Walking Among King Penguins

South Georgia, reached by expedition cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina, holds king penguin colonies tens of thousands strong. On guided landings you stand amid a chattering crowd of orange eared penguins stretching from the tussock grass to the surf, with elephant seals hauled out nearby. Chicks in brown down huddle in creches while adults return from the sea. The expedition season runs November through March, with the colonies at their busiest in the southern summer. Smaller colonies can also be visited at Pinguino Rey in Tierra del Fuego, at Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands, and on expedition landings at Macquarie Island.