FALKLANDS & SOUTH GEORGIA

The windswept and treeless Falkland Islands are a birders’ paradise. The archipelago boasts a great diversity and abundance of birdlife including 80 percent of the world’s population of black-browed albatross, five species of penguin, and a variety of waterfowl such as the endemic Falkland steamer duck.

In addition to innumerable penguin pairs, South Georgia hosts a wide range of bird species in staggering abundance. The island is home to petrels, skuas, prions, shags, terns, and the carnivorous South Georgia pintail duck. This is also an amazing place to see the breeding behavior of the world’s largest seabird: the wandering albatross.

On the remote island of South Georgia, marine mammals are counted in the millions. Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals can be seen everywhere jostling for space on the island’s legendary wildlife beaches. This voyage coincides with the season when elephant seals are likely to be seen engaging in ferocious battles.

In the Falkland Islands, breeding populations of South American fur seal and South American sea lion frequent the islands’ many beaches. The waters all along our route are home to various cetaceans including southern right whales, killer whales, and Peale’s dolphins, as well as various large baleen whales no longer hunted.

In the harsh and unrelenting subantarctic environment of the Falklands and South Georgia—and on the tempestuous waves of the Southern Ocean—the endurance of settlers and explorers has been repeatedly tested. Historical events such as the Falklands War have also tested the inhabitants’ resolve and resourcefulness.

Meanwhile, man’s presence on these islands has tested the limits of Nature’s resilience in the face of overexploitation. Throughout our journey we see historical and contemporary evidence of mankind’s precarious and evolving relationship with the elements in a perilous yet fragile environment.