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South Sandwich Islands
This fascinating, but remote Antarctic archipelago is not often visited; it is not on the itinerary of most Antarctic tour operators. The archipelago is located about 550 kilometres (340 miles) to the south-east of South Georgia. The volcanic islands are the easternmost extent of the Scotia Ridge, the mostly sub-oceanic ridge that connects Tierra del Fuego with the Antarctic Peninsula. The chain of eleven major islands extends over 380 kilometres (240 miles) from north to south. All of the islands are active volcanoes, most of them have had eruptions in the last hundred years. The most recent eruption was in 2005 on Montague Island.
The archipelago is washed by a cold current from out of the Weddell Sea, pack-ice from the Sea surrounding the islands for much of the year. The current also delivers huge ice-bergs that have broken off from the ice-shelves of the Antarctic Continent. In the shallows around the islands the ice-bergs run aground and are slowly carved into the magnificent blue ice-sculptures that are a dream for photographers.
Eight of the eleven islands were discovered by James Cook, in 1775, the other three being discovered by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1819. The islands have been part of the British Overseas Territories since 1908.
Climate
The South Sandwich Islands are located within the Antarctic Convergence, an oceanographic border that separates the cold Southern Ocean from the warmer northern Oceans. The archipelago experiences a Maritime Antarctic Climate. The weather can be very rough, with strong, mostly westerly winds. The islands are often shrouded in fog, with average summer temperature around or just above freezing.
Please Note; The South Sandwich Islands do not have protected fjords and bays like South Georgia. The ocean around the islands can be very rough, occasionally making it impossible to land. Although we do expect to be able to land on several of the islands, nature does not give us a guarantee. Weather is unpredictable and may prevent our ships from completing the planned itinerary.
Flora & Fauna
Several million Chinstrap Penguins breed on the islands of the archipelago, together with smaller colonies of Adélie, Gentoo and Macaroni penguins. Zavodovski Island possibly has the largest Chinstrap Penguin colony in the world, with more than 1 million breeding pairs. The geothermally heated slopes of the islands form a warm and ice-free breeding place for the birds. Antarctic Fur Seals and Southern Elephant Seals are also known to breed and haul out on several of the islands. There is a nice variety of flora (mosses, lichens and Antarctic Hairgrass).
Frequently visited
places
For more detailed information on our programmes, please see the itineraries section.
- Zavodovski Island. Home to over 2 million Chinstrap Penguins. The island is volcanically very active and therefore almost ice free.
- Candlemas Island. A steep island with a barren moon-scape. On the north-west side there is an active stratovolcano.
- Saunders Island is also an active stratovolcano and almost 1000 meters (3,300 ft) high. The island is home to several Chinstrap Penguin colonies. Huge numbers of Fur Seals haul out on the beaches.
- Montague Island. The largest of the South Sandwich Islands. The volcano, Mount Belinda, which is 1370 metres (4495 feet) high, erupted in 2005.
- Thule Island. The southernmost of the South Sandwich Islands. Argentina built a station on the island in 1955. The station was evacuated in 1956 during a volcanic eruption. Later the Argentines built a new station but this was destroyed by British military forces during the Falkland War, in 1982. Fair sized Adelie and Chinstrap Penguins colonies can be found on the island.
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