With the ship wreathed in heavy fog, we boarded Zodiacs ahead of the dawn for an early morning landing at Salisbury Plain. The fog was cold but incredibly atmospheric in the morning gloom. Cruising towards the beach, we were greeted by hordes of king penguins and fur seals all whipping through the blue water near the shore and accompanying us all the way up the beach to the lifejacket station. The all-enveloping fog occasionally cleared to give us tantalizing glimpses of snow-covered mountains beyond. Those who braved the early start were rewarded with their first experience of South Georgia’s second largest penguin colony, home to over 200,000 pairs of majestic king penguins.
After the cold and early start, breakfast and hot coffee was a necessity for most of us. But we returned to the shore afterwards to see the fog clearing and the sun coming out, casting beautiful light on the penguins and stunning scenery. The first thing that strikes you at Salisbury Plain, as you walk up the beach towards the colony, is the noise. The trumpeting of so many thousands of birds, accompanied by the whistling of their chicks, is a sound that will stay with all of us. Salisbury is of course also home to South Georgia’s most abundant marine mammal, the fur seal, and the grassy plains beyond the beach are filled with both seals and king penguins. Many of us were reluctant to leave this phenomenal location, entranced by the constant whirl of wildlife all around us, but the afternoon brought an equally exclusive experience.
We enjoyed an outdoor lunch on the sundeck under brilliant sunshine before the bridge crew hauled anchor and sailed towards our next destination (we didn’t have far to go, as we could see it from Salisbury Plain). Prion Island, in the Bay of Isles, gave us the opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the most impressive birds in the sky—the wandering albatross. Surrounded by water, Prion has always escaped the rat problem that plagued the mainland of South Georgia. Thus it became a unique location with a wide variety of nesting birds including petrels, pintails, penguins, and pipits. Our main attraction of today would be the albatross. We made our way up the boardwalk (specially erected by the South Georgia government to enable safe access to the top of the island) in small groups pausing occasionally to enjoy the breathtaking views of the mainland coastline. Two viewing platforms at the top of the island gave us the opportunity to see these enormous albatross sat on their nests. Occasionally they would flex their wings giving us an excellent display of their 3.6-meter wingspan. Their breeding cycle is equally impressive, taking over a year to raise a chick.
We watched entranced as these majestic birds soared overhead using their long wings to glide above us. All too soon it was time to return to the ship for a traditional Filipino dinner, served by our excellent hotel staff.
