The morning started bright and early aboard the National Geographic Explorer as we made a pre-sunrise landing at Gold Harbour, arguably one of the most spectacular landing sites on South Georgia. Arriving ashore before sunrise, it is a most magnificent feeling to be amongst hundreds of thousands of pairs of breeding king penguins, fur seals, elephant seals, skuas, albatross and other wildlife as things begin to come to life with the rising of the sun.
It was a very clear and crisp morning, allowing for maximum viewing opportunities. Gold Harbour tickles the senses in every way possible. The mass amount of penguins, the sounds they make, the quite humorous and obnoxious sounds of elephant seals burping and flopping around each other, the throat gutterals of the intrepid fur seals and the occasional calling of the seabird tantalize every bit of you. Combine that with the visuals of a bright sun rising and slowly washing over all the wildlife and the jagged mountains leaves you quite speechless and in awe that a place could hold so much beauty and wonder.
