HIGHLIGHTS
- An all-new exploration aboard Le Commandant Charcot,
following in the footsteps of Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s two
great polar expeditions, to the Bellingshausen Sea, discovering
abundant biodiversity.
- Crossing the Arctic Circle and the exploratory approach of
the distant Charcot Island.
- Outings and shore visits in a zodiac inflatables or
hovercraft* with an reinforced team of naturalist-guides.
- Conferences and information meetings on board with our
passionate experts, specialists in the fauna, flora and history of the
polar regions.
- Landscapes: immense glaciers, monumental icebergs,
immersion in the heart of the ice floes.
- Wildlife: Adelie penguins, chinstrap penguins, gentoo
penguins, leopard seals, crabeater seals, Weddell seals, humpback
whales, Minke whales, orcas and the opportunity of observing Ross seals.
- Many activities: kayaking, hiking or snowshoeing, polar
plunge without suit, polar swim with drysuit, participative science.
Discover all the activities in the “Ponant
Activities” tab.
- For your comfort, your cruise package includes an overnight
in Santiago the day before embarkation, transfers and flights
Santiago/Ushuaia (for details, see the “Included in your
cruise” tab).
- *Subject to the regulations in force.
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person
|
Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
Dec 12, 2023 | Dec 27, 2023 | 20,240 |
22,011 |
Mandatory Transfer Package Details:Overnight in Santiago + flight
Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers + flight Ushuaia/Santiago
For
your serenity, PONANT has organised the following included programme
for you, which starts the day prior to embarkation.
The day before
embarkation – Santiago
Transfer from airport to PONANT selected hotel.
In order to organise your transfer, please inform your travel agent, 60
days before departure, your flight number as well as your arrival time
and day.
Meet and greet at the hotel by our local representative. Check-in from
late morning.
Lunch on your own and time at leisure in the afternoon.
Dinner.
Overnight at the hotel.
Embarkation Day
– Santiago/Ushuaia
A light morning breakfast will be served before leaving for the airport
for your Santiago/Ushuaia flight.
Transfer to the airport.
Flight Santiago/Ushuaia selected by PONANT in economy class.
Seats in business class may be available, please contact your travel
agent.
Approximate flight duration: 3 hours
Meet and greet at Ushuaia airport (English-speaking assistance).
Transfer to Le Commandant-Charcot.
Embarkation.
– Cruise on
board your ship –
Disembarkation Day
– Ushuaia/Santiago
Disembarkation.
Meet and greet at the port (English-speaking assistance).
Transfer to the airport in time for check-in of the flight
Ushuaia/Santiago selected by PONANT in economy class.
Approximate flight duration: 3 hours
Seats in business class may be available, please contact your travel
agent.
It is highly recommended to have an international inbound flight the
day after PONANT selected flight.
Rates are listed per person
|
Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
Dec 12, 2023 | Dec 27, 2023 | 20,240 |
22,011 |
Mandatory Transfer Package Details:Overnight in Santiago + flight
Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers + flight Ushuaia/Santiago
For
your serenity, PONANT has organised the following included programme
for you, which starts the day prior to embarkation.
The day before
embarkation – Santiago
Transfer from airport to PONANT selected hotel.
In order to organise your transfer, please inform your travel agent, 60
days before departure, your flight number as well as your arrival time
and day.
Meet and greet at the hotel by our local representative. Check-in from
late morning.
Lunch on your own and time at leisure in the afternoon.
Dinner.
Overnight at the hotel.
Embarkation Day
– Santiago/Ushuaia
A light morning breakfast will be served before leaving for the airport
for your Santiago/Ushuaia flight.
Transfer to the airport.
Flight Santiago/Ushuaia selected by PONANT in economy class.
Seats in business class may be available, please contact your travel
agent.
Approximate flight duration: 3 hours
Meet and greet at Ushuaia airport (English-speaking assistance).
Transfer to Le Commandant-Charcot.
Embarkation.
– Cruise on
board your ship –
Disembarkation Day
– Ushuaia/Santiago
Disembarkation.
Meet and greet at the port (English-speaking assistance).
Transfer to the airport in time for check-in of the flight
Ushuaia/Santiago selected by PONANT in economy class.
Approximate flight duration: 3 hours
Seats in business class may be available, please contact your travel
agent.
It is highly recommended to have an international inbound flight the
day after PONANT selected flight.
ITINERARY
29 NOVEMBER 2023 - USHUAIA
Embarkation 29/11/2023 from 16:00 to 17:00
Departure 29/11/2023 at 18:00
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…
30 NOVEMBER
2023 1 DECEMBER 2023 - CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE
Arrival 30/11/2023
Departure 01/12/2023
Use your days spent in the Drake Passage to familiarise yourself with
your ship and deepen your knowledge of the Antarctic. The Expedition
Leader will first present the IAATO rules of conduct that must be
observed during landings in the region and will explain everything you
need to know about the zodiac outings. Lectures about the history and
wildlife of the Antarctic will be an opportunity for you to learn more
about this magical region, where every cruise is a unique experience.
From the ship’s bridge, you will experience exceptional
sailing moments before joining the naturalist-guides on your
ship’s exterior decks to look out for albatrosses, cape
petrels, and other seabirds flying over the Drake Passage.
2 DECEMBER 2023 -
CROSSING THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
Arrival 02/12/2023
Departure 02/12/2023
Weather permitting, we'll cross the mythic line of the Antarctic Polar
Circle, located along 66°33’ south of the Equator.
This iconic area demarcates the point from which it is possible to view
the midnight sun during the December solstice. Within this circle, the
sun remains above the horizon for 24 consecutive hours at least once a
year. Crossing this line, an experience known to few people, is sure to
be an unforgettable highlight of your cruise through the polar regions.
3 DECEMBER 2023 - THE
GULLET
Arrival 03/12/2023
Departure 03/12/2023
The sumptuous landscapes of this narrow channel between Adelaide Island
and Graham Land attract all visitors sailing towards Marguerite Bay. It
is like an ice palace, its immaculate white walls reflected in the
frozen mirror formed by the waters of the Southern Ocean, scattered
with icebergs and gleaming blocks of ice. This passage was explored for
the first time by the Jean-Baptiste Charcot expedition in 1909, which
sketched its position. It was then surveyed in 1936 by the British
expedition under John Rymill. It is here in this magical setting that
some of the first subaquatic images of the Antarctic were shot during
Philippe Cousteau’s four-month expedition to Antarctica
between 1972 and 1973.
4 DECEMBER 2023
5 DECEMBER 2023 - EXPEDITION TO CHARCOT ISLAND
Arrival 04/12/2023
Departure 05/12/2023
When he discovered this island surrounded by sea ice in 1910 from
aboard the Pourquoi Pas ? as he mapped Alexander Island, Jean-Baptiste
Charcot had not be able to get less than 40 miles away from it.
Situated in a zone that experiences frequent low-pressure systems and
regular cloud cover, the island remains in many ways an enigma. It is
entirely covered in ice and sheer cliffs, with the exception of the
rocky outcrops extending over a dozen kilometres in the far north-west.
The ice in the narrowest part of Wilkins Sound has been cracking in
recent times, thus officially detaching this island from its neighbour,
Alexander Island, lying 50 km away. Very few people have landed on this
largely untouched island, whose waters attract numerous seabirds, such
as petrels, Antarctic terns and skuas.
6 DECEMBER 2023 -
BELLINGSHAUSEN SEA
Arrival 06/12/2023
Departure 06/12/2023
Stretching from the west of the Antarctic Peninsula to the Amundsen
Sea, the Bellingshausen Sea was named after the Russian admiral and
explorer who has been attributed the first confirmed sighting of
mainland Antarctica, in 1820. Among others, its waters surround two of
the Antarctic’s largest islands: Alexander Island and
Thurston Island. You will explore this sea amid ice floe, blocks of sea
ice and majestic icebergs. The coastal areas along the Bellingshausen
Sea are also renowned as the home of colonies of emperor penguins.
Depending on the month of the southern summer, you will perhaps be
lucky enough to observe isolated adults, adolescents seeking
emancipation or recently independent new adults.
7 DECEMBER 2023 -
MARGUERITE BAY
Arrival 07/12/2023
Departure 07/12/2023
The icebergs are each more majestic than the next and scattered around
the deep and intense blue waters of Marguerite Bay, one of the most
beautiful regions in the Antarctic. It is delimited in the north by the
mountainous Adelaide Island, in the south by George VI Sound and
Alexander Island, and in the east by the Fallières Coast.
Charcot named it after his wife during his second expedition to the
Antarctic between 1908 and 1910. In 1909, in the southern summer when
the skies are at their clearest, he led an important scientific mission
to map and study this region. The bay is home to a number of cetaceans
and you may get the chance to observe leopard seals or Adelie penguins.
8 DECEMBER 2023 -
POURQUOI PAS ISLAND
Arrival 08/12/2023
Departure 08/12/2023
Le Commandant Charcot will land on the coast of Pourquoi Pas Island, so
named in the 1930s by John Riddoch Rymill in honour of Jean-Baptiste
Charcot, who discovered it from aboard his ship Le Pourquoi Pas ?
during his second expedition to Antarctica between 1908 and 1910. This
mountainous island, situated in the north of Marguerite Bay between
Graham Land and Adelaide Island, is 28 km long and 14 km large. It is
scattered with narrow fjords and snow-covered mountains. You will go to
shore in a zodiac dinghy with your expedition team and you could get
the chance to observe Adelie penguins going about their business on the
island’s rocky shores.
9 DECEMBER 2023
10 DECEMBER 2023 - ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
Arrival 09/12/2023
Departure 10/12/2023
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.
11 DECEMBER
2023 12 DECEMBER 2023 - CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE
Arrival 11/12/2023
Departure 12/12/2023
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.
13 DECEMBER 2023 - USHUAIA
Arrival 13/12/2023 early morning
Disembarkation 13/12/2023 at 08:00
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 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
- Transfer
from airport upon flight arrival.
- 1-night
accommodation in a 5* hotel the night before embarkation.
- Your
hotel will be confirmed few weeks before your cruise.
- Early
check-in available from late morning.
- Hospitality
desk at the hotel in Santiago.
- Return
flight Santiago/Ushuaia/Santiago selected by PONANT, in economy class.
- Seats
in business class may be available, please contact your travel agent.
- Meals
as mentioned in the programme and beverage package.
- Transfers
as mentioned in the programme.
Your
programme does not include:
- Tips
for the local guide.
- Personal
expenses.
- Other
meals and services not mentioned in the programme.
Please
note:
The
local currency is the Chilean Peso. You will be able to make most of
your purchases in USD (in small denominations) or by credit card,
accepted in most hotels, shopping centres and boutiques. You will also
be able to retrieve Pesos from the ATM’s.
Summer
season in Santiago: temperatures may be very hot, but often between 68
°F (20 °C) and 95 °F (35 °C).
Summer
season in Ushuaia: temperatures vary between 41 °F (5
°C) and 65 °F (15 °C)
We
recommend you wear warm clothing and comfortable walking shoes.
If
case PONANT has not received your full flight details, services start
at the hotel in time for check-in.
ADVENTURE OPTIONS - Participative Science
- Hovercraft
- Helium Balloon
- Kayaking
- Snowmobiles
- Polar Diving
- Hiking
- Outings And Shore Visits In Zodiac Inflatables