Grytviken

Historic whaling station and penguin haven

Curated by Vinod Kumar Jain & Amit Jain · All Frontier Global · free, no login · reviewed 2026-07-05

The journal

The whaling station's rusted tanks stood like ribs of some beached giant. I found Shackleton's grave under a sky the color of pewter and left nothing but a quiet toast of whisky, poured and drunk the way the old sailors did. The wind off the bay carried the story better than any plaque.

Things to do

Grytviken Whaling Museum · Cultural heritage

Explore the ruins of an early 20th-century whaling station preserved as an evocative open-air museum. Best: Nov–Mar

Salisbury Plain King Penguins · Wildlife colony

Witness hundreds of thousands of king penguins in one of the island's vast breeding colonies. Best: Nov–Mar

Shackleton's Grave · Historic site

Pay respects at the burial place of legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Best: Nov–Mar

Stromness Bay · Marine mammals

Observe massive elephant seals hauled out near the historic Stromness Station, end of Shackleton's crossing. Best: Nov–Feb

Grytviken Cemetery Historic Graves · Ruins

Weathered gravestones of whalers, sailors, and early South Georgia explorers. Best: Nov–Mar

Arrival

Airport

Ushuaia, Argentina (USH) — Sail from Ushuaia across open ocean to South Georgia.

SIM / data

Argentine SIM/eSIM before departure; no signal on South Georgia.

Money on arrival

Carry pesos and USD; onboard costs are prepaid.

← South Georgia profile