093 South Georgia

Being one of the cruelest, most gorgeous wildernesses on earth, South Georgia is a chunk of the Andes that wandered into the southern Atlantic some 50 million years ago. The 170 km spit of land is so isolated that it creates its own weather system, but despite—or perhaps because of—its ruggedness, it’s also a holy grail. Located 1,300 miles east of Tierra del Fuego in the South Atlantic Ocean, a combination of underwater topography and converging currents produce rich seas that support some of the most populous seal, penguin, and seabird colonies on the planet. Today, other than the extraordinary wildlife, the island is home to only a British Government Office, a postmaster, some museum staff and scientists.