We’ve visited this fascinating and haunting station two occasions previously few years to place collectively this information on all the pieces it is advisable learn about visiting Grytviken, South Georgia.
As our ship gently cruised into King Edward Cove we got our first sight of Grytviken, the most important settlement on South Georgia.
Nestled on the base of rising peaks carved out by the glaciers of yesteryear, Grytviken has a formidable look, with the rusted metallic skeletons of the previous whaling station dominating the city.
Whereas the remainder of South Georgia’s sights are targeted on the wildlife and landscapes, right here it’s the historical past of polar exploration, whaling and warfare that piques the curiosity of holiday makers.
With our vessel anchored and the zodiacs prepared, we left the ship and made our method into Grytviken.
Don’t miss our full and detailed information with all the data you’ll have to journey to South Georgia.
Journey to Grytviken, South Georgia
South Georgia is among the most distant locations on the planet, positioned within the south Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica, and fewer than 10’000 folks journey right here yearly.
Nearly all people that visits South Georgia does so with a licensed tour operator, travelling by ship from Ushuaia in Argentina or Stanley within the Falkland Islands.
South Georgia is commonly mixed with an expedition to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands, giving travellers 2-3 days to discover the island.
Each single tour that visits South Georgia features a stopover in Grytviken, the financial and political hub of the island, to formally stamp every visitor into the territory and clear customs.
This additionally provides an ideal alternative to discover the city, stroll across the sights and study extra about its historical past.
We first travelled to Grytviken in 2018 on an in-depth South Georgia pictures symposium, and once more in 2022 main our personal pictures tour (working once more in 2024), permitting us to spend additional time within the city and across the island.
Whereas most individuals are targeted on the king penguins, elephant seals and sea birds that occupy South Georgia, we discovered our time spent visiting Grytviken to be one of the fascinating components of the whole tour.
Right here’s our information to the historical past, sights and sights of Grytviken, South Georgia, and to let you understand what to anticipate in your subsequent go to.
Whaling in Grytviken – A Tragic Historical past
Grytviken was dwelling to the most important whaling station in South Georgia, and it’s inconceivable to stroll across the corroded ruins of its processing plant with out feeling a way of dread on the massacres that occurred right here over many years.
On the sixteenth of November, 1904, the Norwegian Carl Anton Larsen established the primary whaling station on South Georgia, and this might change the course of historical past eternally for each the island, and the marine life within the Southern Ocean.
Whales have been hunted for his or her high-value oil, which was used all over the world for oil lamps and to make cleaning soap, in addition to for his or her bones and meat.
They weren’t the one animals hunted within the area although. Elephant seals have been additionally underneath assault, and over the many years hundreds of thousands of animals have been killed right here.
Larsen selected Grytviken to be his base due to the big, sheltered harbour, the simple entry to contemporary water and the steep surrounding mountains that supplied shelter from harsh climate from the west.
Though whales have been being captured for years beforehand, the institution of this whaling station in Grytviken allowed for processing and manufacturing to be ramped up severely.
Over the following 60 years the looking was so aggressive that they basically over-fished the seas round South Georgia, and the plant was compelled to shut in 1966 as a consequence of an absence of whales being caught.
Now that the station wasn’t in use it began to corrode and collapse, making it fairly harmful for anybody who ventured close to it.
As well as it was constructed utilizing asbestos, and because the fibres broke down a lot of Grytviken grew to become a poisonous hazard.
Years later the South Georgia authorities decontaminated the location, lastly make it secure for folks to wander with out hazmat fits.
At this time strolling across the ruins of the previous whaling processing plant is an absolute should when visiting Grytviken. With such a tragic historical past it may be fairly overwhelming to be stepping by way of the location of slaughter, nevertheless it’s a really attention-grabbing place.
The Resting Place of Sir Ernest Shackleton
Grtyviken can be the place of burial for Sir Ernest Shackleton, arguably the best polar explorer in historical past.
His expeditions to the Antarctic are the stuff of legend, and South Georgia was a vacation spot that was of nice significance throughout his adventures.
It was in Grytviken in 1914 that Shackleton began his preparations of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, the perilous try and cross the whole Antarctic continent by land by way of the South Pole.
His journey was not profitable as a result of abundance of pack ice his ship, the Endurance, encountered within the Weddell Sea.
The ship grew to become trapped, and for the following 18 months his males lived in camps on the ice attempting to make their method again to security.
They finally arrived at Elephant Island in April of 1916, and Shackleton took a small group of males on his 7m lengthy life boat, the James Caird, on a 1300km journey again to South Georgia.
From right here he launched a exceptional rescue mission again to Elephant Island, and regardless of all odds he managed to save lots of the lives of each single considered one of his crew who had remained behind.
Whereas his expeditions to the Antarctic had already made him well-known, it was this harmful rescue that eternally cemented him in historical past books.
After Sir Ernest Shackleton died in 1922 on South Georgia throughout one other considered one of his adventures, his physique was being taken again to the UK when his spouse despatched by way of a telegram requesting that he buried in Grytviken.
His physique was quickly returned, and he was laid to relaxation within the Grytviken cemetery.
At this time his gravesite is a well-liked place for all guests to Grytviken, and it is not uncommon to toast the good man with a whiskey, in addition to to his proper hand man, Frank Wild, whose ashes are positioned beside his ‘boss’.
The Falklands Conflict in South Georgia
In 1982 Argentina invaded the British-controlled Falkland Islands in an try to achieve management of the archipelago that they believed rightfully belongs to them.
The warfare itself was comparatively brief, lasting a complete of 74 days when Britain efficiently beat the Argentinians, forcing them to give up.
Whereas the Falklands Conflict is sort of properly documented, few folks realise that it was really South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands the place the primary ‘strike’ was made.
On the nineteenth of March some Argentine retailers raised the flag of Argentina in South Georgia, prompting the UK Navy to dispatch a crew from Stanley on the Falkland Islands to analyze and defend their territory.
It was this act that was finally thought of to be the offensive manoeuvre by Argentina.
Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands on April 2nd, and took management of South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands on the third.
22 Royal Marines have been stationed in Grytviken on that day, and so they managed to shoot down an Argentine helicopter and kill 3 troopers within the battle, however they have been finally defeated by the invaders.
These casualties stopped Argentina from taking management of every other components of the island, and the remaining Royal Marines hid within the mountains with out detection.
On the twenty fifth of April following an assault by the Brits on considered one of their submarines, Argentina surrendered Grytviken with out firing a shot.
At this time you possibly can study extra concerning the transient historical past of the Falkland Islands warfare within the unbelievable museum in Grytviken, and if accompanied by a information you possibly can hike to the stays of the Argentine helicopter, a brief stroll previous King Edward Level.
5 Issues to Do in Grytviken, South Georgia
There’s solely a handful of issues to do in Grytviken, South Georgia, however these issues will definitely fill the hours up, and they’re properly price doing.
Have a Toast to Sir Ernest Shackleton
Absolutely the very first thing you must do when you arrive to the settlement is head over to Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave, positioned within the cemetery simply exterior of city, and drink a toast to the good man.
Each occasions we travelled to Grytviken, the crew dropped us off proper on the base of the cemetery and requested all people to assemble on the gravesite.
That they had introduced mugs and bottles of whiskey alongside, and Jonathon, our polar historian onboard, gave an excellent speech about Shackleton’s journey.
After the toast was made we poured a little bit of whiskey on Shackleton’s grave, had a sip, then poured a bit on Frank Wild’s grave, Shackleton’s proper hand man, whose ashes are buried subsequent to him.
Spend Time within the Superior South Georgia Museum
The Grytviken museum isn’t massive, nevertheless it is among the most fascinating museums we’ve got been to in a very long time.
The rooms are devoted to numerous components of South Georgia, akin to whaling, wildlife, polar exploration and extra, and we have been disillusioned that we didn’t give ourselves rather more time in there.
You may truthfully spend at the very least two hours studying the entire bits of data, wanting on the photos (some are fairly grotesque from the whaling period) and watching the movies on show.
Stroll Across the Previous Whaling Station
Essentially the most distinguished characteristic in Grytviken is the ruins of the previous whale processing plant, and the corroded buildings occupy many of the area you possibly can stroll round.
For those who’re into pictures or simply have a fascination with previous engineering and development, the station is a unbelievable place to discover, regardless that the tragic historical past of animals being slaughtered right here clearly brings about an emotional expertise.
The complete plant has been cleared of asbestos so it’s secure to stroll round with out respiratory safety, however watch out of any sharp bits of rusted metallic, unsafe overhead hazards and naturally fur seals that may be hiding behind any nook.
Ship a Postcard on the Submit Workplace
Have any pals or household at dwelling that also love getting postcards? Nicely why not ship them one from one of the distant locations on the planet!
The publish workplace in Grytviken is run by the few employees that stay on the island, and you should purchase playing cards and stamps to ship them off to anyplace on the earth.
When provide ships dock into city the employees will give the postcards to them to be delivered to Stanley within the Falkland Islands.
From right here they’ll be shipped again to the UK, after which mailed out all over the world. It’d take just a few weeks (or months) for them to reach, however the pleasure your loved ones will get after they obtain it is going to be properly definitely worth the wait.
Examine Out the Grytviken Church
In-built 1912 in Norway and transported to South Georgia in 1913, the Grytviken Church is the oldest development on the island nonetheless in use.
This cute timber church may be very picturesque, particularly when contrasting towards the placing mountains behind it and the corroded processing plant within the foreground.
Though providers are very not often held right here anymore, guests are welcome to stroll across the inside, sit and pray in the event that they’d like, and even climb into the rafters to ring the bell over Grytviken.
Can You Keep in Grytviken, South Georgia?
Until there may be an emergency or prior preparations have been made with the South Georgia Heritage Belief, it isn’t permitted to sleep on the island, and there’s no lodging in Grytviken out there.
Nearly all people who travels to Grytviken sleeps onboard their passenger ship, except authorized scientific researchers and explorers.
How Many Folks Dwell in Grytviken?
The official inhabitants of Grytviken is 8 folks, however this grows to round 30 folks in the summertime, and fluctuates relying on the necessity for extra personnel there.
Most individuals residing in Grytviken work for the South Georgia Heritage Belief, are members of the British navy, or are customs officers.
How Do You Get to Grytviken?
The one technique to journey to Grytviken is to go by ship, and until you will have your individual sailboat, the most typical method is to affix a licensed tour operator.
The primary time we travelled to South Georgia with One Ocean Expeditions, and spent a complete 8 days there.
They’ve since gone into administration, and we now personally go to Grytviken with Quark Expeditions as content material companions, and to guide our personal pictures excursions the place we convey 20 visitors with us.
Freight ships do make the journey from the Falkland Islands, however it’s nearly inconceivable to safe a berth on considered one of these boats as a consequence of insurance coverage and quarantine points.
Journey to Grytviken often occurs from considered one of two ports – Ushuaia in Argentina or Stanley within the Falkland Islands. There isn’t any airport in Grytviken, or on South Georgia in any respect.
Wildlife in Grytviken
Whereas Grytviken doesn’t have the density of wildlife you discover elsewhere in South Georgia, there’s nonetheless a wholesome inhabitants of various species within the settlement.
You’ll in fact discover king penguins waddling about, and after we first landed on the shore one got here proper as much as our zodiac to see what we have been.
There’s a small variety of elephant seals that may be discovered lounging round, though the harems aren’t almost the scale of different locations like Gold Harbour.
The principle animal you’ll must be careful for when strolling round Grytviken is the fur seals, who calm down on the seashores and have began to maneuver into the whaling station.
Male fur seals will be very aggressive, particularly in the course of the mating season when the females return to the island, so be sure you hold your distance.
Extra Images of Grytviken, South Georgia
From a photographer’s viewpoint, we actually loved strolling round Grytviken and taking photos of the previous whaling station.
The rusted tanks, pipes and sheet metallic was extraordinarily attention-grabbing to take a look at, and the deeper you regarded the extra curious traces and options may very well be discovered.
Being on a pictures symposium we had the pleasure of studying from a few of the world’s finest skilled photographers.
On this present day we have been significantly impressed by Gerhard ‘Guts’ Swanepoel, co-owner of Pangolin Photograph Safaris in Botswana, who spent just a few hours strolling round with us and displaying us what he seems to be for in a singular picture.
Listed below are some extra of our photos from Grytviken. 90% of those have been captured by Alesha.
