PONANT in pole position in the race to be 1st operator to return to Antarctica

With the highly expected start of Le Commandant Charcot’s inaugural season, PONANT is the first operator to resume luxury expeditions to the White Continent.
Ponant’s hybrid-electric LNG-operated luxury polar exploration vessel Le Commandant Charcot has already set sail on its maiden voyage south from Punta Arenas, Argentina on 1 November 2021.
With Antarctica in great demand, PONANT’s 2021/22 season comprises 14 different itineraries and 33 sailings scheduled from November 2021 to March 2022. Besides Le Commandant Charcot, the company’s four sister ships Le Lyrial, L’Austral, Le Boréal and Le Soléal will also be on-site sailing south.
“We all felt very emotional as we welcomed the first guests. A moment that marks the culmination of six years of hard work, and the resumption of the company’s activity in the Antarctic. Sailing on Le Commandant Charcot opens whole new horizons,” says the ship’s Captain Patrick Marchesseau, adding, “Our guests were even fortunate enough to observe emperor penguins from the first days of our cruise, an extremely rare encounter”.
Le Commandant Charcot’s 16-day maiden expedition explored the Bellingshausen Sea, off the beaten track, with a 20- strong team of naturalist guides who are accompanied by guests all the way.
Winter 2022/2023 is also already open with new itineraries from and to New Zealand.
A testament to the ongoing and increasing interest in the Antarctic, PONANT is offering 13 different exploration itineraries for Winter 2022/2023 across 34 sailings, with strong sales shown on the recently opened season. As part of the 2022/2023 season, PONANT has unveiled two entirely new itineraries from and to New Zealand providing unforgettable, semi-circumnavigations of the Antarctic between New Zealand and South America aboard the first LNG-powered hybrid electric luxury polar exploration vessel.
These voyages offer entirely new itineraries in the wake of the great explorers and opportunities to observe extraordinary, secretive wildlife: humpback whales, gentoo penguins, king penguins, Adélie penguins, chinstrap penguins, leopard seals, crabeater seals, Weddell seals, seabirds galore, and more. Activities organised for guests include Zodiac® landings, sea kayaking supervised by state-qualified guides, talks, hovercraft outings, activities in polar waters, and hikes on foot or snowshoes. Guests will also be able to participate in participative science lectures and workshops intended to raise awareness and inspire them to protect these fragile environments.
Le Commandant Charcot will also be sailing to the Far North for the European summer in 2022 with 11 sailings planned: odysseys in the true sense of the word to discover the planet’s northernmost wildernesses, when travellers have the chance to reach the end of the world, that mythical point on the edge of extreme lands, the geographic North Pole.
Edited by: John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor