HIGHLIGHTS
- Enjoy
a unique setting for the spectacular observation of a total solar
eclipse from the Weddell Sea ice pack, in the heart of the only area in
the world where it will be 100% visible.
- Follow
in the footsteps of the history of the discovery of the Antarctic
Peninsula and explore the eastern Weddell Sea, a completely unknown and
unexplored maritime territory.
- Sail
into the heart of the ice of the Weddell Sea, discovering the
impressive Larsen Ice Shelf and its immense table top icebergs.
- Wildlife:
Weddell seals, crabeater seals and leopard seals, Adelie penguins,
Papuan, chinstraps penguins, humpback whales, sea birds.
- Landscapes:
alpine landscapes, table top icebergs, glaciers, ice floes.
- Outings
and shore visits in Zodiac® inflatables.
- Lectures
and information sessions hosted by our naturalist-guides.
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | Prestige Stateroom Deck 6 | Prestige Stateroom Deck 7 | Prestige Stateroom Deck 8 | Privilege Stateroom Deck 6 | Privilege Stateroom Deck 7 | Privilege Stateroom Deck 8 | Prestige Suite Deck 7 | Prestige Suite Deck 8 | Privilege Suite Deck 6 | Privilege Suite Deck 8 | Suite Duplex | Owner's Suite |
|---|
Mandatory Transfer Package Details:Overnight in Santiago + flight
Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers + flight Ushuaia/Santiago
For
your serenity, PONANT has organized 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 organize your transfer, please inform your travel agent 60
days before departure:
-
your flight number as well as your arrival time and day
OR
-
your chosen pick-up location if not at the airport, within a
50-kilometer range of Santiago city centre
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.
Your
programme includes:
- Transfer
from airport upon flight arrival or from your chosen pick-up location
within a 50-kilometer range from Santiago city centre.
- 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.
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Prestige Stateroom Deck 6 | (Mid-range)
Prestige Suite Deck 7 | (High-end)
Owner's Suite |
|---|
Mandatory Transfer Package Details:Overnight in Santiago + flight
Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers + flight Ushuaia/Santiago
For
your serenity, PONANT has organized 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 organize your transfer, please inform your travel agent 60
days before departure:
-
your flight number as well as your arrival time and day
OR
-
your chosen pick-up location if not at the airport, within a
50-kilometer range of Santiago city centre
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.
Your
programme includes:
- Transfer
from airport upon flight arrival or from your chosen pick-up location
within a 50-kilometer range from Santiago city centre.
- 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.
ITINERARY
Day
1: Ushuaia, Argentina
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…
Days
2-3: Crossing the Drake Passage
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.
Day
4: Sailing ice floes
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
5: 2021 Total Eclipse observation
Beyond
the Antarctic Circle, in the bewitching silence of the Weddell Sea ice
pack, PONANT offers you the unique privilege of entering the heart of
the only area in the world where the total solar eclipse will be 100%
visible. You will disembark on the ice pack to enjoy a magnificent
observation of this natural phenomenon, as rare as it is exceptional. A
total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is positioned and aligned
perfectly in front of the Sun, covering it completely with a black
disc. In the polar perimeter where the Moon's shadow is cast on the
Earth, it is usually never quite dark. Thanks to this prodigious event,
the full night will envelop you for a few moments of eternity.
Day
6: North Antarctic Peninsula
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.
Day
7: The Weddell Sea
Amid
the eerie stillness of the Weddell Sea, wend your way through a
labyrinth of dense ice floe and majestic table-top icebergs. Sweeping
ice platforms sculpt a landscape unlike any other, populated by fur
seals, penguins, wandering albatross and other remarkable seabirds. The
Weddell seal – king of this realm – will welcome
you to his territory with a haunting cry that pierces the surrounding
silence. You can recognise him by his dark grey coat and spotted belly.
Weddell seals have the impressive skill of being able to stay
underwater for more than an hour.
Days
8-9: Sailing toward Larsen Ice Shelf
On
the Weddell Sea, you will sail close to the gigantic Larsen ice
shelves. These floating ice shelves help to prevent the erosion of the
Antarctic ice sheet. Over the last fifty years, scientists have however
observed regular collapses of these shelves, along giant cracks that
can be several hundred kilometres long and deep. In 2017, a portion
measuring more than 6,000 km2, so barely smaller than Corsica, had
broken off the Larsen C ice shelf, forming one of the largest tabular
icebergs in the world. This disintegration is believed to be due in
part to global warming and melting sea ice.
Day
10: The Weddell Sea
Amid
the eerie stillness of the Weddell Sea, wend your way through a
labyrinth of dense ice floe and majestic table-top icebergs. Sweeping
ice platforms sculpt a landscape unlike any other, populated by fur
seals, penguins, wandering albatross and other remarkable seabirds. The
Weddell seal – king of this realm – will welcome
you to his territory with a haunting cry that pierces the surrounding
silence. You can recognise him by his dark grey coat and spotted belly.
Weddell seals have the impressive skill of being able to stay
underwater for more than an hour.
Day
11: North Antarctic Peninsula
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.
Day
12: South Shetland Islands
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.
Days
13-14: 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
15: Disembarkation at Ushuaia, Argentina
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Free
Parka
- Free
Boot Rental
- WiFi
- Open
bar
ADVENTURE OPTIONS - Participative Science
- Hovercraft
- Helium Balloon
- Kayaking
- Snowmobiles
- Polar Diving
- Hiking
- Outings And Shore Visits In Zodiac Inflatables
