Deception Island
A former whaling station inside a natural harbor. A few buildings and tankers remain, along with an old airplane hangar from the first flights in Antarctica. The rock walls are particularly neat, the red hue is very striking.
Research Station
The orange buildings in the distance are an Argentinian research station. This island hosts a fairly large collection of rock-hopper penguins, and the two here went on quite a journey - taking the ultra long way to the water.
Elephant Island
Seemingly not visited too often these days due to rough seas and winds that can increase out of nowhere. We did manage to get fairly close albeit not a full landing - but it was cool to see such a historic spot up close. This island is where Ernest Shackleton sought refuge before sailing to South Georgia to seek help, and when you see this up close, it really sinks in just how monumentally difficult the entire journey was.
Penguin Pilgrimage
A seemingly endless river, with scores of penguins on both banks. It’s really interesting to see seals around them, since they seemingly tolerate one another and just kind of coexist.
Army of Penguins
This area holds an estimated 350,000 penguins, and it’s absolutely staggering to witness if you can make it here. The closest comparison I can make is that it’s like watching an army from Lord of the Rings in real life, just stretching as far as the eyes can see.
A church-not-church
I usually wouldn't take a photo of a church, but the history of this one is somewhat fascinating to me. While it originally was built as a church (~1913), whalers apparently... didn't really care too much about church. As a result it wound up being used for a litany of other things: showing films, social hall, library, and more. It remains today as one of the best kept up buildings in Grytviken itself and makes for a neat photo against the cliffs. There's also the remains of a ski jump off to the right (outside the shot), because apparently they'd hold ski jump competitions to pass the time.
Derelict whaling station
Rusting and falling apart, with the land effectively reclaimed by wildlife. There’s a 200m exclusion zone for safety, but even from a distance it’s a haunting reminder of an old world practice. An interesting history bit: Shackleton and some of his crew arrived here after crossing the mountains to seek help for his men stuck on Elephant Island.
Iceberg ahoy
Crossing the seas from the Falklands to South Georgia, encountered an iceberg about ~100 miles off the coast. Supposedly not common to find them this far up but it may have broken off a significantly larger iceberg that is floating around the area. Staggering to see in person, and mind blowing when you consider just how deep they go under the surface!
Penguin rookery
Somewhat rough sea crossing was worth it to see this. Stunning view with Penguins tending to their young.
State of disrepair
A broken and beached boat in an old fishing village. Quite a trip to drive through, with a mix of Argentinian Navy equipment in areas throughout. Incredibly kind people in the town.
Rally urges
A winding road outside a small fishing village. The turn up into the crest with the water nearby is a stupidly sublime feeling.
End of the Pan-American Highway
While I haven’t driven the whole route, this was one of those things I’ve always wanted to see. The route has been romanticized throughout the modern history of the Americas and I love the legend of it. Maybe I’ll do the full thing when I’m older and have more free time…