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LeCommandantCharcot - Guests

In The Footsteps Of Shackleton And The Endurance

Ushuaia to Montevideo


Overnight in Santiago + flight Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers

In the wake of the legendary Endurance Odyssey led by the famous Sir Ernest Shackleton, embark on a polar exploration to the Weddell Sea, between the archipelagos composing the Scotia Arc. In the comfort of Le Commandant Charcot, an exceptional ship designed to sail through ice-covered waters, set off on a timeless journey to the heart of wild and pristine nature; a territory of the seals, whales and king penguins.

After crossing the often-rough waters of the Drake Passage, you will sail on to the remote waters of the Weddell Sea. The ice floe that stretches to the horizon and the tabular icebergs – among the largest ever observed – drift around you. They come from the calving of this famous ice shelf, real walls of ice along the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula that extend the ice sheet into the sea. It is right near here that Endurance sank, only to be found in 2022, almost a century after this mythical expedition. History takes shape before your very eyes.

Set a course northward through the frozen Southern Ocean, to reach the shores of the Antarctic Peninsula. There, with ice and shades of white all around you, an intense feeling of serenity and freedom will envelope you. Icebergs, glaciers, mountains and frozen sea compose a landscape with an unparalleled power of attraction. The South Shetland Islands soon reveal themselves. There, you will explore from the sea another place made famous by Shackleton’s expedition: Elephant Island. After getting shipwrecked in the middle of the arid desert of the White Continent, it is here that the crew arrived from the Weddell Sea to await help.

Next you will sail to the South Orkney archipelago, islands with an alpine relief where impressive glaciers overlook a pristine, almost inaccessible landscape. A rare privilege few will experience.




HIGHLIGHTS

  • An exceptional cruise in the wake of the legendary expedition of the Endurance, from the Weddell Sea to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, and on to the fabulous South Georgia.
  • Outings and shore visits in a zodiac inflatable or hovercraft* with a 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: drifting icebergs, ice floe, snow-capped mountains, alpine landscapes, black-sand beaches and suspended glaciers.
  • Wildlife: humpback whales, leopard, crabeater and Weddell seals, king penguins, elephant and fur 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 DateEnd DateFrom EURFrom USD
Mandatory Transfer Package Details:
Overnight in Santiago + flight Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers

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 –
Rates are listed per person
Start DateEnd DateFrom EURFrom USD
Mandatory Transfer Package Details:
Overnight in Santiago + flight Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers

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 –


ITINERARY


Ushuaia
12 MARCH 2023 - USHUAIA

Embarkation 12/03/2023 from 16:00 to 17:00
Departure 12/03/2023 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…

Crossing the Drake Passage
13 MARCH 2023  14 MARCH 2023 - CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE

Arrival 13/03/2023
Departure 14/03/2023


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.

The Weddell Sea exploration
15 MARCH 2023  16 MARCH 2023 - THE WEDDELL SEA EXPLORATION

Arrival 15/03/2023
Departure 16/03/2023


Impassable, extreme and captivating: this is the best way to describe the Weddell Sea, much of which is covered by a layer of thick, densely packed ice. It is a challenge and a privilege to sail upon this sea. Your exploration of this vast polar expanse, a real labyrinth frequented by majestic tabular icebergs, will plunge you into the heart of an extraordinary and enchanting silence. These ice giants come from the calving of the legendary Larsen Ice Shelf which looms in the southern part of this mythical sea. It was in this zone that the ship Endurance, commanded by Ernest Shackleton, was crushed and swallowed by the ice. “What the ice gets, the ice keeps” he said. Not exactly, though, since the famous wreck was miraculously found in 2022... While polar expeditions are no longer the same as they were a century ago, the adventure continues. Humpback whales, orcas, colonies of Adelie penguins, and giant petrels are all to be found here, yet the lord of the kingdom is no other than the Weddell seal. On these lands, only the throbbing of its cries breaks the surrounding tranquillity. A record-breaker (it can remain underwater for more than an hour), you will recognise it by its dark grey pelage and spotted belly.

North Antarctic Peninsula
17 MARCH 2023 - NORTH ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

Arrival 17/03/2023
Departure 17/03/2023


Throughout your time in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, you will find yourself in the heart of a spectacular decor in subtle shades of blue and white, surrounded by exceptional wildlife. You will sail through the Antarctic Sound, named after Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskjöld’s ship, which was trapped by the ice during an important scientific expedition in 1902. The gateway to the Weddell Sea, this sound is filled with gigantic tabular icebergs and plates of sea ice drifting northward from the coastal areas of this vast sea. It is home to Adelie penguins and a great many leopard seals.

South Shetland Islands
18 MARCH 2023 - SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS

Arrival 18/03/2023
Departure 18/03/2023


On the edge of the Antarctic Peninsula, 120 km (70 miles) from the White Continent, the South Shetland Islands offer surreal and mysterious scenery. On these volcanic islands of dark rock, the landscapes alternate between long, jagged and snow-covered coast and large, gently sloping bays. These lunar and wild lands are home to important scientific research stations and a large number of animal species: chinstrap penguins, crabeater seals or Weddell seals, Antarctic terns, giant petrels and elephant seals have taken up residence here.

South Orkney Islands
19 MARCH 2023 - SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS

Arrival 19/03/2023
Departure 19/03/2023


More than 85% glaciated, these remote mountainous islands are hidden in the Southern Ocean, some 600 km from the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The archipelago is composed of four main islands: Coronation Island, Signy Island, Powell Island and Laurie Island. Discovered in 1821 by seal hunters, they were also explored in 1823 by the British navigator James Weddell, who gave them their current name. Despite the ravages caused by whale and seal hunting, today a sizeable leopard seal population can be found there, along with chinstrap penguins and snow petrels. Laurie Island is home to an old scientific station that is still in operation.

At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot
20 MARCH 2023  21 MARCH 2023 - AT SEA ABOARD LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT

Arrival 20/03/2023
Departure 21/03/2023


Spend exceptional moments sailing aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first luxury polar exploration vessel and the first PC2-class polar cruise ship capable of sailing into the very heart of the ice, on seas and oceans which the frozen conditions render inaccessible to ordinary ships. Le Commandant Charcot is fitted with oceanographic and scientific equipment selected by a committee of experts. Take advantage of the on-board lectures and opportunities for discussion with these specialists to learn more about the poles. Participate in furthering scientific research with PONANT and let us discover together what these fascinating destinations have yet to reveal to us.

South Georgia
22 MARCH 2023  24 MARCH 2023 - SOUTH GEORGIA

Arrival 22/03/2023
Departure 24/03/2023


Aboard your ship, discover South Georgia, a region formed by an underwater mountain chain that extends from the Andes to the Antarctic Peninsula. All the wildlife of the Far South can be found there: king and Gentoo penguins, elephant seals, fur seals… You might get the chance to discover the majestic glaciers of Gold Harbour and the vast plains of Fortuna Bay. If you are fortunate enough to land at Salisbury Plain, you can expect a wonderful spectacle: more than 300,000 king penguins, which you will recognise by the bright orange mark on their head and neck, have taken up residence there.

At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot
25 MARCH 2023  28 MARCH 2023 - AT SEA ABOARD LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT

Arrival 25/03/2023
Departure 28/03/2023


Spend exceptional moments sailing aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first luxury polar exploration vessel and the first PC2-class polar cruise ship capable of sailing into the very heart of the ice, on seas and oceans which the frozen conditions render inaccessible to ordinary ships. Le Commandant Charcot is fitted with oceanographic and scientific equipment selected by a committee of experts. Take advantage of the on-board lectures and opportunities for discussion with these specialists to learn more about the poles. Participate in furthering scientific research with PONANT and let us discover together what these fascinating destinations have yet to reveal to us.

Montevideo
29 MARCH 2023 - MONTEVIDEO

Arrival 29/03/2023
Disembarkation 29/03/2023 at 07:00


Perched on the far southern tip of Uruguay, Montevideo is a white city, and one of the loveliest capital cities of South America. Come and admire the beautiful historical remains dating from Spanish rule; you’ll find the most interesting within the Cuidad Vieja, formerly fortified, its old town dates from the 18th century. The best preserved are the cathedral and the former governmental palace of the Cabildo, both listed historical monuments. In the crook of a vast blue bay, the city is also blessed with beautiful beaches.

(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.
  • Flight Santiago/Ushuaia 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

 

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DISCLAIMER: Rates are per person, subject to availability and can change at any time