We were incredibly fortunate to have exceptionally calm and sunny weather for our second day in South Georgia. Just minutes after sunrise, a group of us were onshore and hiking in the footsteps of Shackleton towards Stromness. Another party visited the Fortuna king penguin colony. Over lunch we sailed through a veritable ice sculpture exhibit with hundreds of icebergs stranded along the coast of South Georgia, set against the Allardyce Range in all its glory: razor sharp snowy peaks flanked by glaciers. The afternoon was spent exploring the Grytviken whaling station museum and kayaking around the bay. We ended the day with an endorphin-pumping polar plunge.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 14 Mar 2024
Fortuna Bay and Grytviken, 3/14/2024, National Geographic Explorer
- Aboard the National Geographic Explorer
- New and Noteworthy
Conor Ryan, Naturalist
For as long as he can remember, Conor has always been preoccupied with the natural world, from the whales to the fungi. For most of his life he has been an islander: growing up in Cobh, Ireland and settling down in Tobermory in the Hebrides, Scotland...
Read MoreShare Report
Cape to Cape: A Voyage from Cape Horn to Cape Town
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
3/24/2024
Read
National Geographic Explorer
At Sea, Benguela Current
And so we awoke this morning to our daily announcement to learn that our nearest point of land was Cape Town, South Africa. Our journey from Cape to Cape may be nearing its final Cape, but the excitement at sea has not ended. Once again, we filled our day with a variety of presentations from the staff – from stories about making this crossing under sail, to learning about sustainable seafood, to live demonstrations about the mammalian dive reflex, to expert advice on telling a story with our photos of this expedition. To round off our day, we shared one final natural history recap before being treated to an extraordinary Filipino dinner – complete with a galley tour! – and a wonderful show by National Geographic Explorer’s crew band, The Spice Boys & Girls!
3/23/2024
Read
National Geographic Explorer
At Sea, South Atlantic Gyre
Pushed along by a favourable current and aided by slack winds, we made good eastward progress towards our ultimate stop: Cape Town. We are midway on our four-day passage. The nearest point of land is Gough Island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. The curious-looking spectacled petrels were our constant companions today as they followed in our wake. It is a privilege to see so many of these rare and threatened seabirds.