I’ve been to South Georgia twice before, but I never made a pre-dawn landing at a king penguin colony. I was delighted when we made a 4:30 AM landing on the beach at Gold Harbour this morning. It was quite an experience to watch as day broke while noticing the sounds and smells of elephant seals and penguins. We returned to the ship for breakfast before making a second landing that included a long hike. We climbed through tussock grass and made our way above the colony and onto the ridgeline. We enjoyed spectacular views of the ship in the bay. Take a look at our photos to see images that tell the story of this spectacular location.
2/23/2025
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National Geographic Endurance
Antarctic Sound
Excitement was high as we arrived in Antarctica today, marking the start of our expedition to the White Continent and beyond. Over lunch, massive tabular icebergs — once part of an ice shelf — began to appear all around us, sending guests rushing to the windows for photos. In the afternoon, we launched our fleet of Zodiacs for the first operation of the trip — a cruise along the brash ice. Despite the sharp wind chill, we had incredible first encounters with humpback whales and seals. Meanwhile, the undersea team, a unique program at National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, suited up for a scuba dive, capturing footage of krill swarms below the surface. Just when we thought the day couldn’t get better, an emperor penguin made a surprise appearance — a lucky sight this time of year. What a spectacular start to our Antarctic adventure!