Polar immersion in Svalbard

The Far North and the expanse of the Arctic polar world and its sea ice stretching all the way to the North Pole are yours to admire during an all-new 11-day exploratory cruise. With Ponant, discover these remote territories from Svalbard to Nordaustlandet, a region inaccessible to traditional cruise ships at this time of year.Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the first hybrid electric polar exploration ship, you will cross the magnificent landscapes of Kongsfjorden, then the Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park.You will then sail east to try to reach the shores of the Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve....read more This total immersion in the polar desert in search of the sea ice offers the promise of an unforgettable adventure. You will admire Europe's largest ice cap and the impressive fjords that punctuate this icy landscape. You are entering the kingdom of the polar bear and will perhaps be lucky enough to spot a mother teaching her cub the secrets of hunting and survival. Your exploration amidst these remote lands continues to the east. Le Commandant Charcot will attempt to reach the easternmost island of the Svalbard archipelago, Kvitoya - the white island -, as its name indicates, entirely covered by the ice cap and overrun by walruses.The navigation in the Hinlopen Strait guarantees an exceptional panorama. Its basalt islets and its majestic glaciers hide a rich marine ecosystem: seabird colonies, walruses, polar bears and Arctic foxes come to feed here.Your adventure in the Arctic world continues with the discovery of the Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve. The second-largest protected area in Norway, it is still entirely covered with ice but, in reality, this arid appearance hides rich fauna. Identified as an Important Bird Area, it is also home to cetaceans, Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes.The exploration of these distant territories will give you a unique feeling of having arrived at the end of the world aboard Le Commandant Charcot, capable of reaching extreme sites, usually inaccessible at this time of the year. An unforgettable odyssey, during which your ship will reach 80 degrees north latitude. We are privileged guests in these extreme lands where we are at the mercy of weather and ice conditions. Our navigation, mainly in the fjords, will be determined by the type of ice we come across; as the coastal ice cannot be broken, we will take this factor into account from day to day in our itineraries. The sailing programme, outings, activities and observation of fauna cannot be guaranteed and are subject to weather and ice conditions. The experiences are unique and vary from day to day and for each departure. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while respecting safety instructions and regulations imposed by the AECO.