Experience · South Georgia and the Falklands

King penguins

On South Georgia's beaches, king penguin colonies run to hundreds of thousands of birds — an ocean of orange-flashed heads, trumpeting, utterly unafraid, with fur seals and albatrosses as supporting cast.

Best forWildlife & nature · Photographers · Adventure seekers
In October10°C · 11 rainy days
Ideal stayAn 18-21 day voyage, or a day trip from Stanley
Approx. flying time~13h 55m from Los Angeles

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King penguins, South Georgia and the Falklands

Happens around Stanley, Falkland Islands — nearest airport Mount Pleasant (MPN), about 43km away.

CurrencyFKPFalkland Islands pound
LanguageEnglish
Local time09:074h behind the UK
PlugsType GUK plugs fit
Drive on theLeftSame as the UK
Dialling code+500

The experience

King penguins breed in colonies that fill entire beaches, tens of thousands of birds standing shoulder to shoulder with brown woolly chicks among them. The sound carries a long way and so does the smell. Because nothing has ever hunted them on land, they walk towards you rather than away, which is why guides enforce distances. Elephant seals and fur seals sprawl across the same shingle, adding their own noise.

South Georgia is reached only by expedition ship, usually from Ushuaia, on voyages of ten days to three weeks and often combined with the Falklands or the Antarctic Peninsula. The Falklands are far cheaper: fly in and drive out to a colony for the day. The season runs November to March, chicks included. Book a long way ahead, and expect the Southern Ocean to be genuinely rough.

Ideal stay: An 18-21 day voyage, or a day trip from Stanley
The vibe: Loud, cold, once in a lifetime

From our guides

Getting there means an expedition cruise from Ushuaia, usually bundled with the Falklands, where Volunteer Point offers a smaller, cheaper colony reachable by 4x4 day trip. Book cabins a year or more out for the November-to-March season. No wildlife spectacle on earth is louder, smellier or better.

Featured in Ten wildlife encounters that will humble you

Make a trip of it

Salisbury Plain

One of South Georgia's great colonies, spread over a glacial outwash plain backed by mountains, with king penguins numbering in the tens of thousands.
St Andrews Bay

The largest king penguin colony on South Georgia, along a dark beach below a glacier. Landings here depend entirely on the surf.
Volunteer Point

The Falklands' accessible colony, reached by 4x4 across open camp from Stanley, with kings, gentoos and Magellanic penguins on white sand.
Grytviken

The old whaling station and museum on South Georgia, with Shackleton's grave and a small white church, usually landable whatever the swell is doing.
Wandering albatrosses

Prion Island and other outlying sites hold nesting albatrosses with three-metre wingspans, viewed from boardwalks that limit how many can land.

Getting there

Fly to
Mount Pleasant (MPN)

Nearest airport to Stanley, about 43km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Stanley

Stanley's airport (PSY) is about ten minutes by road from town, served by internal flights; long-haul arrivals use Mount Pleasant, roughly an hour away by coach. South Georgia has no airport at all and is reached only by expedition ship, usually from Ushuaia.
On the ground
Getting around

In the Falklands, Volunteer Point is a half-day 4x4 excursion from Stanley across open camp, with guides driving. On South Georgia you land by Zodiac from the ship and walk the beaches with expedition staff.

Public transport: There is no public transport to speak of. Everything runs on booked 4x4 trips, light aircraft or the ship's own schedule.

Flights

Los Angeles Stanley, Falkland Islands

Flying from

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Roughly 13h 55m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

Pick your departure date, then your return.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 5°C in July to 14°C in January. Driest February and September to November; wettest in December, with rain on about 14 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

October10° · rain 11 daysCold with rain most weeks.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to base yourself

Guesthouses and small hotels in Stanley, remote farm and island lodges elsewhere, and for South Georgia itself the expedition ship cabin is your accommodation.

Best base overall
Stanley

The Falklands capital, and the only settlement with a real choice of rooms, restaurants and tour operators running the Volunteer Point trips. Beds are few, so nothing here is cheap.
Find stays in Stanley
Closest to the sights
Johnson's Harbour and Volunteer Point

The 4x4 track to the king penguin colony starts here and takes hours each way, so the odd farm-stay bed nearby saves a punishing round trip. Accommodation is extremely limited.
Find stays in Johnson's Harbour and Volunteer Point
Best value
Ushuaia, Argentina

Practically every South Georgia expedition ship departs from here, and the town has hotels and hostels at every price. You will still need a night or two either side of the voyage.
Find stays in Ushuaia, Argentina
Quietest
Sea Lion Island

A single small lodge on an outer island where elephant seals lie on the beach below the windows. Flights are on tiny island aircraft with strict baggage limits, and weather delays are routine.
Find stays in Sea Lion Island

Worth knowing before you book: Cabins for the November to March season are commonly sold a year or more ahead, and Stanley's handful of rooms disappear whenever a cruise ship or a flight schedule shifts.

Search everything else in Stanley by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

Or see everything in Stanley

Good to know

Book ahead: Cabins for the November to March season sell out a year or more in advance, and single occupancy goes first.
Sea conditions: The Drake Passage and the Scotia Sea are properly rough. Bring effective seasickness medication and start taking it before you need it.
Biosecurity: Boots, bags and Velcro are inspected and vacuumed before landings to keep seeds and disease off the island. Bring clothing you can clean easily.
Distances: Wildlife guidelines set minimum approach distances, and more for seals than penguins. Fur seals in December are aggressive and will chase you.
Pack this: Waterproof trousers, warm layers, gloves you can operate a camera in, and more memory cards than you think. Landings are wet.