On This Day 21 November 2019 We Faced An Army As We Came Ashore

Sailing towards South Georgia and anticipation was off the scale high!

The date 21st November 2019 will long in the memory for sure we had been at sea for days heading south from Ushuaia in Southern Argentina towards South Georgia an island in Antarctic Ocean and this was the day we finally got to go ashore. Excitement was very high amongst all the passengers and crew as the zodiac boats were made ready for our mini invasion of this so remote island.

Crusing the coast before we landed jaws were well and truly dropped.

But before we were allowed into the zodiacs we had to don our survival gear after all we were a very long way south here and ocean would be bitterly cold and we expected it to be cold on the island too. Our Quark expedition team had kitted out each of us with amazing parka coats that were so warm, though bright yellow for easy spotting of lost souls, over trousers that were so snug and boots that were not only water-proof but so warm. As we made our way to the gang-plank we were more likely to die of heat stroke rather than hyperthermia!

As we were about to leave the mother ship we were all scanned, a bar code on each parka, so the crew knew exactly who had gone ashore and when. Then it was down the gang-plank to the waiting zodiac that was being expertly kept in place by our driver and what a fantastic job they all did in all weathers. We were helped into the rigid inflatable and the outboard motor roared into action and we were off! The adrenaline was pumping this is what we had travelled so far see, South Georgia, a place of dreams and amazing those dreams were coming true. Luckily the sea was fairly calm and the sun was breaking through the clouds as we stared in awe at the sight ahead of us. Mountains towered above the beach but it was the ranks of an army that faced on the beaches that was really mind-blowing! Penguins, thousands of them, to para phrase the famous film Zulu! It was just incredible that there could be so many King Penguins as most seemed to be stood shoulder to shoulder facing us like some battle scene from Lord of the Rings! Would they drive us back into the ocean? Well no, penguins are just wonderful and as soon as we hit the beach they were all around us waddling about as only penguins can. It was so hard to take it in here we were in our very own wildlife documentary literally surrounded by King Penguins it was beyond fantastic, way beyond! But of course there was so much more than half a million King Penguins to try and take in! Hopefully these photos will give you a tiny flavour of what South Georgia is like and what a paradise for wildlife it now is. But these images really do not do justice to the magical experience of being there. If you are ever lucky enough to have the chance to visit grab it and go.













Come and join us for a “Tour for Two” – very small group just two guests with two guides, tailor made itinerary, low risk in these COVID-19 times and of course lots of birds and an excellent chance of enjoying them all. Do drop us a line and we can make all the arrangements be it a day trip, two days, three day or as long a tour as you wish. Our recent Tours for Two have visited the Highlands of Scotland, North Wales, Norfolk and the Yorkshire coast and we are planning many more! Let us know where you would like to go and we can put together a proposal perfect for you.

We are so lucky to have so many species and habitats within easy reach here in North Wales we would love you to join us for one of our Best of North Wales Birdwatching Trips days out. We expect to enjoy a lot of birds during these relaxed pace tours and we can tailor make the day to suit you.

We would love you to join us on our Birdwatching Trips in the future just drop us a line to arrange a custom tour and please see our tours pages for set departure trips. If you have any questions at all please fire away here….

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We look forward to enjoying wonderful birds in beautiful places with you soon!