HIGHLIGHTS
- With
featured guest Alban Michon, a modern-day adventurer and explorer who
has taken part in some exceptional expeditions and Cindy Miller
Hopkins, American Photo Ambassador.
- The
eye and the advice of our photo ambassador, a privileged opportunity to
immortalise your trip with, in the programme: workshops, conferences
and personalized advice to improve your photographic skills.
- Be
among the first people in the world to undertake a transarctic crossing
and set off in search of the Geographic North Pole, following in the
wake of the pioneers of polar exploration, like Umberto Nobile.
- Discover
the research work of an on-board international scientific mission
during lectures and round tables.
- Attempt
to reach the Magnetic North Pole.
- Aboard
Le Commandant Charcot, a polar exploration vessel opening to the
exterior, take time to immerse yourself in unique moments of
exploration and observation, in the silence and respect of fragile
landscapes and biodiversity.
- At
this time of the year and depending on the opportunities provided by
the weather conditions, the possibility of observing the phenomenon of
the Northern Lights near the Bering Strait.
- Enjoy
the unique experience of sailing through the heart of the ice floe and
discover the endless variety of forms and states of the ice.
- Exploration
of Svalbard, from Europe’s largest ice cap on Nordaustlandet
(North East Land) in the Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve,
the second-largest protected area in Norway.
- The
landscapes: alpine reliefs, icy shores, ice floes. In Svalbard:
mountains patterned with multi-coloured strata, fjords, jagged
mountains, glaciers, icebergs, ice floes, sheer cliffs, polar ice cap,
wild tundra.
- The
wildlife: polar bears, walruses, Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer,
whales, sea birds.
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | Prestige Stateroom-I | Prestige Stateroom-II | Prestige Stateroom-III | Deluxe Suite-I | Deluxe Suite-II | Deluxe Suite-III | Prestige Suite-I | Prestige Suite-II | Grand Prestige Suite | Privilege Suite | Duplex Suite | Owner's Suite |
|---|
| Sep 06, 2024 | Sep 26, 2024 | N/A | 50,890 | 51,800 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 81,660 | N/A | N/A |
| Sep 05, 2025 | Sep 25, 2025 | 52,980 | 53,930 | 54,980 | 56,330 | 58,730 | 60,640 | 76,960 | 79,350 | 81,750 | 86,550 | N/A | N/A |
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Prestige Stateroom-I | (Mid-range)
Prestige Suite-I | (High-end)
Owner's Suite |
|---|
| Sep 06, 2024 | Sep 26, 2024 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sep 05, 2025 | Sep 25, 2025 | 52,980 | 76,960 | N/A |
ITINERARY
Day
1 : NOME, ALASKA
Located
along the Bering Strait at the westernmost point of Alaska, Nome offers
the rustic charm of a former gold-mining town, set in the middle of
magnificent wilderness. As you weave in and out of the brightly
coloured houses, you will discover the pioneering legacy that still
marks local traditions. Fishing, reindeer rearing, sledge-racing...
People here live from their manual labour. The surrounding plains
provide stunning vantage points for observing Arctic fauna.
Day
2-9 : EXPLORING SEA ICE IN BEAUFORT SEA
Bordering
the north coasts of Alaska and Canada, the Beaufort Sea was feared for
centuries because of its extreme climatic conditions. Covered for most
of the year with a thick layer of ice, and unexplored until 1914, this
part of the Arctic Ocean, named in honour of the British Admiral
Francis Beaufort, will reveal its magnificent icy landscapes to you.
With a bit of luck, maybe you will cross the path of some polar bears,
since the region is renowned for sheltering the Lord of the Arctic.
Day
10 : MAGNETIC NORTH POLE
The
convergence point for the field lines of the Earth's magnetic field,
the Magnetic North Pole attracts the magnetic needle of the compass.
While the Geographic North Pole is the Earth’s northernmost
fixed point, marking the intersection of the Globe's rotation axis with
the Earth’s surface, the Magnetic North Pole moves over time.
In fact, it is linked to the Earth's magnetic field which originates in
the Earth's outer core, which is made up of molten metal and is subject
to convection movements. Localised for the first time in 1831, in the
Canadian Arctic, it has since moved towards Siberia and thus become
closer to the Geographic North Pole. Set off in search of the Magnetic
North Pole, try to get closer to it and, if luck allows it, attempt to
reach it!
Day
11 : EXPLORING SEA ICE IN BEAUFORT SEA
Bordering
the north coasts of Alaska and Canada, the Beaufort Sea was feared for
centuries because of its extreme climatic conditions. Covered for most
of the year with a thick layer of ice, and unexplored until 1914, this
part of the Arctic Ocean, named in honour of the British Admiral
Francis Beaufort, will reveal its magnificent icy landscapes to you.
With a bit of luck, maybe you will cross the path of some polar bears,
since the region is renowned for sheltering the Lord of the Arctic.
Day
12 : GEOGRAPHIC NORTH POLE
Defined
by a 90° North latitude, the Geographic North Pole lies on the
Earth’s rotational axis, at the intersection of all
meridians. Plunged into darkness for six months of the year, then lit
by the sun for the following six months, this mythical site,
permanently covered in ice and remote from any land, has fascinated
generations of explorers. So far, only a very few people have ever
reached it: an exploit which is now accessible to you aboard Le
Commandant Charcot.
Day
13-15 : NAVIGATING THROUGH THE SEA ICE
Enjoy
the absolutely unique experience of sailing to the heart of the ice
floe, this vast expanse of virgin, immaculate ice. The landscapes are
constantly changing, shifting from a smooth, flat wilderness to a chaos
of ice, then to channels of open water. Your ship will sail along these
naturally open channels and through the areas where the frozen layer is
thinnest, offering you the chance to experience magic maritime moments
in the midst of drifting sea ice. It will also often be an opportunity
to see a particular kind of fauna, totally dependent on the ice floe.
Day 16 : STOROYA, SVALBARD
Day
17 : SAILING IN THE HINLOPEN STRAIT
Sailing
in the Hinlopen Strait, in the heart of the Arctic Ocean, between the
Norwegian islands of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet promises an
unforgettable experience. This territory of the Nordaust-Svalbard
Nature Reserve offers breathtaking panoramas, with magnificent basalt
formations and the ice cap stretching as far as the eye can see, diving
into the sea. The shore line cut by the fjords moving inland composes a
magical landscape in which icebergs float here and there, the result of
the calving of the surrounding glaciers. This place, today a popular
spot to observe the seabirds nesting in the enormous cliffs, polar
bears and walruses, was once intrinsically linked to the history of the
whalers who frequented the region from the 17th century. Indeed, it was
one of them, Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen, then director of a Dutch whaling
company, who gave the strait its name. Later on, Russian trappers,
European explorers, scientists and even mountaineers roamed this
region, as hostile as it is sublime.
Day
18 : SORAUST-SVALBARD NATURE RESERVE
The
Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve is the second largest
protected area in Norway. Established in 1973, this nature conservation
area stretching over more than 21,000 km2 will offer you stunning
panoramas including coastal landscapes, rocky islets, mountain
plateaux, vast tundra plains, and ice floes. With a little luck, you
will be able to observe a wide variety of seabirds, given the site is
listed as an Important Bird Area, as well as cetaceans, Svalbard
reindeer, or even Arctic foxes. Among other things, Edgeoya Island is
renowned for providing shelter to a number of polar bears during the
breeding season.
Day
19 : HORNSUND
Nestling
between millennial glaciers and carved mountains, and considered to be
“the crown of Arctic Norway”, Spitsbergen is a
place that never sees the night. Your ship will take you closer to this
fascinating archipelago and, more particularly, the Hornsund fjord.
Considered to be Svalbard’s southernmost fjord, it is
especially reputed to be its most stunning: at the end of its vast bay,
8 great glaciers slowly make their way down to the sea before giving
way to the many icebergs elegantly drifting along its cold and
mysterious waters.
Day
20 : ISFJORDEN
The
vast Isfjorden is one of the main fjords in Svalbard. These different
branches reach the heart of the island of Spitsbergen. Located deep
inside the Billejforden, the Nordenskiöld Glacier with its
front of ice, nearly 5 km wide, is one of the most spectacular in the
Svalbard Archipelago. You will perhaps have the opportunity to discover
the ghost town of Pyramiden. Constructed at the foot of a mountain in
the form of a pyramid, this former mining town, founded by Sweden at
the beginning of the 20th century before being sold a few years later
to the Soviet Union, and abandoned in 1998, has conserved all the
buildings from its glory days, when it lived off coal mining.
Day
21 : LONGYEARBYEN, SPITSBERGEN
Longyearbyen
is the capital of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, located on
Svalbard’s main island, and is the northernmost territorial
capital on the planet. With winter temperatures dropping to below
40°C, the landscapes of this mining town are simply
breathtaking. The glaciers, the mountains stretching as far as the eye
can see and the untouched nature, make you feel like you’re
in completely unexplored territory.
Le Commandant Charcot (Luxury Expedition, 270-guests)
Le Commandant-Charcot welcomes you to an intimate and refined atmosphere. Equipped with just 135 staterooms including 31 suites with balconies and outside views, the ship offers outstanding gastronomy in its two restaurants, relaxation in the indoor pool surrounded by its winter garden, relaxation in the well-being area with sauna and Snow Room... Like on a private yacht, each of our guests is unique.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Flight Longyearbyen/Paris selected by PONANT in economy
class.
- Transfer as mentioned in the programme.
- English-speaking assistance.
Excluded
from this voyage:
- Personal expenses.
- Any other service not mentioned in the programme.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Adventure
Options :
- kayaking
- hiking
or snowshoeing
- polar
plunge
