Candlemas Island

Candlemas Island is an uninhabited volcanic island in the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean, administered as part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It contains active volcanic features and steep, wildlife-rich shores.

Visitors who land generally encounter a rough volcanic landscape with steaming fumaroles, lava flows and black volcanic beaches, plus dense seabird colonies that use cliff edges and small flat coves. Landings are infrequent and are typically brief because of strong seas and ice.

Discovered by Captain James Cook on Candlemas Day in 1775 and named for that date, the island has no permanent human settlement. Scientific visits and occasional expedition landings have recorded volcanic activity and wildlife surveys in modern times.

The island lies in the remote South Atlantic south of the Scotia Sea; it is several hundred kilometres southeast of South Georgia and is reached only by long sea voyages from southern hemisphere ports.

• Access: Part of the South Sandwich Islands and uninhabited; access is by expedition ship only and landings are often prevented by weather and sea ice.
• Name and discovery: Named by Captain James Cook after he sighted the island on Candlemas Day in 1775; the island is notable for recent volcanic activity and fumaroles.

What to See #

• Volcanic centers: A dual volcanic complex dominated by a southern stratovolcano and a northern, more fumarolically active center called Lucifer Hill, both showing recent volcanic and steam activity.
• Coastline and bird colonies: Rocky, ice-scoured coastline with limited sheltered landing sites where seabird colonies concentrate on accessible cliffs and beaches.