HIGHLIGHTS
- Sail
as close as possible to the South Pole, in the heart of the Ross Sea,
one the world’s last marine sanctuaries.
- Outings
and shore visits in Zodiac® inflatables.
- Lectures
and information sessions hosted by our naturalist-guides.
- Landscapes:
icebergs, glaciers, ice floes, ice shelves.
- Wildlife:
Adelie penguins, emperor penguins, Ross seals, crabeater seals, leopard
seals, Minke whales, sea birds.
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: Crossing the Antarctic Circle
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.
Day
5: Expedition to Charcot Island
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.
Day
6: Expedition to Peter I Island
You
will then head for the legendary Peter I Island. Located 450 km away
from the Atlantic coast, it was discovered in 1821 by the Russian
explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, who named it in honour of
the Russian tsar Peter the Great. In 1909, Captain Charcot sighted it
for the first time from aboard the Pourquoi Pas ?, but was unable to
land there: “In the parting mists, one or two miles away, an
enormous black mass shrouded in clouds appears suddenly before us: it
is Peter I Island.” Surrounded by pack ice and with about 95%
of its surface covered by ice, this volcanic island, whose highest peak
reaches 1,640 metres, is protected by ice cliffs some 40 metres tall,
making any approach difficult.
Days
7-8: Bellingshausen Sea
Stretching
from the west side 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. Its waters surround, among others, two of the
largest islands in the Antarctic: Alexander Island and Thurston Island.
You will sail amid ice floe, blocks of sea ice and majestic icebergs.
The coastal areas along the Bellingshausen Sea are home to large
colonies of emperor penguins. Depending on the season, you may get the
chance to observe some of these creatures in the open sea.
Day
9: At sea aboard Le Commandant-Charcot
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.
Day
10: Siple Island
This
island is dominated by Mount Siple, a dormant, potentially active
shield volcano rising to an altitude of 3,000 metres. Entirely covered
in a thick layer of ice, the gentle slopes of this cone are said to
have been climbed, but no proof has yet been found of this feat. For
now, it is thus considered Antarctica's highest unclimbed peak. At the
foot of this icy giant, you could have the good fortune of being
welcomed by a colony of Adelie penguins and of admiring the magnificent
Thurston Glacier.
Day
11: At sea aboard Le Commandant-Charcot
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.
Day
12: Ruppert Coast
This
quasi-unexplored coast along Marie Byrd Land is one of the only
territories in the world to have never been claimed by any country,
making it a terra nullius. It was the American colonel Jacob Ruppert
who made the first aerial reconnaissance flight along this coast,
during the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1933-1935). A Soviet
research station was established there in 1980, before being officially
abandoned in 1990.
Day
13: Cape Colbeck
This
ice-covered cape, which forms the northwestern extremity of Marie Byrd
Land, was discovered in January 1902 by the British National Antarctic
Expedition. It was named in honour of Captain William Colbeck, one of
the first explorers to have overwintered in Antarctica, during the
Southern Cross expedition of 1899. This majestic cape delimits the
western portion of the vast bay that contains the Ross Sea, the world's
largest marine protected area.
Day
14: The Ross Sea
"The
last ocean" is what scientists from all around the world call this deep
bay that runs along the edge of Antarctica between Marie Byrd Land and
Victoria Land. Since 2016, the world's largest marine protected area
has been keeping this last marine ecosystem intact. The theatre of the
most impressive expeditions, it was discovered by James Clark Ross
between 1839 and 1843. It was then that he discovered the enormous ice
barrier formed by a gigantic ice shelf extending out to the open sea
and from which titanic icebergs are calved. One third of the world's
Adelie penguin population lives in the area where this barrier breaks
into icebergs. The currents maintain polynyas there, vast areas of
persistent open water surrounded by sea ice. These give the penguins
access to food. You may also get the chance to spot Ross seals, one of
the rarest protected species in the Antarctic.
Day
15: The Ross Ice Shelf
The
southern half of the Ross Sea is dominated by the largest ice shelf in
the world, with a surface area equivalent to that of France. You will
be awestruck by the majesty of this ice barrier which, far from being
smooth and uniform, is ridged with caves, deep caverns, ledges, bays
and promontories in infinite shades of blue carved out of it by the
elements. Its vertiginous walls can reach up to 100 metres above sea
level and some of them are several hundred metres deep. According to
Sir Ernest Shackleton, some of the cavities could have contained Le
Nimrod, his ship during the expedition he led to the South Pole between
1907 and 1909.
Day
16: At sea aboard Le Commandant-Charcot
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.
Day
17: Ruppert Coast
This
quasi-unexplored coast along Marie Byrd Land is one of the only
territories in the world to have never been claimed by any country,
making it a terra nullius. It was the American colonel Jacob Ruppert
who made the first aerial reconnaissance flight along this coast,
during the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1933-1935). A Soviet
research station was established there in 1980, before being officially
abandoned in 1990.
Day
18: At sea aboard Le Commandant-Charcot
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.
Day
19: Burke Island
Days
20-21: Expedition to Peter I Island
You
will then head for the legendary Peter I Island. Located 450 km away
from the Atlantic coast, it was discovered in 1821 by the Russian
explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, who named it in honour of
the Russian tsar Peter the Great. In 1909, Captain Charcot sighted it
for the first time from aboard the Pourquoi Pas ?, but was unable to
land there: “In the parting mists, one or two miles away, an
enormous black mass shrouded in clouds appears suddenly before us: it
is Peter I Island.” Surrounded by pack ice and with about 95%
of its surface covered by ice, this volcanic island, whose highest peak
reaches 1,640 metres, is protected by ice cliffs some 40 metres tall,
making any approach difficult.
Day
22: At sea aboard Le Commandant-Charcot
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.
Days
23-24: 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
25: Disembarkation at Ushuaia, Argentina
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Free
Parka
- Free
Boot Rental
- WiFi
- Open
bar
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
ADVENTURE OPTIONS - Participative Science
- Hovercraft
- Helium Balloon
- Kayaking
- Snowmobiles
- Polar Diving
- Hiking
- Outings And Shore Visits In Zodiac Inflatables
