Transarctic, The Quest For The Two North Poles

HIGHLIGHTS

• Be among the first people in the world to undertake a transarctic crossing and set off in search of the Geographic North Pole, following in the wake of the pioneers of polar exploration, like Umberto Nobile.
• Discover the research work of an on-board international scientific mission during lectures and round tables.
• Attempt to reach the Magnetic North Pole.
• Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, a polar exploration vessel opening to the exterior, take time to immerse yourself in unique moments of exploration and observation, in the silence and respect of fragile landscapes and biodiversity.
• At this time of the year and depending on the opportunities provided by the weather conditions, the possibility of observing the phenomenon of the Northern Lights near the Bering Strait.
• Enjoy the unique experience of sailing through the heart of the ice floe and discover the endless variety of forms and states of the ice.
• Exploration of Svalbard, from Europe’s largest ice cap on Nordaustlandet (North East Land) in the Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve, the second-largest protected area in Norway.
• The landscapes: alpine reliefs, icy shores, ice floes. In Svalbard: mountains patterned with multi-coloured strata, fjords, jagged mountains, glaciers, icebergs, ice floes, sheer cliffs, polar ice cap, wild tundra.
• The wildlife: polar bears, walruses, Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer, whales, sea birds.
• Brand-new activities*: kayaking, hiking or snowshoeing, polar plunge.

*Subject to weather and ice conditions and to sailing opportunities

ITINERARY

5 September 2025 - Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen
Embarkation 05/09/2025 from 16:00 to 17:00
Departure 05/09/2025 at 18:00

Longyearbyen is the capital of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, located on Svalbard’s main island, and is the northernmost territorial capital on the planet. With winter temperatures dropping to below 40°C, the landscapes of this mining town are simply breathtaking. The glaciers, the mountains stretching as far as the eye can see and the untouched nature, make you feel like you’re in completely unexplored territory.

6 September 2025 - Isfjorden

The vast Isfjorden is one of the main fjords in Svalbard. These different branches reach the heart of the island of Spitsbergen. Located deep inside the Billejforden, the Nordenskiöld Glacier with its front of ice, nearly 5 km wide, is one of the most spectacular in the Svalbard Archipelago. You will perhaps have the opportunity to discover the ghost town of Pyramiden. Constructed at the foot of a mountain in the form of a pyramid, this former mining town, founded by Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century before being sold a few years later to the Soviet Union, and abandoned in 1998, has conserved all the buildings from its glory days, when it lived off coal mining.

7 September 2025 - Hornsund

Nestling between millennial glaciers and carved mountains, and considered to be “the crown of Arctic Norway”, Spitsbergen is a place that never sees the night. Your ship will take you closer to this fascinating archipelago and, more particularly, the Hornsund fjord. Considered to be Svalbard’s southernmost fjord, it is especially reputed to be its most stunning: at the end of its vast bay, 8 great glaciers slowly make their way down to the sea before giving way to the many icebergs elegantly drifting along its cold and mysterious waters.

8 September 2025 - Soraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve

The Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve is the second largest protected area in Norway. Established in 1973, this nature conservation area stretching over more than 21,000 km2 will offer you stunning panoramas including coastal landscapes, rocky islets, mountain plateaux, vast tundra plains, and ice floes. With a little luck, you will be able to observe a wide variety of seabirds, given the site is listed as an Important Bird Area, as well as cetaceans, Svalbard reindeer, or even Arctic foxes. Among other things, Edgeoya Island is renowned for providing shelter to a number of polar bears during the breeding season.

9 September 2025 - Sailing in the Hinlopen Strait

Sailing in the Hinlopen Strait, in the heart of the Arctic Ocean, between the Norwegian islands of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet promises an unforgettable experience. This territory of the Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve offers breathtaking panoramas, with magnificent basalt formations and the ice cap stretching as far as the eye can see, diving into the sea. The shore line cut by the fjords moving inland composes a magical landscape in which icebergs float here and there, the result of the calving of the surrounding glaciers. This place, today a popular spot to observe the seabirds nesting in the enormous cliffs, polar bears and walruses, was once intrinsically linked to the history of the whalers who frequented the region from the 17th century. Indeed, it was one of them, Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen, then director of a Dutch whaling company, who gave the strait its name. Later on, Russian trappers, European explorers, scientists and even mountaineers roamed this region, as hostile as it is sublime.

10 September 2025 - Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve

The Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve has been protecting the northernmost and coldest part of the archipelago, Nordaustlandet (North East Land), since 1973. This vast polar desert covered by two ice caps is the second largest island in the Svalbard archipelago. Protected by the Gulf Stream, the fjords and cliffs in the west and north are home to large colonies of birds and walruses. The landscapes in the colder east and south are dominated by imposing glaciers that calve majestic icebergs in the vast Hinlopen Strait. Large colonies of thick-billed murres have taken up residence on the sheer cliffs*. You may even get the chance to see a bear or an Arctic fox roaming in the vicinity.

*depending on nesting and migration period

11 September 2025  13 September 2025 - Navigating through the sea ice

Enjoy the absolutely unique experience of sailing to the heart of the ice floe, this vast expanse of virgin, immaculate ice. The landscapes are constantly changing, shifting from a smooth, flat wilderness to a chaos of ice, then to channels of open water. Your ship will sail along these naturally open channels and through the areas where the frozen layer is thinnest, offering you the chance to experience magic maritime moments in the midst of drifting sea ice. It will also often be an opportunity to see a particular kind of fauna, totally dependent on the ice floe.

14 September 2025 - Magnetic North Pole

The convergence point for the field lines of the Earth's magnetic field, the Magnetic North Pole attracts the magnetic needle of the compass. While the Geographic North Pole is the Earth’s northernmost fixed point, marking the intersection of the Globe's rotation axis with the Earth’s surface, the Magnetic North Pole moves over time. In fact, it is linked to the Earth's magnetic field which originates in the Earth's outer core, which is made up of molten metal and is subject to convection movements. Localised for the first time in 1831, in the Canadian Arctic, it has since moved towards Siberia and thus become closer to the Geographic North Pole. Set off in search of the Magnetic North Pole, try to get closer to it and, if luck allows it, attempt to reach it!

15 September 2025 - Exploring sea ice in Beaufort Sea

Bordering the north coasts of Alaska and Canada, the Beaufort Sea was feared for centuries because of its extreme climatic conditions. Covered for most of the year with a thick layer of ice, and unexplored until 1914, this part of the Arctic Ocean, named in honour of the British Admiral Francis Beaufort, will reveal its magnificent icy landscapes to you. With a bit of luck, maybe you will cross the path of some polar bears, since the region is renowned for sheltering the Lord of the Arctic.

16 September 2025 - Geographic North Pole

Defined by a 90° North latitude, the Geographic North Pole lies on the Earth’s rotational axis, at the intersection of all meridians. Plunged into darkness for six months of the year, then lit by the sun for the following six months, this mythical site, permanently covered in ice and remote from any land, has fascinated generations of explorers. So far, only a very few people have ever reached it: an exploit which is now accessible to you aboard Le Commandant Charcot.

17 September 2025  24 September 2025 - Exploring sea ice in Beaufort Sea

Bordering the north coasts of Alaska and Canada, the Beaufort Sea was feared for centuries because of its extreme climatic conditions. Covered for most of the year with a thick layer of ice, and unexplored until 1914, this part of the Arctic Ocean, named in honour of the British Admiral Francis Beaufort, will reveal its magnificent icy landscapes to you. With a bit of luck, maybe you will cross the path of some polar bears, since the region is renowned for sheltering the Lord of the Arctic.

25 September 2025 - Nome, Alaska
Arrival 25/09/2025
Disembarkation 25/09/2025 at 08:00

Located along the Bering Strait at the westernmost point of Alaska, Nome offers the rustic charm of a former gold-mining town, set in the middle of magnificent wilderness. As you weave in and out of the brightly coloured houses, you will discover the pioneering legacy that still marks local traditions. Fishing, reindeer rearing, sledge-racing... People here live from their manual labour. The surrounding plains provide stunning vantage points for observing Arctic fauna.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

For your serenity, PONANT selects a flight and organises the transfer between the airport and the port (and vice-versa). This package is included in your cruise fare.

Embarkation day - Paris/Longyearbyen

Flight Paris/Longyearbyen selected by PONANT.
Approximate flight duration: 4 h 30.
We highly recommend you arrive in Paris the day before this flight.
We suggest you to be at the check-in counter 2 hours before departure.
Meet & greet at the airport by our local English-speaking representative.
Transfer to the pier for embarkation.

- Cruise aboard your cruise ship -

This programme includes

• Flight Paris/Longyearbyen selected by PONANT in economy class.
• Transfer mentioned in the programme.
• English-speaking assistance.

This programme does not include

• Personal expenses.
• Any other service not mentioned in the programme.

Please note

• Flight included in the programme is as of today, operated in economy class, on a European airline.
• Flights in business class are available, please contact your travel agent.
• Due to limited local transportation resources, waiting might be generated.
• For passengers in transit in Paris, we recommend staying one night in Paris before this flight.
• Programme and flight schedule are subject to change without prior notice.

Disembarkation Day - Nome/Seattle

Disembarkation.
Meet and greet at the port by our local English-speaking representative.
Transfer to the airport in time for check-in of flight Nome/Seattle selected by PONANT.
Flight Nome/Seattle selected by PONANT.
Approximate flight duration: 5 h 00.
We highly recommend you stay one night in Seattle after this flight.

This programme includes

• Flight Nome/Seattle selected by PONANT in economy class.
• The transfer mentioned in the programme.
• English-speaking assistance.

This programme does not include

• Personal expenses.
• Any other service not mentioned in the programme.

Please note

• The flight included in the programme is as of today, operated in economy class, on a European airline.
• Due to limited local transportation resources, waiting might be generated.
• For passengers in transit in Seattle, we recommend staying one night in Seattle after this flight.
• Programme and flight schedule are subject to change without prior notice.

POLAR PLUNGE
Let yourself be seduced by the unrivalled sensations of being surrounded by cold water. Weather and ice conditions willing, you will have opportunities to undertake a unique experience during a polar plunge wearing just your swimming costume, in the middle of the ice. You will be be filled with intense emotions and will fully appreciate the energy boost when warming up after the swim!*

KAYAKING - LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT
You will make the most of the sailing opportunities and weather and ice conditions to glide along on the clear waters or between the ice floes and get as close as possible to the immaculate nature of the poles. Supervised by licenced expert guides, you will try your hand in a kayak- a craft favoured by the Inuits for at least 4,000 years.  The kayak was initially used for hunting and fishing; for you, it will be a means of making the most of your adventure on the White Continent or in the Far North.*

HIKING OR SNOWSHOEING
During shore landings, depending on the ecological resilience of the biome, we will propose hikes at different levels, in the company of your experienced naturalist guides. From a simple stroll along the coast to walks lasting several hours to reach particular viewpoints or historical sites, you will make the most of the opportunities provided by the weather and ice conditions. When the itineraries allow, you’ll put on snowshoes* to set off like the explorers of old and discover areas that have barely known Man.

*with limited places available