HIGHLIGHTS
- Shore
visits in Zodiac inflatables with a team of experienced naturalist
guides.
- Hiking
opportunity.
- Visit
traditional villages and encounter the indigenous peoples of the Far
North: the Aleuts, Tlingits, Kwakwaka'wakws, Yupiks, and
Haïdas.
- Landscapes:
fjords, tall mountains, huge glaciers, primary forest, jagged cliffs.
- Wildlife:
brown bears, grizzlies, Arctic terns, common seals, whales and orcas.
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person
|
Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
Rates are listed per person
|
Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
ITINERARY
SEPTEMBER
18, 2023 - 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.
SEPTEMBER
19, 2023 - AT SEA
During
your day 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 day without
a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or
shows proposed on board, 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.
SEPTEMBER
20, 2023 - ST MATTHEW ISLAND
Saint
Matthew island is right in the middle of the Bering Sea, between
Siberia and Alaska. Classified as a National Wildlife Refuge by the
United States, this island covered in wet tundra corresponds to the
northern boundary of the polar bear's range during winter. It is home
to many birds, including the McKay's bunting, an endemic species whose
population is estimated at 6,000 individuals. We can also find Arctic
foxes there. Although populated by the Aleut during prehistoric times
Saint Matthew Island is uninhabited today.
SEPTEMBER
21, 2023 - SAINT PAUL ISLAND, PRIBILOF ISLANDS
Part
of the Earth's History was written between Alaska and Russia. We invite
you to discover a unique environment that seems to stretch out to
infinity. Lost in the middle of the Bering Sea, the Pribilof
archipelago is made up of four volcanic islands where nature has
crafted exquisitely beautiful landscapes. Here, on the islands of Saint
Paul and Saint George, you will find majestic volcanoes, lava deserts
and crater lakes, offering travelers a magnificent vantage point from
which to observe a fauna composed almost exclusively of fur seals. The
archipelago is also renowned as a paradise for birds, especially on
Saint Paul, as more than 240 different species of seabirds take flight
from the top of its majestic cliff.
SEPTEMBER
22, 2023 - DUTCH HARBOR, UNALASKA
During
your cruise, discover an exceptional site: Unalaska Island and its
port, Dutch Harbor. Located between the Pacific Ocean and the Bering
Sea, on the Aleutian Islands, Dutch Harbor is the only deep water port
in the archipelago. As for the island itself, it offers you unique
landscapes: volcanic summits swept by the wind and surrounded by the
sea, lush green valleys, sometimes covered with bright summer flowers,
sometimes with deep winter snow… Unalaska is not only an
island with astonishing nature and very varied wildlife, it is also
rich in history, where ancient indigenous cultures and remains from
World War II can be seen and their tales be told.
SEPTEMBER
23, 2023 - UNGA ISLAND, ALASKA
After
a short zodiac journey between the rocks in the company of your
naturalist-guides, you will land in a former village of which many
vestiges remain: run-down wooden houses scattered around a flowery
meadow, a church with crumbling walls but a roof that still stands, a
cemetery… Originally called Ougnagok by the Aleuts, this
small hamlet, which was home to some 100 inhabitants in the 19th
century, was renamed Delarof, after Evstratii Ivanovich Delarov. While
working for the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, he was the first Greek
mariner to discover the Aleutian Islands. These days, this small
ghost-village now overrun by willowherb is called Unga.
SEPTEMBER
24, 2023 - GEOGRAPHIC HARBOR, ALASKA
Here
you are in the heart of Katmai National Park and Preserve. Here, the
rocky cliffs are punctuated with white marks. These are the remains of
ash deposits that accumulated following a volcanic eruption in the
past. A little further south, you will explore every part of Geographic
Harbor and its tall cliffs covered in vegetation and plunging into the
sea.
SEPTEMBER
25, 2023 - AT SEA
During
your day 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 day without
a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or
shows proposed on board, 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.
SEPTEMBER
26, 2023 - TSAA FJORD, ICY BAY, ALASKA
Formed
by the retreat of the Guyot, Yahtse and Tyndall glaciers over the past
100 years, Icy Bay is one of those timeless places where silence reigns
supreme. Let yourself be enthralled by landscapes of breathtaking
beauty, enhanced by magnificent views over the Saint Elias Mountains,
visible in the background. The bay, several kilometres wide, is often
scattered with icebergs sliding on clear and deep waters. It will let
you access several sounds, among which are the Tsaa fjord, very close
to the Guyot glacier. Many marine mammals and sea birds have chosen to
live on this territory with very few visitors in the south of Alaska.
SEPTEMBER
27, 2023 - SITKA, ALASKA
Formerly
a Russian colony located on Baranof island, to the west of the
Alexander archipelago, Sitka is brimming with history. The historical
national park of Sitka shelters totems carved out of red cedar, a tree
that is omnipresent in the region. These totems are testimonials of the
former presence of Tlingit Indians. This place is full of natural
wonders too. You just have to look up to admire the mountain range
around the port. In the distance, the snow-peaked Edgecumbe volcano
stands majestic. Numerous islands scattered around Sitka stretch out
before you in a vision of preserved Alaska.
SEPTEMBER
28, 2023 - KAKE, ALASKA
Discover
the small Tlingit village of Kake, around 60 kilometres west of
Petersburg. Located on Kupreanof Island, it houses a community of over
500 inhabitants. Kake is paradise for salmon, which spawn in the Gunnuk
River near the village. Bald eagles often make an appearance, as do
black bears, which come to enjoy the fish. Another singularity of these
parts: the presence, on a hill, of a totem pole standing over 60 metres
tall, considered the highest in the world.
SEPTEMBER
29, 2023 - PRINCE RUPERT
Wild
and extraordinary, Prince Rupert is a dynamic town where the open
spaces are "larger than nature". Located on the remote Kaien Island,
off the coast of British Columbia, this little town founded in 1910
witnessed the history of the North West Pacific with the birth of
American Indian nations, such as the Haida and Gitksan. During this
port of call, make a point of admiring its grandiose landscapes where
more than 300 pairs of bald eagles have made a home here; its
picturesque residential districts where the sea mist often lingers; and
its famous Museum of Northern British Columbia, home to a large
collection of ancient totems.
SEPTEMBER
30, 2023 - AT SEA
During
your day 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 day without
a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or
shows proposed on board, 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.
OCTOBER
1, 2023 - ALERT BAY
Right
near the north coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, hides
the small wooded island of Cormorant. Surrounded by pebble beaches, it
offers wonderful opportunities for hikes and for whale watching. The
surrounding waters are also home to harbour seals, orcas, Steller sea
lions, dolphins, and a multitude of seabirds. When your ship calls at
Alert Bay, a small sheltered fishing port located in the island's
south, set off to discover the indigenous culture and its traditions.
The 'Namgis community, which is part of the Kwakwaka'wakw First
Nations, lives here in harmony with the other village inhabitants.
OCTOBER
1, 2023 - SAILING IN THE JOHNSTONE STRAIT
Along
the north-east coast of Vancouver Island, Johnstone Strait is a 100
km-long channel formed by an old glacier bed, dotted with a string of
lush islands. Sailing amid this wilderness offers fantastic
opportunities to observe the wildlife. Indeed, blue whales, humpback
whales and the world's largest population of orcas can be found in the
cool and sheltered waters of the strait, and you can try to spot some
from your ship's deck.
OCTOBER
2, 2023 - VANCOUVER
Verdant
and cosmopolitan, Vancouver is one of Canada's most multi-cultural
cities. Located in British Columbia on Canada's west coast, it's
surrounded by mountains and outdoor activities are popular. In the
city, you can immerse yourself in the Asian atmosphere of bustling
Chinatown, shop for pashminas and silk saris at the Punjabi Market
Indian district and explore the historic area of ?Gastown. Vancouver
Art Gallery is known for works by regional artists, while the Museum of
Anthropology houses important First Nations collections. Granville
Island Jetty is a fascinating revitalised industrial area that hosts
galleries, restaurants and a huge produce market.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
For
your serenity, PONANT selects flight and organises transfer between the
airport and the port. This package is included in your cruise fare.
- Embarkation
Day - Seattle/Nome
- Flight
Seattle/Nome selected by PONANT.
- Approximate
flight duration: 5h00.
- We
highly recommend you arrive in Seattle the day before this flight.
- We
suggest you to be at the check-in counter 2 hours before departure.
- Meet
& greet at the airport by our local English-speaking
representative.
- Transfer
to the pier for embarkation.
This
programme includes:
- Flight
Seattle/Nome selected by PONANT in economy class.
- The
transfer mentioned in the programme.
- English-speaking
assistance.
This
programme does not include:
- Personal
expenses.
- Any
other service not mentioned in the programme.
Please
note:
The
flight included in the programme is as of today, operated in economy
class, on a European airline.
Due
to limited local transportation resources, waiting might be generated.
For
passengers in transit in Seattle, we recommend staying one night in
Seattle after this flight.
Programme
and flight schedule are subject to change without prior notice.