Grytviken and Godthul Cove Hike Tuesday 1/27/26 Day 9
Today we did a Zodiac landing at Godthul Cove on South Georgia Island. The beach area isn’t conducive to walking as it’s quite steep, so our Expedition Leader Ali organized a long hike through the hills of the interior or the island. Ali lived on South Georgia for a few years, so she’s familiar with all it has to offer. We hiked up a hill covered in ruts, holes, clumps of Tussac grass, and Fur Seals, and it was quite a challenge. Once through that area, we continued on to a couple of Gentoo Penguin colonies, a beautiful lake, and some amazing vistas where we got some great photos. It was a bit foggy, but we could see the bay, our ship, and some icebergs from the vistas. Temps were in the 40s F with some mist and wind, so we were sweaty and cold at the same time, but it was a great hike.
In the afternoon, we finally made our way to Grytviken, the former whaling station where Ernest Shackleton is buried. We visited Shackleton’s grave and toasted the Boss with some Shackleton Whisky. Grytviken was the first whaling station in Antarctic waters, and 175,000 whales were killed here from 1904 to 1966. Whale oil was is very high demand during that period of time, and to see the town in ruins now, it is difficult to imagine the importance and the impact this place had on the history of whaling, and on history itself. It was the first of many whaling stations in and around South Georgia. We toured the ruins of the machinery, and visited the museum, the church, the post office, and the whale memorial. Whales are starting to return to Antarctic waters now, but it will take many more years before the population will recover. In addition to the South Georgia Museum, the British Antarctic Survey research station is also located in Grytviken, and these two entities house nine staff members during the winter and a few more in the summer to accommodate the Antarctic cruise ships that stop here.
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