HIGHLIGHTS
- A polar expedition cruise in the Southern Ocean, between
the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, to discover a
dazzling natural environment.
- Outings and shore visits in zodiac inflatables with a team
of experienced naturalist guides.
- Enjoy a magical experience as you are introduced to sea
kayaking. Lead by experienced, State-Certified kayak guides, you will
skim the water’s surface amid the ice. For more information
about your kayak tour, please go to the section ‘PONANT
activities’ and to book your kayak tour, contact your cruise
advisor.
- Lectures and information sessions hosted by our
naturalist-guides, covering wildlife, history, geopolitics, the great
explorers, climate, environmental protection and educational discovery
in the respect of environment.
- Hiking opportunity.
- Landscapes: moors scattered with moss and lichen,
white-sand beaches and turquoise waters in the Falkland Islands;
drifting icebergs, ice floe, glaciers and snow-capped mountains in the
Antarctic Peninsula.
- Wildlife: black-browed and light-mantled albatrosses;
Magellan, Gentoo, king and southern rockhopper penguins in the Falkland
Islands; leopard seals, chinstrap penguins in the South Orkney Islands;
humpback whales, Gentoo, Adelie, chinstrap penguins, leopard, crabeater
and Weddell seals in the Antarctic Peninsula.
- For your comfort, your cruise package includes an overnight
in Buenos Aires the day before embarkation and the flights to/from
Ushuaia (for details, see the “Included in your
cruise” tab).
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | Superior Stateroom | Deluxe Stateroom | Prestige Stateroom-I | Prestige Stateroom-II | Prestige Stateroom-III | Deluxe Suite | Prestige Suite | Privilege Suite | Grand Deluxe Suite | Grand Privilege Suite | Owner's Suite |
|---|
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Superior Stateroom | (Mid-range)
Deluxe Suite | (High-end)
Owner's Suite |
|---|
Day
1 : USHUAIA
Capital
of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia is considered the
gateway to the White Continent and the South Pole. Nicknamed
“El fin del mundo” by the Argentinian people, this
city at the end of the world nestles in the shelter of mountains
surrounded by fertile plains that the wildlife seem to have chosen as
the ultimate sanctuary. With its exceptional site, where the Andes
plunge straight into the sea, Ushuaia is one of the most fascinating
places on earth, its very name evocative of journeys to the unlikely
and the inaccessible…
Day
2 : AT SEA
During
your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities
on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay
in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself
be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey
without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the
conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities
offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT
photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea,
they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire
the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe
marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest
and entertainment.
Day
3 : NEW ISLAND
This
island with its distinctive jagged relief is located on the western
edge of the Falkland Islands and is home to a tiny village of two
families. Step onto the golden sand of its flower-lined beaches, beside
which an old stone house still stands, and you'll feel like you've
entered a natural paradise. A narrow pathway weaves around typical
Falkland moorlands. Follow it and in under 20 minutes you'll find
yourself at the heart of a colony of southern rockhopper penguins,
black-browed albatross and imperial shags. It's the perfect opportunity
to watch the albatross swoop down from the cliffs and skim the waves
that crash against the rocks on the exposed side of the island.
Day
3 : GRAVE COVE
Make
your way through the turbulent Woolly Gut strait and emerge in the
stillness of Grave Cove. Located in the northern edge of the Falkland
Islands, this bay owes its name to the vestiges of whalers’
graves that overlook the beach. As you step off the boat and onto the
white-sand beach, you might find yourself escorted by a few hospitable
Commerson's dolphins, elegantly adorned in black and white. A
stroll along the grassy dunes will lead you to a vast plain of lush
green grass, tended by a few sheep. On the other side of the island
you'll find one of the largest gentoo penguin colonies in the area.
With some luck, you'll also glimpse a sea lion scouring the waves for
his next meal.
Day
4 : VOLUNTEER POINT
A
peninsula located at the far north-east of the Falkland Islands,
Volunteer Point, named after the ship The Volunteer which called there
in 1815, promises moving encounters in the heart of totally unspoiled
nature. Due to its exceptional birdlife, the spot is identified as an
Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) and is, above all, renowned
as the home of the island’s largest king penguin colony.
These elegant birds, which are expressive and not particularly timid,
will offer you moments of pure awe and the opportunity to take
magnificent photos. You’ll certainly be touched by the
fledglings, dressed in their thick brown plumage.
Day
4 : PORT STANLEY
Situated
at the far eastern end of the Falklands' largest island, Port Stanley,
is the capital of this remote archipelago in the South Atlantic,
composed of nearly 700 islands and islets. In 1764, Louis Antoine de
Bougainville settled the first pioneers here and the port grew rapidly.
Placed under the Spanish crown in 1767, then under British sovereignty
since 1833, the town has retained some South American features fused
with the Victorian style that punctuate the city, and the houses with
their colourful roofs brighten the moorland landscapes with their windy
and harsh climate reminiscent of the Scottish islands of Orkneys or
Shetland. In front of the Cathedral, built in 1933, an arch made of
whale jaw bones reminds us that Port Stanley was once a whaling port.
Day
5-6 AT SEA
During
your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities
on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay
in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself
be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey
without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the
conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities
offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT
photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea,
they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire
the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe
marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest
and entertainment.
Day
8-13 : ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
Succumb
to the magic of a place unlike any other. To this day, the mythical
Antarctic Peninsula still holds real fascination and promises its
visitors unforgettable moments. Throughout your adventure in this icy
realm, you will find yourself in the heart of a spectacular decor in
subtle shades of blue and white, surrounded by exceptional wildlife.
Penguins, humpback whales, seals and giant petrels are at home here, as
are elephant seals, fur seals, Antarctic minke whales, and orcas.
Depending on which sites you will be lucky enough to visit, you may get
the chance to observe them and share with them the beauty of these
extreme parts.
Each
day, based on ice conditions, the Captain and the Expedition Leader
will suggest zodiac outings or landings to discover the infinite riches
of the Antarctic Peninsula. Glaciers, ice floe, tabletop
icebergs, mountain peaks that plunge straight into the sea, volcanic
beaches, research stations, enchanting bays, and vestiges of the
whaling industry: these are the faces of the Antarctic that will likely
reveal themselves to you, in a hushed and surreal atmosphere. You will
sail in the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Adrien de Gerlache and Sir
Ernest Shackleton, great Antarctic explorers who, from the 19th
century, set out to conquer these remote and uninhabited lands.
Day 14-15
: CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE
If
there is one place, one sea, one waterway dreaded by tourists,
researchers and hardened seafarers alike, it is undoubtedly Drake
Passage. Situated at the latitude of the infamous Furious Fifties
winds, between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, it is the
shortest route to connect Antarctica to South America. Seasoned
navigators will tell you that you must earn your visit to the White
Continent! As the Antarctic convergence zone where cold currents rising
up from the South Pole meet warmer equatorial water masses, Drake
Passage harbours a very diverse marine fauna. Don't forget to look to
the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels,
playfully floating about in the wind around your ship.
Day
16 : USHUAIA
Capital
of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia is considered the
gateway to the White Continent and the South Pole. Nicknamed
“El fin del mundo” by the Argentinian people, this
city at the end of the world nestles in the shelter of mountains
surrounded by fertile plains that the wildlife seem to have chosen as
the ultimate sanctuary. With its exceptional site, where the Andes
plunge straight into the sea, Ushuaia is one of the most fascinating
places on earth, its very name evocative of journeys to the unlikely
and the inaccessible…
Le Lyrial (Luxury Expedition, 260-guests)
Le Lyrial embodies the subtle alliance between luxury, intimacy and wellbeing which is PONANT's signature. The elegance of her exterior and interior lines and her intimate size (only 122 staterooms and suites) make this a rare and innovative yacht on the cruise market.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Transfer to your hotel, the day before embarkation.
- 1-night accommodation in 5* hotel Sofitel Recoleta in
superior room, the night before embarkation.
- Early check-in available from late morning.
- Hospitality desk at the hotel in Buenos Aires.
- Return flight Buenos Aires/Ushuaia/Buenos Aires selected by
PONANT, in economy class.
- Services of local guides, in Ushuaia.
- Meals as mentioned in the programme and beverage package.
- Transfers as mentioned in the programme.
Excluded
from this voyage:
- Tips for the local guide.
- Personal expenses.
- Other meals and services not mentioned in the programme.
