HIGHLIGHTS
- With
featured guest Sue Flood, British Photo Ambassador.
- The
discovery of part of the Northwest Passage, some of the most emblematic
sites, in the wake of the many explorers, including British officer
John Franklin, who attempted to find this mythical maritime route
drawing a route to the boundaries of the Far North.
- Outings
and shore visits in zodiac inflatables with a team of experienced
naturalist guides.
- Hiking
opportunity.
- Visit
traditional villages and meet Greenlandic and Canadian Inuit people.
- The
visit of the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- An
all-new port of call on Prescott Island in search of belugas and polar
bears.
- In
Fort Ross, discovering the remains of a former whaling- and fur-trading
post.
- Disko
Bay, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see the Northern
Hemisphere’s largest icebergs.
- Landscapes:
ice pack, myriads of jagged islands, fjords, glaciers, mountain chains,
monumental icebergs as you travel towards Greenland.
- Wildlife:
Arctic foxes, sea birds, belugas, narwhals, bowhead whales, humpback
whales, muskox, walruses and the possibility of seeing polar bears.
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person
|
| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
|---|
| Aug 25, 2025 | Sep 13, 2025 | 23,320 |
24,057 |
Rates are listed per person
|
| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
|---|
| Aug 25, 2025 | Sep 13, 2025 | 23,320 |
24,057 |
ITINERARY
Day
1 : Kangerlussuaq
From
1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an
American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport,
it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the
Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the
starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled
nature. Indeed, just a few dozen kilometres from there it is possible
to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the
Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb
landscapes of tundra in autumnal colours, where Arctic hares, musk
oxen, Arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons and eagles live.
Day
2 : Kitsissuarsuit (Dog's Island)
The
Dutch were the first to come and hunt whales on this island they called
“isle of dogs” - Kitissuarsuit in Greenlandic.
Indeed, when they arrived there in the summertime, the inhabitants had
left the island, leaving behind their dogs, and moved to the
neighbouring fjords for a season of fishing. Kitissuarsuit is
considered to be the larder of the small town of Aasiaat, which is
further away from the fishing areas, and the villagers still live
self-sufficiently thanks to the marine resources, while trying to keep
their age-old traditions alive.
Day
3 : Disko Bay
To
the east of Baffin Bay, discover Disko Bay, scattered with countless
icebergs produced by the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. From your ship, admire the majestic ballet of these ice giants as
they slowly drift across the dark waters. This site is a natural marvel
of Greenland, and is also renowned as an observation point for the
region’s many humpback whales. The encounters with wild fauna
and stunning landscapes in the heart of this spectacular and fragile
nature will be pure moments of wonder for you.
Day
4-5 : At sea
During
your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities
on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay
in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself
be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey
without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the
conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities
offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT
photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea,
they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire
the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe
marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest
and entertainment.
Day
6 : Pond Inlet, Nunavut
On
Baffin Island, located in northern Canada at the mouth of the famous
NorthWest Passage, there is a small Inuit settlement at the very bounds
of infinity. To get there, cross the Arctic Circle, the imaginary line
that separates man from lands of mystery and wonder. It’s not
so much the way of life that sets Pond Inlet’s inhabitants
apart, so much as the setting. Snow-capped mountains, fjords and
glaciers combine in a dazzling natural environment that fills space and
expands time. Some discoveries change you forever: this is one of them.
Day
7 : Queen Harbour, Nunavut
Day
8 : Dundas Harbour, Nunavut
On
the southern coast of Devon Island, Dundas Harbour, a Royal Canadian
Mounted Police post in the early 20th century, keeps watch over the
entrance to the Northwest Passage. This site has been frequented for
centuries by the Inuit, who call it Talluruti - or
“woman’s chin with tattoos on it” in
Inuktitut - in reference to the lines of the landscape which are
reminiscent of their traditional tattoos. Its hills, covered in taiga
reflecting greens, browns and golds, are edged by the deep navy waters
of a bay dotted with white and turquoise ice floe glistening in the
sunlight.
Day
8 : Croker Bay, Nunavut
Day
9 : Port Leopold, Nunavut
The
Canadian Arctic Circle is home to one of the planet’s best
preserved natural sanctuaries: Somerset Island. This immaculate
northern desert is renowned for its phenomenal landscapes, its midnight
sun and its huge tundra, where musk oxen roam. Covering 24,786 square
kilometres (15,400 square miles), it is the Arctic
archipelago’s ninth-largest island. Vegetation is rare except
in some hollows and lowlands, where Peary caribou are common.
Day
10 : Fort Ross, Nunavut
Discover
Fort Ross, the last trading post established by the Hudson's Bay
Company. Constructed in 1937, it was used as a fur and whaling trading
post at the same time. Fort Ross, located on a small island at the
entrance to the Bellot Strait, is still home to this former store as
well as the house for the manager and staff. The interior of these two
buildings has been damaged over time and by the presence of polar
bears. After a short walk towards the summits of the island, you will
be able to enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view over the Bellot Strait
and surrounding area.
Day
10 : Bellot Strait
A
key stage in the North West Passage, the Bellot Strait, crossed by
strong currents, promises you an unforgettable sailing experience. The
entrance to the strait is dominated by the Ross Cairn. The buildings of
Fort Ross also stand not far from here. Separating Somerset Island from
the Boothia Peninsula, this 2-km-wide strait was discovered in 1852 by
Captain William Kennedy of the Royal Navy, and the Frenchman
Joseph-René Bellot, during an expedition in search of Sir
John Franklin. Discover a magnificent décor covered in snow,
fragmented by large ice floes. As you sail between them, your ship will
perhaps be accompanied by a few polar bears.
Day
11 : Coningham Bay, Nunavut
At
the heart of the legendary Northwest Passage, discover the sheltered
Coningham Bay in the south-east of Prince of Wales Island, during an
exceptionnal sailing. The surrounding waters, rich in nutrients brought
in by the tides and currents, are home to cetaceans including beluga
whales. The polar bear, lord of the Arctic, has also established its
realm on this hunting ground where food tends to be abundant. When
conditions are favourable, extraordinary encounters with the wildlife
are possible in these isolated lands.
Day
12 : Prescott Island, Nunavut
Prescott
Island is located between Somerset Island and Prince of Wales Island,
in the heart of Peel Sound, and its shorelines provide a perfect
playground for belugas. However, the opportunity to observe and listen
to these "sea canaries” is not the only reason to scan the
horizon: here, between the icebergs and the dramatic landscapes, you
may also be able to spot polar bears, as well as summon up memories of
Sir John Franklin, who was the first to cross Peel Sound in 1846 during
his expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, followed in 1903 by
Roald Amundsen, who was the first to find a route through that passage!
Day
13 : Beechey Island, Nunavut
Beechey
Island, at the eastern end of Resolute Bay, will call to mind some of
the most important moments of Franklin’s expedition. Sir John
set off in 1845 in search of the mythical Northwest Passage and was
forced to take shelter in Erebus Harbour for two long years, while he
waited for the ice floes to recede and allow him a way through. It is a
spectacular location; seeing the three wooden grave markers, bleached
by the sun (indicating the burial places of at least three of Captain
Franklin’s men) and visiting the memorial that has been
erected in memory of Franklin and his men can only reinforce the hushed
sense of reverence. If the surrounding wilderness impresses us, the
ochre and yellows of the rocky desert soften the landscape.
Day
13 : Devon Island, Nunavut
Located
in Baffin Bay, Devon Island is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
Anchored on the Arctic Cordillera, its rocky surface, similar to that
of Mars, is of great interest to scientists. Robert Bylot and William
Baffin were the first Europeans to sight Devon Island in 1616 but it
would be mapped two centuries later by the British sailor William E.
Parry, who named it after the eponymous English region. Around 1920,
the Hudson's Bay Company set up a fur-trading outpost there, until the
departure of the Inuits in 1936. A new attempt to populate it was made
at the beginning of the 1950s. Only a few buildings in ruins, vestiges
of that time, remain today.
Day
14 : Arctic Bay, Nunavut
Arctic
Harbor is on the small island of Aulitiving, barely 15 km long and 5 km
wide, at the entrance to Isabella Bay. A major whale hunting site, this
small natural harbour still has remnants from those times, notably some
whaler graves. This port of call will be the opportunity to go for a
lovely hike in the heart of the Arctic tundra, and perhaps to reach the
highest point of the island, located at an altitude of 410 metres.
Day
15 : At sea
During
your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities
on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay
in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself
be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey
without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the
conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities
offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT
photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea,
they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire
the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe
marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest
and entertainment.
Day
16 : North Arm fjord, Nunavut
The
ship makes its way deeper into the fjord, leaving you free to admire
the spectacular geological formations that plunge abruptly into the
emerald-green waters of Baffin Bay. When the temperature rises and the
ice begins to melt, Nunavut becomes of the best places in the world to
observe the wildlife of the Arctic. Be on the lookout for polar bears,
which hide away amongst the scree to seek out the freshness of the
permafrost. On the water’s surface, you could get the chance
to glimpse the tusk of a narwhal, or perhaps the silhouette of an orca
or a bowhead whale. And in the sky, it is not uncommon to see a colony
of arctic fulmars with their impressive wingspan gliding near the ship.
Day
17 : Icy Arm Fjord
The
east coast of Baffin Island is a real lacework of fjords. Among them,
in the north, is the spectacular Icy Arm fjord. As you sail these
parts, you’ll be dazzled by the immense cliffs that are
sometimes over 1,000 metres high. This is a paradise for base jumping
(parachute jumping from the top of the cliffs). During your stop here,
you will have the opportunity to hike at the feet of these mountains
and within the glacial valleys. Keep your eyes open when you get back
on your boat: you’ll probably get the chance to observe
marine mammals, such as whales, orcas and even narwhals.
Day
18 : At sea
During
your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities
on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay
in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself
be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey
without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the
conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities
offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT
photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea,
they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire
the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe
marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest
and entertainment.
Day
19 : Sisimiut
During
your cruise, we invite you to discover Sisimiut, founded in 1756 and
the second largest town in Greenland. This small town is typical of
Greenland, boasting bewitching panoramas: here and there, colourful
stilt houses dot the undulating landscape, and the small fishing port
stands as the gateway to an icy realm. As for the town centre, it is
home to a number of historic buildings, a small church and a museum
which retraces the history of the Inuit people, as well as many craft
shops. When your ship drops anchor here, you will set out to meet the
locals in a typically arctic atmosphere.
Day
20 : Kangerlussuaq
From
1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an
American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport,
it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the
Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the
starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled
nature. Indeed, just a few dozen kilometres from there it is possible
to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the
Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb
landscapes of tundra in autumnal colours, where Arctic hares, musk
oxen, Arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons and eagles live.
Le Boreal (Luxury Expedition, 264-guests)
Le Boreal embodies the subtle alliance between luxury, intimacy and wellbeing which is PONANT's signature. The elegance of her exterior and interior lines and her intimate size (only 132 staterooms and suites) make this a rare and innovative yacht on the cruise market. Superior materials, discreet elegance and a tasteful decor reflect a nautical mood subtly revisited. Aboard, soothing neutral grey tones are enlivened by splashes of red, our signature theme linking tradition and innovation to create personal touches in the spirit of a private yacht.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Flight Paris/Longyearbyen and Longyearbyen/Paris selected
by PONANT in economy class.
- Transfers mentioned in the programme.
- English-speaking assistance.
Excluded
from this voyage:
- Personal expenses.
- Any other service not mentioned in the programme.
