King Haakon Bay | Shackleton’s Landfall in South Georgia Island

Sir Ernest Shackleton’s name remains revered by Antarctic adventurers even a century after his passing. King Haakon Bay on South Georgia Island, is where the last chapter of the extraordinary Endurance saga unfolded, cementing his legacy as a heroic Polar explorer.

The story behind the name 

Located on the southern coast of South Georgia Island, the King Haakon Bay is a narrow inlet, approximately 13 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide. The bay was named by Norwegian whaler Carl Anton Larsen, the Antarctic explorer who founded the Grytviken whaling station in South Georgia Island. He named the Bay in 1912 after Haakon VII, the king of Norway from 1905 to 1957.

It is not a coincidence that many names of geographical locations in Antarctica are of Norwegian origin. In the late 19th century, Norway revolutionised whaling with steam-powered ships, explosive harpoons, and factory processing — transforming it into a major industrial enterprise. As whale populations dwindled in the North Atlantic, Norwegian whalers turned their sights southward to the untouched, whale-rich waters around South Georgia and Antarctica, bringing their technology and expertise with them and leaving their names on the map.

Shackleton’s landfall in 1916

After months adrift on the ice and a harrowing open-boat journey from Elephant Island, Ernest Shackleton and five of his crew finally reached South Georgia on 10 May 1916 — landing at King Haakon Bay, the remote southern inlet that would become the starting point of what is now known as the Shackleton Traverse.

Their small lifeboat, the James Caird, had survived a perilous 1,300-kilometre voyage through freezing seas and hurricane-force winds. When they finally stepped ashore here, they were starving, frostbitten, and utterly exhausted — but alive.

King Haakon Bay, however, lay on the uninhabited southern coast of the island, far from help. Shackleton and two companions left the remaining crew at a makeshift camp in the bay and set off on foot to cross the island’s mountains and glaciers to the whaling station at Stromness on the northern coast. After 36 hours of relentless climbing, they stumbled into Stromness to arrange rescue for the men they’d left behind — first at King Haakon Bay, then at Elephant Island.

Today, visitors to King Haakon Bay stand on the same rugged shore where Shackleton’s crew found a fragile foothold on survival, marking one of the most dramatic chapters of his legendary Endurance expedition.

• For the full story of Shackleton’s Antarctic ordeal, you can read our detailed article Sir Ernest Shackleton: Endurance and Legacy

The landscape around King Haakon Bay 

King Haakon Bay sits on South Georgia’s remote and unforgiving southern coast, where the mountains plunge steeply into the sea and glaciers reach all the way to the water’s edge. Unlike the more sheltered northern coastline, where fjords and bays create natural harbours, the south is exposed to the full force of the Southern Ocean.

Here, landings are challenging: rocky shores are pounded by heavy surf, and sudden weather changes can sweep in from the mountains. Vegetation is sparse, limited to the lower slopes and tussock grass near the shore, while the higher terrain is dominated by ice, rock, and snow.

This dramatic, inhospitable landscape helps explain why the northern side became the hub of human activity, with its whaling stations and anchorages, while the south — including King Haakon Bay — remains wild and rarely visited. Today, visitors landing here experience the same raw, untamed wilderness Shackleton encountered over a century ago.

When to visit & what to see 

South Georgia’s visitor season runs from October through April, when the austral spring and summer bring wildlife activity, long days, and conditions suitable for landings.

In October and November, elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals gather on the beaches to mate, while penguins arrive at their colonies and begin incubating eggs. Seabirds — including giant petrels, skuas, and albatrosses — return to their nesting sites, filling the skies and cliffs with activity. This is a spectacular time for photographers seeking dramatic scenes with fewer visitors around.

December and January offer long daylight hours, more stable weather, and an abundance of life: seal pups learn to swim, penguin chicks crowd the rookeries, and the air remains alive with seabirds raising their young.

By April, the island feels even more remote and wild. While many seals have dispersed by then, king penguin colonies remain active, and seabirds such as skuas and petrels can still be seen. The crisp autumn light at this time creates striking landscapes and a quieter atmosphere.

Outside of this period, from May to September, heavy seas, short days, and winter storms make the island inaccessible to tourism.

Photographing King Haakon Bay 

King Haakon Bay offers a quieter, more dramatic backdrop than the busy northern rookeries of South Georgia. Here, you can capture wildlife — like penguins, seals, and seabirds — in isolation against rugged cliffs, glaciers, and often moody skies.

Unlike the northern colonies, where thousands of animals fill the frame, the southern coast allows for more intimate, uncluttered compositions that highlight the raw wilderness of the island. The changeable weather here can create striking light and atmosphere, perfect for photographers who enjoy capturing solitary moments in a wild landscape.

Standing on the windswept shores of King Haakon Bay, it’s easy to imagine Shackleton and his men stumbling ashore over a century ago — weary, determined, and clinging to hope. Today, the bay remains just as wild and untamed, waiting for those bold enough to make the journey.