Your Guide to St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island (2025)

Your guide to St Andrews Bay, the magnificent site home to the largest king penguin colony in South Georgia.

St. Andrews Bay is one of the most popular destinations in South Georgia. Rugged mountains and glaciers surround its expansive coastline, paving the way for some of the island’s most stunning scenery.

But it’s the wildlife that really steals the show here. This is where you’ll find the largest colony of king penguins in South Georgia, which provides a wildlife experience unlike anywhere else on the island.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about St Andrews.

Find out what makes the bay so exceptional and how you can experience it on your own South Georgia adventure.

Read our full travel guide to South Georgia for more tips!

Where is St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia?

St Andrews Bay is located on the north coast of South Georgia Island. It is known to be home to hundreds of thousands of king penguins!

Despite its remote location in the Southern Ocean, St Andrews Bay is surprisingly accessible for excursions. Itineraries often include other nearby places such as Antarctica.

The bay has long fascinated explorers, including Captain Cook’s early voyages and later British expeditions, all drawn to its dramatic landscape and abundant wildlife.

The main colony of king penguins in St Andrews Bay is the largest in South Georgia, with thousands of adults and baby king penguins constantly moving across the beach.

Elephant seals and fur seals also hang out along the beach. The glaciers surrounding the bay rise, including the towering Cook Glacier and Henny Glacier.

Visitors arriving at the landing site will be dazzled by the sheer energy of the place, from the constant calls and swaying penguins to the occasional seals tumbling, all set against an otherworldly backdrop.

A Visitor’s Guide to St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia

If you’re planning to visit St. Andrews Bay to see the massive penguin breeding colony up close, here’s what you need to know:

Important note! Before you book any international flight, we sincerely recommend that you obtain travel insurance. You never know when things will go wrong, and medical bills can pile up quickly if you get sick or injured abroad.

Our personal recommendation based on our own experience is World Nomads.

How to get there

Reaching St Andrews Bay is an adventurous feat. It is located in the remote part of South Georgia, far from traditional travel routes.

The bay has long fascinated explorers, and early British expeditions made careful landings here to study the wildlife and rugged landscape.

You can only get here by excursions that explore the northern coast of the island, often as part of a longer journey across the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding waters.

Expeditions occasionally extend to the South Sandwich Islands, providing a rare opportunity to explore some of the most isolated and pristine areas of the Southern Ocean.

When you arrive ashore at St Andrews Bay, you’ll be immediately greeted by vast penguin colonies, elephant seals and dramatic scenery.

Explore more of the island by completing the South Georgia Shackleton Walk!

Best time to visit

The ideal time to visit St Andrews Bay is during the Australian summer, from November to February. During this time, South Georgia Wildlife He is at his most active.

During the Australian summer, the huge breeding colony of king penguins is in full swing, and playful seals dominate the beaches. You are sure to have an incredible wildlife experience!

If you schedule your trip during the Australian summer months, you’ll have the best chance of witnessing the dramatic interplay between penguins, seals, and the island’s stunning landscape in all its glory.

You can find more details here: Best time to visit South Georgia Island

Wildlife in St Andrews Bay

While the dramatic landscape of South Georgia draws visitors to this remote island, the wildlife of St. Andrews Bay is truly its highlight.

St Andrews Bay is famous for its colony of king penguins, where you’ll find king penguin chicks huddled together on the beach while the adults sway back and forth, tending to their young and calling to each other in a charming chorus.

Meanwhile, southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals dominate the beach, lounging in the sand or playfully gliding in the waves. These animals share space with smaller colonies of fur seals, creating a dynamic, ever-changing landscape that captures the raw energy of the island.

At the southern end of the bay, you’ll find a large population of southern elephant seals, often alongside Antarctic fur seals.

Even offshore, St Andrews Bay supports a variety of birds, including the endemic South Georgia warbler, the world’s southernmost songbird.

If you want a rare opportunity to see fascinating wildlife species up close, from king penguins to southern elephant seals, St Andrews Bay is definitely worth a visit.

Is St Andrews Bay worth a visit?

St Andrews Bay is worth a visit, as it is a real highlight of any South Georgia itinerary. Although getting here often means booking a cruise, the experience is truly worth it.

St Andrews Bay is one of the few places on Earth where you can see sprawling king penguin colonies alongside playful elephants and fur seals.

So, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to explore one of the most remote places on Earth while encountering incredible wildlife, a visit to St Andrews Bay on the north coast of South Georgia Island is a must!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means if you book stays, tours, or purchase a product, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help us continue to create more free travel content to help people plan their vacations and adventures. We only recommend the best accommodations, tours and products that we have personally tested or our amazing editorial team have tested, and review regularly. Thanks for your support, nice friend!