Passengers are in awe of the king penguins as these few cross their path at Salisbury Plain on South Georgia.

A king penguin strikes a royal pose!

A large family group traveling together sends their greetings to family members back at home!

The beach was heavily populated with fur seals, such as this large male.

Expedition staff members Bob Burton, Kristin Wornson, Rich Pagen and Carol Walton lead the guests in Christmas caroling on Christmas eve!

Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

12/24/2010

 As Le Boreal approached South Georgia, Bob Burton gave a well-received talk on Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Irish-born explorer, who is famously connected with this stunningly beautiful island. For many guests, the island and the explorer are the main reasons for joining this cruise.  

The island came in sight during the day, the rugged mountains and glaciers looming under a heavy sky. But the sky slowly cleared and the wind that had been hindering our progress dropped, so that the weather became very pleasant as Le Boreal nosed into the Bay of Isles. Our first landing was on Salisbury Plain at the back of the bay. This is the home of some 50,000 pairs of magnificent, colourful king penguins. We had to walk through a colony of fur seals to reach the penguins and were able to enjoy the sight of their small black pups bounding around, while the Expedition Staff kept watchful eyes on the large territory-holding bulls. It was a marvellous experience to walk among this incredible assembly of wildlife that showed so little concern for our presence.  

As soon as we had washed and dressed back on board it was time for Christmas carols and a Sabbath service for guests of the Jewish faith before the special Christmas Eve Dinner.