Antarctica - South Georgia Island

Hi all,

I'm in the process of looking at my options for a trip I'd ideally like to take this Christmas-New Year period. I want to visit South Georgia Island, however I don't want to do one of those 3 week extended Antarctica cruises. Main reason being limited time off, but also budget comes into it (I can't find a cruise for under US$15k on one of the extended Antarctica trips that visits SGI on a date that works for me). And honestly, I have much more interest in visiting SGI than I do in visiting Antarctica itself anyway.

So I'm wondering if it's possible to do a shorter cruise to SGI, or if there's any flights?

Thanks

Quark do a South Georgia run. Not the cheapest (indeed, probably the most expensive), but they are very well equiped for landings. The longer trips are better able to handle the vague weather and make changes to suit. The very short trips just don't have the latituide to cut out bits and pieces and still get to the main objective.

Basically, do the longest trip you can manage. This way you have a better chance of actually getting somewhere.

The weather can play havoc with itineraries. Your ship may spend an extra 2 days getting down to the Peninsula (or South Georgia) just to avoid huge storms. The same may happen on the return. If there is no slack in the itinerary, you're stuffed.

The closest commercial flight is LA once a week to MPN - and it doesn't go any further. AFAIK, nothing goes to South Georgia apart from ships.

Hi og,

I had actually been looking at Quark anyway, but unfortunately their shortest cruise that visits SGI is 20 days. It's highly unlikely I'll be able to secure that amount of time off in one chunk. While it may not be quite what I wanted and I'd miss out on seeing the wildlife on SGI (which was my primary reason for wanting to visit), I'm looking into one of their shorter cruises that simply goes down to the Antarctic Peninsula. Will see what I can come up with.

Thanks for the advice though! And who knows, maybe I'll be able to make a second trip in the future that gets to SGI.

G'day TachOz,

there will always be another opportunity (never say never!). The only limiting factor with Quark now is that the Russian Icebreaker (Kapitan Khlebnikov) is off the Antarctic run after end 2010 season. So, if you want one of that ship's tours, you'll have to make some hard decisions!

If you can stretch to 5 weeks away from home, the Epic Antarctica trip is well worth it. I've just finished it and (apart from lumpy seas), it was brilliant.

Lindblad expeditions was the first to run trips to Antarctica and it still the best adventure tour operator in the world.

og is right, there are no flights to South Georgia.

For the 2010/2011 Antarctic season look here (http://www.expeditions.com/Destination44.asp?Destination=283).

Antarctic Peninsula - 14 days - $10K/$14K Double/Single
South Georgia & the Falklands- 20 days - $13K/$18K Double/Single
Antarctic Peninsula, Falklands & South Georgia - 24 days - $18K/$24K Double/Single.

They will try to make a double work if your single, but willing to have a roommate. You'll be on deck most of the time anyway.

Let me know if you choose one of those trips and perhaps we'll meet :)

FWIW, I'm taking leave without pay to make this trip work. . .

Lindblad expeditions was the first to run trips to Antarctica and it still the best adventure tour operator in the world.

og is right, there are no flights to South Georgia.

For the 2010/2011 Antarctic season look here (http://www.expeditions.com/Destination44.asp?Destination=283).

Antarctic Peninsula - 14 days - $10K/$14K Double/Single
South Georgia & the Falklands- 20 days - $13K/$18K Double/Single
Antarctic Peninsula, Falklands & South Georgia - 24 days - $18K/$24K Double/Single.

They will try to make a double work if your single, but willing to have a roommate. You'll be on deck most of the time anyway.

Let me know if you choose one of those trips and perhaps we'll meet :)

FWIW, I'm taking leave without pay to make this trip work. . .

Doesn't look like the dates for the South Georgia trips work for me. And I can't take leave without pay during those times. That's during the middle of semester, and I have to teach :( I expect I'll be putting it off for a year and going during the 11/12 season so I can arrange things a bit more conveniently. A little unfortunate, but that's the way these things go sometimes.

I too really want to go to South Georgia. When we took a "circumnavigation" tour of Antarctica a few years ago we became friendly with the experts on board who all agreed there's nothing like seeing the several hundred thousand penguins together there.

If you really want to do it and don't mind wasting money maybe you could time a flight to the Falkands with a tour and pick up the ship there. It could save several days.