. In the company of expert guides, we observe wildlife from the lounge or from the outside decks. As we approach South Georgia we cross the cold water convergence and will notice a profusion of pelagic species including a variety of albatrosses, prions and petrels.
Day7: Penguin watching in Elsehul Bay
Our first excursion in South Georgia is an exciting event after a couple of days at sea and is most likely to be in Elsehul Bay, which is nestled into the north-west coast of the island.
Only half a mile wide, this small scenic bay is home to an abundance of wildlife including a colony of Antarctic fur seals, king, gentoo and macaroni penguins and a variety of seabirds that can be viewed from the Zodiacs.
Day8: Grytviken & Fortuna Bay
At the former settlement and whaling station of Grytviken, we set foot on South Georgia for the first time. During this landing we have our passports stamped whilst we visit the historical site of Ernest Shackleton’s grave and have the opportunity to walk in his footsteps. Whilst being an important historic site, there are also thousands of king penguins and seals, both Southern elephant and fur, which have reclaimed this land.
We have a good opportunity to observe and photograph king penguins during an afternoon landing at Fortuna Bay. Approaching these enormous breeding colonies is a sensory bonanza as the visual, audio and olfactory experiences are incomparable.
Day9: Explore Gold Harbour
We plan to land at the spectacular Gold Harbour for a morning excursion to view its remarkable wildlife. This stunning location is framed by a crescent of jagged peaks with massive hanging glaciers and vertiginous cliffs that rise straight from the sea. It is so called because the sun's morning and evening rays produce a rich golden-yellow glow on the ice-covered cliffs. The beachfront is encrusted with king penguins and elephant seals and there is also a colony of gentoo penguins in the tussock grass behind the beach.
Whilst at this location we also look for the sooty albatross, a medium-sized albatross with distinct dark plumage and a white crescent above and behind its eye. These birds nest colonially on cliffs and steep slopes and can often be seen wheeling overhead.
Day10: Explore St Andrews Bay
St Andrews Bay sits in front of a spectacular backdrop of ice-clad summits of the Allardyce Range and is home to the largest gatherings of elephant seals and king penguins on South Georgia. At the north of the 4-kilometre wide bay is the commanding Mount Skittle which casts a dramatic backdrop to the bustling beach.
The penguin rookery is centred on the river outlet from the Buxton and Cook Glaciers, while the beachfront is carpeted with elephant seals that reach peak numbers in October and November when upwards of 6,000 cows, plus huge males, gather. Due to the long breeding cycle of the penguins, the colonies are consistently occupied, with approximately 150,000 pairs.
Day11: Explore Cooper Bay & Drygalski Fjord
Today we visit Cooper Bay to see the entertaining macaroni penguins. Their distinctive yellow crest, from which both their common and scientific name is derived, makes them an interesting subject. As well as being an important breeding site for macaroni penguins, chinstrap penguins, snow petrels, Antarctic prions and black-browed albatross adorn the island.
An afternoon excursion takes us to Drygalski Fjord at the south-eastern tip of South Georgia. This 2-kilometre wide inlet recedes north-westwards a further ten kilometres and is a spectacular place. The snow-peaked mountains of bare volcanic rock tower on either side as we navigate through the fjord past the icebergs which decorate the waterway.
Day12: Explore Right Whale Bay & Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is, for many of South Georgia's visitors, the ultimate location. The dramatic black sand beaches and tussock-covered dunes are home to a staggering abundance of king penguins and their young. This rookery, one of several such king penguin colonies on South Georgia, is estimated to number up to 100,000 birds.
There is so much more than just king penguins to enjoy here; fur seals patrol the waters off the beach, Southern elephant seals gather lazing on favoured parts of the beach, while opportunistic skuas and giant petrels circle the skies above, ready to pick off the unwary.
Day13: Explore Salisbury Plain & Prion Island
An early morning return visit to the spectacular Salisbury Plain will hopefully bestow us with interesting lighting as we photograph and enjoy this vast penguin colony inhabiting such a remarkable setting once again.
In the afternoon we make our way to Prion Island, named after the small petrels which inhabit the island, an important nesting site and sanctuary for wandering albatross and a variety of other sea birds. Antarctic fur seals and Southern elephant seals are likely to be hauled out onto the bays of these islands.
Days14-16: Sail to Punta Arenas
Departing South Georgia we retrace our steps back to Punta Arenas. As with the outbound journey encounters with a variety of pelagic bird species and cetaceans are possible and there will also be a programme of workshops and lectures, including the traditional Festival of Wildlife summary film and auction.
Day17: Disembark
Key info
Duration and price excluding international flights: 17 daysfrom £11,250 pp
Zoologist Mark Carwardine is a widely published wildlife photographer, an award-winning writer, a TV and radio presenter, a best-selling author of more than 50 books, a long-time BBC Wildlife magazine columnist and an outspoken environmentalist.
He presented BBC Radio 4’s weekly programme Nature for many years and is best known for his Last Chance to See books, radio series and TV series with Douglas Adams and Stephen Fry. He was Chair of the Judging Panel of the prestigious ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ competition for seven years and was selected as one of ‘The World’s 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers’ in Outdoor Photography magazine. He recently presented and produced the brand new BBC Wildlife Photography Masterclass series on YouTube.
Chris studied Geographical Sciences in Plymouth, however his first encounter with the wider world was in 1983, when he headed off to Zambia.
Under the tutelage of the late Norman Carr, the pioneer of walking safaris, he worked as a wildlife guide and managed a wilderness camp. On his return to the UK, he had a spell at a major tour operator before setting up Wildlife Worldwide in 1992.
Since then he has travelled the world in search of first-class wildlife experiences. He devised the Festival of Wildlife concept, which has spawned the Festival of Bears. An ardent conservationist, Chris has co-led each of these since their inception. He dedicates several weeks each year to communicating his irrepressible passion for nature to those who travel with him.
An award-winning photographer and author, with a background in zoology, Nick has forged a career by combining these skills with leading tours and lecturing.
Nick has written and photographed several critically acclaimed books, including: ‘100 Animals to See Before They Die’, ‘Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide’, ‘Wild Borneo’, and ‘Chameleons’. He is a regular contributor to international magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Africa Geographic and Geographical.
Nick has twice been a winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. In 2000, he won the prestigious Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife. His photographs appear widely in books, calendars and other publications worldwide. He is a Special Lecturer on the MSc course in the Wildlife Photography and Imaging at Nottingham University, where he studied.
Nick is an award-winning ceramic sculptor, who gains inspiration from the animal kingdom. The majority of her pieces are based on observations of animals in the field.
Many of her subjects are highly endangered and, in depicting them, she seeks to enlighten the viewer to their beauty, humour and tenderness. She aims to get under the skin of the animal, giving each sculpture its own personality.
Her work is widely exhibited in international collections, and in 2010 she won the Wildlife Artist of the Year Open Category. In 2012 was again a category winner and overall runner-up. Each year she makes the trophies for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. In 2015 she won the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation 2015 Artist of the Year award with her fantastic collection of ceramic warthogs.
General Manager of Wildlife Worldwide Dan graduated with an MSc in Zoology, before spending six weeks exploring India’s tiger reserves.
Venturing on to Central and South America and finally Africa, he worked on conservation projects and gained a wealth of big-cat and wildlife knowledge, before returning to the UK where he worked for several years in ecological consultancy, conducting protected species surveys and speclaising in ornithology and herpetology.
Since joining the world of wildlife travel in 2011, Dan has led, pioneered and researched trips to a huge range of destinations in pursuit of some of the world's most sought after species. His enthusiasm for nature and conservation is contagious and his binoculars are never far from reach. Dan's fascination of the natural world extends through all taxa, from the badgers and foxes of his back garden and to the melanistic leopards and snow leopards of India, the Sunda clouded leopard of Borneo and aardvarks of Botswana. In truth there is very little about the natural world which evades Dan's interest!
Jonathan is a wildlife artist ‘extraordinaire’ with an exceptional eye for detail and a passion for wildlife and the natural world.
‘JT’ has joined us on a number of early Festivals of Wildlife as one of our experts, and was also a keen participant at Festival of Whales in Mexico’s San Ignacio Lagoon. JT has moved on from his early career as a cabaret artist, comedian, impersonator and guitarist (with a mere 1,500 gigs under his belt!) to spend his life concentrating on painting and has been guest artist aboard many cruise ships. His work is in high demand worldwide.
Multi award-winner and full time photographer, Sean's work is regularly featured across a range of national and international publications.
After a career as a Royal Marine, Sean moved to the diverse habitats of Singapore where long-tailed macaques, snakes, lizards and tropical birds were just a stones throw away from his home.
Travelling through South East Asia and Australia with his camera was what ignited his love of the natural world and now he ventures across the globe to expand his wildlife photography. Sean has led numerous workshops in the UK and further afield in Europe at locations including Skomer, Greece, Finland, Spain and Scotland.
South Georgia is a remote, rugged and hauntingly beautiful sub-Antarctic island. Its scenery ranges from impressive mountains and mighty glaciers to deep fjords and low-lying grassland. Renowned as an excellent birdwatching destination, it has more wildlife than virtually anywhere else on the planet.
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Ideal for viewing: wandering albatross, elephant seal, king penguin, macaroni penguin, sperm whale
The second largest of the Falklands Islands, Saunders was the site of the first British settlement in 1765. The north is made up of two peaks, divided by a thin strip of sand known as the Neck - home to large colonies of Magellanic and gentoo penguins, and considered one of the best wildlife sites of the Falklands.
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Where: West Falkland
Ideal for viewing: black-browed albatross, king shag, king penguin, falkland steamer duck, gentoo penguin
A unique sub-Antarctic archipelago consisting of nearly 800 islands, the Falklands are home to an exceptional array of wildlife onshore including southern elephant seals, fur seals and sealions as well five species of penguin. Offshore, you can expect to see Commerson’s and Peale’s dolphins and several whale species.
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The Magellan Explorer journeys to remote and spectacular destinations in Antarctica. Purpose-built, its modern design and innovative technologies include an accessible bow which allows guests near the water level for exceptional photographic and wildlife viewing opportunities.
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