SOUTH GEORGIA & SOUTH SANDWICH ISLAND, UK

GOOD FOR: Heroic history and Antarctic wildlife Situated 1,000km east of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia has had an oddly busy history. First sighted in the late 17th century, in 1775 Captain James Cook claimed it for the British. Sealing started soon after, then whaling; a whaling outpost still rusts on the shores at Grytviken. Explorer Ernest Shackleton is buried in the whalers’ cemetery here.

Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to reach: South Georgia is increasingly included as a stop on cruises to Antarctica. Once you’ve arrived, get your passport stamped at the island post office. Then retrace the final section of Shackleton’s epic 1916 journey, when he trekked across South Georgia to seek help for the crew of the ice-trapped Endurance.

But it’s the wildlife that you really come for. There are few sights in nature more striking than that of glacier-backed Salisbury Plain, where thousands of handsome king penguins squawk, waddle and huddle. Elephant seals now flop ashore where the old whalers used to operate. And the waters around the islands have seen the return of southern right, humpback and fin whales. Most visitors will continue on to the White Continent on longer cruises, but none forget South Georgia.

GETTING THERE: Several tour companies run cruises that call at South Georgia, typically departing from Ushuaia, southern Argentina, and heading on to Antarctica. Trips are possible from November to mid-march and usually last from 18 days.