With the exception of GSGSSI, BAS and staff based at KEP, approved HMG staff, permitted BAS staff, officially-sponsored visitors, members of HM forces or MOD personnel on operational duty, all visitors intending to spend nights ashore on South Georgia or the South Sandwich Islands are classed as expeditions.
All expeditions require a permit from the Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. If the information provided in an expedition application is inaccurate or misleading, or if it later transpires that professional guides have not made every effort to take responsible care of their clients, the Commissioner reserves the right to revoke an expedition permit and or restrict the future access of individual applicants and professional guides or commercial operations.
Expedition applications must be submitted to the Office of the Commissioner no later than 90 days before an expedition arrives in South Georgia. All applicants must be fully appraised of the most recent version of the “Information for Visitors to South Georgia” booklet, which includes the South Georgia Tourism Management Policy document. https://www.gov.gs/docsarchive/Visitors .
All expeditions must be supported throughout by an adequately insured expedition support vessel. Participants must also have adequate personal insurance (see section 1.3.4). GSGSSI is unable to provide support (including Search and Rescue) cover for expeditions. Emergency assistance provided by vessels, which happen to be in the vicinity of an expedition, may result in costs being charged to participants. Similarly Expedition participants should be aware that they may be charged for any costs to Government of environmental clean up or remediation operations necessitated by their actions.