South Georgia & Sandwich Islands: Top Luxury Tours Reviewed
Planning a trip to the end of the world, huh? That’s pretty awesome! So, you are checking out the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands for your next adventure, you are really considering splurging on a tour that offers something a little special, perhaps? You are wanting white-glove service and maybe access that other folks just don’t get? I hear you! Exploring this remote region can actually become much more enjoyable if someone else deals with all the tedious stuff.
1. Antarctica XXI – South Georgia & Antarctica Fly/Cruise
So, the deal with Antarctica XXI is that it’s all about cutting down travel time, almost. See, they use these smaller planes to fly you right over the Drake Passage, which let me tell you, is something I would happily skip every single time. We are talking potentially avoiding a few days of rough seas. Their South Georgia and Antarctica Fly/Cruise package then lets you hit the high points of both areas without wasting your precious vacation hours on transit. The benefit is really clear, I think, in getting you to the good stuff faster.
A really cool element is their accommodations are pretty plush. Expect cabins with some views and your own bathrooms. Pretty decent. The ship will only host around 75 or so travelers. What that translates to is, there are fewer crowds when you are trying to watch penguins or check out the scenery. In terms of activities, well, often there will be your usual zodiac tours and on-shore expeditions. They really seem to be dialed in for taking some photos.
When I was searching around, you will typically spend about 6-8 days looking around South Georgia. The cool factor there is that you’ll land at places such as Grytviken. The historic whaling station offers the gravesite of Ernest Shackleton. It is almost an emotional moment, really. This region is jam packed with wildlife. Just think about king penguins as far as you can see! Pricing tends to be rather up there. I’d say anticipate a cost from about $20,000 upwards of $30,000, per person. That is pretty expensive, as you know. This usually includes flights to/from Punta Arenas, Chile, your cruise itself, meals, and guided excursions.
2. Silversea Cruises – South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula
Okay, so, Silversea, as I was saying, now, is all about taking you to the Antarctic Peninsula and including South Georgia in one long swoop. These guys do their cruises in what you can think of as smaller, super classy ships. In my book, the appeal comes down to having both a lot of on-board pampering along with intense explorations ashore. That really has a very luxurious feel.
The cruise ship accommodations are basically suites, with private balconies and butler service as part of the deal. That certainly tells you about their customer care vision! Those ships will generally have less than 200 folks total. So, it’s going to create a very personal environment on board, which allows more focused attention during the whole cruise.Activities often focus on lectures by some experts in polar stuff and daily zodiac cruises to get you close to whales. Those guys make good photography, so keep your cameras ready!
South Georgia is often several days on their list, you realize? Popular destinations might include Salisbury Plain which has massive penguin colonies and they can visit Elephant Island that highlights some very special places. The cost for this sort of luxury isn’t modest. I think you will see prices ranging from about $25,000 to as high as $45,000 per person. That usually handles your suite, drinks, excursions, and gratuities. This will cover every essential, for example.
3. Quark Expeditions – South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula: Penguin Safari
If your vacation wish revolves primarily around seeing tons and tons of penguins, maybe this Quark Expeditions “Penguin Safari” should make your shortlist. This tour focuses on the best penguin viewing spots over South Georgia and, obviously, the Antarctic Peninsula, you see. The Quark differences really tend toward adventurous activities and some emphasis on polar conservation efforts.The whole cruise thing makes them a bit distinctive.
They will usually use various ship sizes for these cruises, and several contain ice-breaking abilities for even better remote accessibility. The accommodations tend to range. Everything hinges on your ship and the specific room type, yet mostly you are looking at cabins with a view and your own private washroom. As usual, on the shore events have trained guides in fields like marine biology, birding and polar history who provide information, and enrich the experience overall. Quark features cool stuff such as citizen science projects on the ship, maybe?
This tour often sees folks spending about 4 to 6 days concentrating exclusively on South Georgia. Places frequently listed in schedules are Grytviken (for its history) plus Gold Harbour, famous for huge numbers of king penguins at all times. Talking prices here, you will probably notice something along the lines of $18,000 at a minimum, going over $35,000 or potentially further based on your choices of suite, date, and ship. This total almost certainly includes the voyage, meals, some of your alcoholic selections as part of deals and on-ground opportunities like zodiac tours and walks.
4. Ponant – South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands Expedition
Ponant often comes with a bit of that french flair. So, these ships generally offer what I believe are cool luxurious experiences blended perfectly along with expedition cruises! This itinerary, typically, goes after some more challenging and off-the-beaten path locales, which covers South Georgia and the lesser visited South Sandwich Islands, right?For those in-between cruise experiences, Ponant offers some really interesting features I notice.
Ships here really will feature something of a chic decoration style. The accommodations provide what I would call comfortable and designer, almost, touches; several having personal balconies or ocean gaze capabilities built straight into their layouts. Their fleet is a bit smaller. It holds just a couple hundred voyagers maximum. Which lets the service tend towards extremely personal, including things such as 24/7 room care! Activity types usually involve nature trips, lectures put together with help from leading scholars and some photography advice from experts while still traveling! This is useful!
During the cruise there are usually several days allotted strictly just for cruising nearby South Georgia destinations together plus South Sandwich destinations individually as different sites for sightseeing; for example: Drygalski fjord inside South Georgia together alongside Candlemas islands that exist rather inside some South Sandwich complex locations which happen usually to not see as much tourist attention versus alternate similar options there actually might tend instead within proximity!
Prices here sometimes show beginning near or from almost twenty two grand onward per traveller depending greatly whenever looking onward throughout those packages coupled potentially alongside cabins selections together alongside dates when cruises begin running onward further from whatever prices start beginning downward at initially themselves! Basically consider most arrangements feature every meal ticket as part arrangements included usually alongside too too many planned site travels too as already determined once bookings complete!
5. EYOS Expeditions – Private Charters
So, EYOS functions like high end bespoke travel, as I was saying. Now, you will just charter your very own expedition yacht in order to plan something uniquely personal, is that right? They handle the whole show, it appears, including South Georgia as part of a broader Antarctic visit or otherwise an destination all onto itself, almost! It’s rather an alternative, alright?
Their job really centers around developing what you personally expect of the cruise, even your own specific goals like seeing specific locations to making unique documentary shoots or stuff regarding science projects. Lodgings are all custom! Naturally; the boats themselves stretch almost anywhere too originating off little research transports fully all over yachts together with pools fully too together containing even submersibles built inside if something regarding almost some ultimate luxury adventure seems something right in whatever eyes that one watches!
As far as adventure stuff here, then pretty clearly, it hinges strongly almost towards only the group’s specific visions! Perhaps dive next after remote iceberg tops possibly as some exclusive special, very something something almost that can actually happen whenever nobody stands completely too nearby actually; maybe try checking isolated coast spots rather few tourists frequent sometimes that actually has lots together possibly too something interesting for discovering unique photographic shots usually.
Private adventures as these cost tons extra; it sounds though prices could start almost usually nearer four hundred 1,000 just with per week just and could get quite possibly substantially steeper whenever one’s wants necessitate boats, destinations plus personnel too which need meeting when travelling somewhere rather; normally fees pay the lease, employee payouts the ships services coupled too with the customized site trips with gear needs taken seriously right off before leaving.
Alright, if going out of your method toward see remote ecosystems filled throughout teeming wildlife appears tempting something extremely wonderful possibly worthwhile just maybe take closely taking something very serious into which cruise makes maximum pleasure levels; weighing up factors really right alongside exactly those which offer not usually unparalleled comforts together alongside amazing chance possibilities really sometimes turns even into things not soon always quite simply easily something forgone right up next for whoever might make even maximum level investments too together towards creating lifetimes unforgettable memories instead that maybe actually.
