Saint Andrews Bay And Its Large Colony Of King Penguins
Saint Andrews Bay is one of the greatest charms of South Georgia, a frozen island in the South Atlantic. But if there is something that stands out, it is not because of its landscapes, which are fabulous, but because thousands of king penguins live here. You want to know more? Well, do not hesitate to continue reading.
Learn all about Saint Andrews Bay
The Bay of Saint Andrews is an inlet that is more than three kilometers wide and extends north-south. A place that was possibly seen for the first time in 1775, specifically, by the members of the British expedition under the command of the navigator James Cook.
It is a space that is the habitat of an abundant fauna, as we will see a little later. And despite the climate, there is also a unique flora, made up of small species: tussok and winter grass.
At the landscape level, it should be mentioned that there are several glaciers in the vicinity of Saint Andrews Bay. On the one hand, there is the Ross Glacier, in full retreat. On the other, you can see the Cook Glacier, six kilometers long, and the Heaney Glacier. Between these last two flows the Buxton glacier.
Saint Andrews Bay and the King Penguins
St Andrews Bay boasts one of the largest king penguin colonies in the world. And it is that more than 100,000 specimens of this species settle there, which coexist with other animals, such as sea lions and elephant seals or leopard seals.
Recognizing them is easy, since the king penguin is the second largest penguin after the emperor. This species is also characterized by the fact that the upper part of its chest is yellowish orange in color and is bordered by a black line, while its back is gray.
To discover the largest colony of king penguins we have to move to the Isle of Pigs, a French territory in the Crochet archipelago, in the southern Indian Ocean. No less than 500,000 breeding pairs live there.
Unfortunately, the colony has decreased by a high percentage since the late 1990s. Climate change, fierce competition between the same animals as it is a large population or diseases such as fowl cholera are some of the hypotheses being considered.
Visit Saint Andrews Bay and its surroundings
We suppose that after discovering the charms of Saint Andrews Bay you would like, for example, to walk among the king penguins and see them up close. Well do not worry, because it is possible. And there are excursions that aim to discover the place and its incredible fauna.
The visit is usually accompanied by a tour of other attractions of the South Georgia islands. For example, Prion Island and its roaming albatross colony or Grytviken, the ruins of an old whaling station.
But the beauty of these islands gives much more. Other interesting places are Godthul, a cove three kilometers long; Cooper Bay, with an abundance of fauna; and the Drygalski fjord, whose entrance is given by the Strait of Larsen.
Special mention requires Salisbury Plain, known as the Serengeti of the South. This is so because of the many animals that inhabit it, from king or gentoo penguins to sea lions, passing through southern giant petrels. Seeing them while taking a walk along the wide beaches of this place is a more than unforgettable experience.
We hope that after checking all the tourist possibilities that Saint Andrews Bay and its surroundings offer, you will be encouraged to visit South Georgia. It is not a common trip, it is a remote place, but in these lands you can treasure unique memories that are more difficult to obtain in other parts of the world.
