At the Genesis of the French Polar Expeditions

Description

PONANT invites you to experience the exceptional by discovering the east coast of Greenland in Spring, during a brand-new 11-day cruise. In this season, where a thick layer of ice protects access to the shores and the day stretches into infinity, you will have a unique opportunity to venture into an extremely remote part of the world, source of fascination to generations of explorers.

Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the first hybrid electric polar exploration ship, you will brave the elements to reach the region of Ammassalik. Between immense glaciers, winding fjords carrying gigantic icebergs, polar caps and thick patches of ice floe, you will discover a nature enhanced by the special luminosity of the midnight sun. In this season, the sun’s rays lie level with the horizon diffusing a magical palette of blue, magenta, purple and pink.

Then you will continue sailing ever further north until you reach the coast of Blosseville. This wild region of jagged peaks was identified in 1833 by Commander Blosseville during a voyage that caused his disappearance and that of his crew: an enigmatic wreck that would lead to one of the biggest French exploration missions two years later.

Relive this period in the history of sailing during this unique cruise which will take you also further north to the Ittoqqortoormiit Region, to the heart of this hostile but sublime realm of ice.

Trip Name

At the Genesis of the French Polar Expeditions

Days

Overview

Vessel Type: Polar Luxury Expedition Passenger Capacity: 135 cabins Built: 2018/2019 Be the first aboard Le Commandant-Charcot, the world's luxury polar exploration vessel, and enjoy a unique sailing experience in the Arctic or Antarctic! With its hybrid propulsion combining liquefied natural gas (LNG) and electric generators, Le Commandant-Charcot has been designed to minimise the environmental impact of travel to the furthest latitudes. The decoration of the ship, imagined by two internationally renowned design and architecture firms - the studio of Jean-Philippe Nuel and Wilmotte & Associés - is designed to be in harmony with the environment. The approach is contemporary with the desire to create a warm and elegant setting; stone, wood and leather recall the natural environment in which the ship is sailing. Equipped with just 135 staterooms including 31 suites with balconies and outside views, Le Commandant-Charcot welcomes you in an intimate and refined atmosphere. Outstanding gastronomy in the two restaurants, relaxation in the indoor pool surrounded by its winter garden, relaxation in the well-being area with sauna and Snow Room... Like on a private yacht, each of our guests is unique. PUBLIC AREAS Le Commandant-Charcot has many common areas that are designed and equipped to meet all of your needs while preserving the intimacy of each passenger. A 177 m² reception area includes: A reception/concierge desk, An expeditions desk, The ship’s administrative services, The sales office, manned by our Hospitality & Travel Manager officer, Our boutique which sells clothing, jewellery, beauty products, postcards and various accessories, The image & photo desk. The different lounges: A 302 m² main lounge including a 28 m² cigar lounge, a tea corner and a bar, with live music on selected evenings, A 400 m² panoramic bar and lounge, An open-air Bar. The recreation spaces Fitness & Beauty Corner: Fitness room: Elliptic, running machines, bicycles... Beauty Corner: Hairdresser, Massage rooms, Sauna, Snow Room, Nail Shop. Pool area: Indoor Pool and winter garden - Outdoor Pool Theatre: Capacity: 270-276 - Main show room for conferences and live entertainment on selected evenings - State-of-the-art audio and video technology. Leisure area: Public areas - Library - Medical centre. 16 Zodiac®.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Day 1 REYKJAVÍK

Iceland’s capital stretches along the edge of a vast bay in the west of the country. Perlan, the “Pearl of Reykjavík”, a museum located on ’Oskjuhlið hill, offers a panoramic view of the lush, green landscapes. A little further, one can easily spot the signpost showing the way to the evangelical Hallgrímskirkja church, and to the historical centre where one can stroll along the Skólavördustígur and the Laugavegur, two lively streets with charming small shops. For some relaxation just outside of the city, visitors have the opportunity to visit the Reykjanes peninsula and its famous thermal lagoons of the Blue Lagoon.

Day 2 - Day 2 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 3 - Day 3 NANSEN HARBOR

Travelling to Nansen Harbor is the guarantee of a voyage back in time and will enable you to discover a superb bay, into which the ice cap plunges directly. It was because of the proximity and accessibility of the glacier that Fridtjof Nansen chose this location for his crossing of the ice cap crossing in August 1888. Sailing along the coast, you can imagine the first steps of the great explorer on the Greenland ice sheet.

Day 4 - Day 4 AMMASSALIK REGION

Still almost unknown just a century ago, the east coast of Greenland remains the most authentic and majestic region. Here, the alpine mountains merge intimately with the sea, while the fjords are adorned with high snow-capped peaks and drifting icebergs. Follow in the wake of Captain Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s famous ship, the Pourquoi Pas?, which set off with its crew to discover Ammassalik, a small island of primitive and wild beauty where the Inuit people chose to live. The name of this island is a reference to the capelin, a small flamboyant silver coloured fish, whose presence in the thousands announces to inhabitants the return of spring. A surprising discovery in a spectacular setting.

Day 5 - Day 5 STORO ISLAND

In the Ammassalik region, the small island of Storo welcomed the famous French explorer Paul-Emile Victor during his first stay in Greenland in 1932. This young ethnologist was set down by Captain Charcot at Ammassallik then made his way to the island of Storo, where he spent a year hosted by an Inuit family. Bones, stones, a tomb and a few vestiges of huts and wooden cabins are evidence that people have been coming to the island for a very long time. Its location facing the Denmark Strait, at the entrance of a small fjord, is indeed ideal for hunting or for observing the whales, narwhals or belugas that live in the fish-rich waters of the Greenland Sea.

Day 6 - Day 6 KANGERLUSSUAQ (EAST GREENLAND)

Midway between the magnificent Sermilik fjord and the vast expanses of Liverpool Land, you will discover the impressive Kangerlussuaq Fjord, one of the largest on the south-east coast of Greenland. You will sail through a wonderful décor of ice and vertiginous, jagged peaks of dark grey rock coated in snow that plunge into the deep blue waters of the fjord. The fjord is fed by the gigantic Kangerlussuaq glacier, the largest on the east coast of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In the north-west, the Watkins Range is home to the tallest peaks in the Arctic. Gunnbjorns Fjeld stands 3,693 metres (12,000 feet) tall. Known for its abundant fauna, this hard-to-reach fjord is uninhabited, although Inuit hunters have been visiting it for thousands of years.

Day 7 - Day 7 EXPLORATION OF BLOSSEVILLE COAST

Aboard your ship, follow in the footsteps of Jules Poret de Blosseville, a French explorer and sailor. In 1833, aboard La Lilloise, he set off to discover this isolated and unexplored part of eastern Greenland and gave French names to various sites on the coast. The adventure probably has an unfortunate outcome, since the crew was never found. This uninhabited territory, which now bears his name, lies to the south of Scoresby Sund. Surrounded by ice, icebergs and pieces of pack ice, Blosseville Coast is one of these wild and hard-to-reach places that very few people are lucky enough to explore.

Day 8 - Day 8 D'AUNAY BAY

Along the Blosseville Coast, you’ll explore the magnificent D’Aunay Bay and superb glaciers in the surrounding area. This wide sheltered bay was baptised in 1833 by the French sailor Jules de Blosseville in honour of Raoul D’Aunay, second-in-command on La Lilloise. Shimmering reflections of the Greenland Sea, permanent snow cover, prominent peaks, and the silent, majestic drifting of the ice and icebergs... from the deck of your ship or during an outing in a Zodiac® dinghy in the company of our naturalist guides, you will experience pure moments of contemplation far from any other trace of human life as you discover virtually unexplored lands.

Day 9 - Day 9 ITTOQQORTOORMIIT REGION

Located between the largest national park and the longest system of fjords in the world, the town of Ittoqqortoormiit, whose name means “great house” in Greenlandic, is one of the remotest inhabited places in the world. Covered with ice and snow for nine months of the year, you will be able to discover the ancestral way of life of the last hunters of the polar region. As soon as the thickness of the ice floe allows, they set out on the trail of walruses, seals, narwhals, musk ox and polar bears, travelling by traditional dog sleds.

Day 10 - Day 10 AT SEA ABOARD LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT

Day 11 - Day 11 REYKJAVÍK

Day 12 - Please Note:

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.

Trip Dates

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Inclusions

Set off on the trail of the great explorers who in the past attempted to approach the eastern coast of Greenland, a region that long remained isolated as it was hard to reach.
Outings and shore visits in a Zodiac® dinghy or hovercraft with an reinforced team of naturalist-guides.
Hiking opportunity.
Explore the east coast of Greenland and its still pristine territories upon which the French explorers Jules de Blosseville, Jean-Baptiste Charcot and Paul-Emile Victor, set foot in the past.
An encounter with the Inuit people to share their springtime traditions while the ice is still ubiquitous.
D’Aunay Bay: Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s first stop on his expedition to map this coast.
The never-explored Blosseville Coast and its thick layer of ice come straight from the North Pole.
Landscapes: alpine landscapes, polar ice cap, fjords, populated with gigantic icebergs, a coastline torn by glaciers, patches of ice floe drift ing from the North Pole.
Wildlife: polar bears, seals, Arctic foxes and hares, sea birds.
Our experts are fine-tuning your programme of activities, find out more very soon.