Britain’s 14 Overseas Territories (BOTs) remain as some of the last official remnants of its colonial past, spread across the world from the Cayman Islands and Bermuda and Antarctica. 

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are one such example of the UK having jurisdiction over land outside mainland Britain—one that lies more than 7,500 miles away in the southern Atlantic Ocean. 

The UK first claimed sovereignty over South Georgia in 1775, when James Cook circumvented the island. However, the South Sandwich Islands were not claimed until 1908, when a letters patent was sent out establishing British rule over the islands.

But less than two decades later, Britain’s claim to the remote and inhospitable collection of islands was threatened by Argentina. In 1927, the South American state claimed South Georgia and then, in 1938, the South Sandwich Islands.

Argentina made several attempts to secure the islands and even had a military outpost there from 1976 to 1982. However, during Britain’s victory in the Falklands conflict, the outpost was shut down, and the islands remained under British rule.

The territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were formalised into one territory in 1985, having previously been part of the Falklands Islands Dependencies. Today, they are uninhabited—apart from the huge number of King, Macaroni, and other species of penguins that call the islands home. 

Despite decisively losing the Falklands War and being expelled from the islands in the 1980s, Argentina still claims them as part of the Tierra del Fuego province. 

The Falklands themselves are about 810 miles west from its nearest point. 

The islands have fascinating geological features. South Georgia is home to eleven peaks and steep glaciers, the largest of which is Fortuna Glacier. The South Sandwich Islands, meanwhile, comprise eleven separate volcanic islands.

Unlike some of the other BOTs the UK has, however, the islands are not the ideal location for a sun-soaked holiday – temperatures get so low they make the mainland look positively tropical. 

South Georgia’s Bird Island, for example, has an average low of -5.4C in August.

There are no scheduled passenger flights or ferries to or from the territory for those willing to brave the conditions and visit the islands. However, visits by cruise ships to South Georgia are increasingly popular, with several thousand visitors each summer. However, these come at a steep cost.

According to travel company Intrepid, prices sit at around £20,200 or more for a cruise stopping by the overseas territory in 2025.