PONANT proposes an exceptional expedition cruise into the heart of the Antarctic Peninsula’s ice floes. Set sail on an unforgettable 11-day journeyaboard Le Lyrial and fall for the charms of the dreamlike landscapes, inhabited by rich and uncommon wildlife.
In Neko Harbour, a magnificent bay surrounded by mountains and ice, you will perhaps be lucky enough to see seals, whales, leopard seals and gentoo penguins.
On Pleneau Island, you’ll be amused by the original gait of the gentoo penguins going about their daily lives with a backdrop of magnificent icebergs. Don’t miss out on the visit to nearby Port Charcot. Jean-Baptiste Charcot, the famous French explorer who led many polar expeditions at the beginning of the 20th century, gave this name to the island as a tribute to his father.
Your ship will then head north before arriving on the volcanic Deception Island, which was long an emblematic whaling site. Its sheltered bay also served as a refuge for sailors during heavy storms.
Before you return to Ushuaia, Le Lyrial will clear a path through the impressive tabletop icebergs of the Weddell Sea, leaving you with an unforgettable memory of your Antarctic crossing.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Outings and shore visits in Zodiac® inflatables with a team of experienced naturalist guides.
- Hiking opportunity: Neko Harbour, Port Charcot, Port Lockroy, Deception Island.
- Visiting research stations and former whaling stations.
- Landscapes: a multitude of drifting icebergs, ice floe, imposing icebergs, tall snow-covered mountains.
- Wildlife: Gentoo, Adelie and chinstrap penguins, Minke and humpback whales, Weddell seals, sea leopards and sea birds.
- Educational discovery in the respect of environment.
- Exclusive 4-night programme before the cruise Patagonia, a land of contrast to discover in “Pre/Post & Overlands” tab. For more information and reservation, please contact our travel agents.
Clothing tips:
- A PONANT polar water-resistant parka is offered on board for all departures with the logo “Free Parka” (no children sizes, in case of consecutive cruises, only one complimentary parka).
- Half calf rubber boots with non-slip soles, which will allow you to go ashore in 20 cm of cold water, keeping your feet dry for walks and visits on steep paths. Boot rental will be offered onboard (for adults only) on Expedition cruises where the logo “Free Boot Rental” appears. Book your boots up to 7 days prior to departure, on our dedicated website https://boutique.ponant.com/, boots section. You will find them on board after embarkation. For more information, please contact us.
- Comfortable trousers: classic Winter trousers, warm cotton tracksuit, wool leggings
- Waterproof and windproof over-trousers – MANDATORY
- Winter trousers with waterproof over trousers are the ideal combination: water-resistance and comfort of trousers are essential
- Pullover, sweat-shirt or fleece jacket
- Woollen or thermolactyl Thermal underwear
- A warm hat, woollen ear muffs or fleece ear muffs, fleece or woollen neck warmer (avoid scarves that do not stay in place)- MANDATORY
- Wool or silk glove liners, water-resistant and supple gloves
- Thick warm socks (ideally woollen)
Accessories:
- Small waterproof backpack (to protect your camera from water).
- Binoculars (strongly recommended for wildlife viewing).
- Highly protective sunglasses.
- Walking poles (highly recommended).
The world’s only French-flagged cruise line and top cruise line worldwide in polar expeditions, PONANT Yacht Cruises & Expeditions currently has four distinctive and intimate vessels, embodying the essence of a private luxury yacht: the three-masted LE PONANT, an elegant sailing yacht accommodating 64 guests and three luxury yachts of 264-guests LE BORÉAL, L’AUSTRAL and LE SOLÉAL. The luxury cruise line will launch its fifth ship in Spring 2015, LE LYRIAL. These luxurious ships sail to the unexplored corners of the world including the Poles, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand on cruises ranging from three to 21 nights and including many ports and islands not accessible to large cruise ships. From Five Star Expeditions to themed cruises, the engaging itineraries offer a wealth of fascinating shore excursion programs to ensure that every voyage is a unique and exceptional experience. The latest eco-friendly technologies, attentive service, bilingual crew, luxurious staterooms and suites, an elegant, sophisticated cuisine and a chic, yet informal atmosphere offer a cruise experience unlike any other. In addition to the best available tours, our 1:2 staff to guest ratio also guarantees the best in personalized service. Explore your destinations at an unhurried pace and let the beauty that surrounds you, stir your senses. No matter where you wish to travel, our cruises will take you off the beaten path to a whole new world of adventure. Welcome aboard!
| DAY | PORT | ARRIVE | DEPART |
| DAY 1 | Ushuaia, Argentina | — | 6:00 PM |
| DAY 2 | Drake Passage (Cruising) | — | — |
| DAY 3 | Drake Passage (Cruising) | — | — |
| DAY 4 | Neko Harbor, Antarctica | — | — |
| Paradise Bay, Antarctica | — | — | |
| DAY 5 | Pleneau Island, Antarctica | — | — |
| Port Charcot, Antarctica | — | — | |
| DAY 6 | Port Lockroy Base, Antarctica | — | — |
| DAY 7 | Deception Island, Antarctica | — | — |
| DAY 8 | Weddell Sea (Cruising) | — | — |
| DAY 9 | Drake Passage (Cruising) | — | — |
| DAY 10 | Drake Passage (Cruising) | — | — |
| DAY 11 | Ushuaia, Argentina | 7:00 AM | — |
USHUAIA
Capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia lies in a bay opening into the Beagle Channel at the country’s southernmost tip. Its colourful houses are framed against towering mountains, snow-capped in winter and summer alike. Downtown, the End of the World Museumshowcases Tierra del Fuego’s natural and indigenous history. A ride on the heritage railway is an exciting excursion into the Tierra del Fuego National Park, while a cruise on Ushuaia Bay is the perfect way to spot sea lions and Magellanic penguins.
19 NOVEMBER 2021 – 20 NOVEMBER 2021 – CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE
If there is one place, one sea, one waterway dreaded by tourists, researchers and hardened seafarers alike, it is undoubtedly Drake Passage. Situated at the latitude of the infamous Furious Fifties winds, between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, it is the shortest route to Antarctica. Seasoned navigators will tell you that you must earn your visit to the White Continent! As the Antarctic convergence zone where cold currents rising up from the South Pole meet warmer equatorial water masses, Drake Passage harbours a very diverse marine fauna. Don’t forget to look to the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels, playfully floating about in the wind around your ship.
21 NOVEMBER 2021 – NEKO HARBOR
A little corner of paradise in the shadow of a towering glacier, Neko Harbour is without a doubt one of the most beautiful sites on the Antarctic Peninsula. It was discovered by Belgian navigator Adrien de Gerlache during his 1897-1899 expedition. Mountains, ice and wildlife combine to form a truly unique landscape. Animals are as abundant as they are exotic: among others, you’ll encounter seabirds (gulls, Cape petrels, cormorants) and marine mammals (seals, orcas and other whale species). Head out on a Zodiac® excursion to get up close to the icebergs, stop over near a penguin colony, watch a leopard seal sunbathe between dives and enjoy an impromptu aerial show from passing Antarctic terns.
21 NOVEMBER 2021 – PARADISE BAY.
With its spectacular landscapes composed of towering glacial peaks plunging down into the icy waters of the Antarctic, Paradise Bay is true to its name. Discovered and named by whalers in the early 20th century, this protected natural site is currently home to a wide variety of fauna, from Antarctic cormorants and leopard seals to sheathbills and gentoo penguins, who mingle on the long stretch of rocky beaches. With some luck, you’ll even be privy to an unforgettable underwater dance between passing humpback whales. During your excursion, head off to discover the old Argentine base Almirante Brown, which is only occupied for a few weeks each year, during the austral summer.
22 NOVEMBER 2021 – PLÉNEAU ISLAND
Named after talented photographer Paul Pléneau, who accompanied Jean-Baptiste Charcot on his 1903 expedition, Pleneau Island has become a refuge for gentoo penguins, elephant sealsand fur seals. A ‘fleet’ of imposing ice formations sit like anchored ships along its shores. Like works of art, these unusually-sculpted icebergs range in colour from white to blue and every shade in between. On land, red algae provides a striking contrast against empty swathes of snow that alternate with gentoo penguin nesting sites, strewn all across the island.
22 NOVEMBER 2021 – PORT CHARCOT, BOOTH ISLAND
This cove, a natural harbour located in Salpêtrière Bay, was discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot. Named for the explorer’s father, famed neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, this tip of Booth Island still holds vestiges of Charcot’s 1903-1905 anchoring aboard his ship, Le Français. A brisk walk through the snow will take you to the remains of Charcot’s stone cabin where he conducted studies on magnetism. Right nearby, you’ll notice a colony of gentoo penguins. If you continue on to the summit, you’ll pass by the remnants of a cairn and enjoy an unobstructed view of the vast field of icebergs scattered over the bay like white tombstones—an eerie, mystical site like none other.
23 NOVEMBER 2021 – PORT LOCKROY, GOUDIER ISLAND
During your cruise, you’ll have the opportunity to stop over at Port Lockroy, a spectacular natural harbour nestled in the very heart of the Antarctic Peninsula on Goudier Island. Discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot in 1903, the site has served over the years as a stopover for whaling ships, a British military base and later a research station. The port is currently one of the most visited sites in the Antarctic, thanks to its tiny museum which allows visitors to experience the base as it was in the 1950s and to take home a souvenir from its gift shop. While you’re here, don’t miss the chance to send your loved ones a post card from the southernmost post office in the world!
24 NOVEMBER 2021 – DECEPTION ISLAND, SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS
Situated just above the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, Deception Island is easily recognisable thanks to its distinctive horseshoe shape. The crater of this former volcano caved in 10,000 years ago and the resulting caldera was flooded, creating a natural harbour. Deception Island still bears traces of its past as a longtime hub of the whaling industry. The vestiges of abandoned sheds that line the black sand of its volcanic beaches share space with the island’s spectacular fauna: it is home to the Antarctic Peninsula’s largest colony of chinstrap penguins, as well as numerous elephant seals and fur seals.
25 NOVEMBER 2021 – SAILING ON THE WEDDELL SEA
Amidst the eerie stillness of the Weddell Sea, you’ll wend your way through a veritable labyrinth of majestic table icebergs. Sweeping ice platforms sculpt a landscape unlike any other, populated by fur seals, penguins, wandering albatross and other imposing seabirds. The Weddell seal, king of this realm, will welcome you to his territory with a haunting cry that pierces the surrounding silence. You’ll recognise him by his dark grey coat and spotted belly. Weddell seals have the impressive distinction of being able to stay underwater for more than an hour.
26 NOVEMBER 2021 – 27 NOVEMBER 2021 – CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE
If there is one place, one sea, one waterway dreaded by tourists, researchers and hardened seafarers alike, it is undoubtedly Drake Passage. Situated at the latitude of the infamous Furious Fifties winds, between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, it is the shortest route to Antarctica. Seasoned navigators will tell you that you must earn your visit to the White Continent! As the Antarctic convergence zone where cold currents rising up from the South Pole meet warmer equatorial water masses, Drake Passage harbours a very diverse marine fauna. Don’t forget to look to the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels, playfully floating about in the wind around your ship.
USHUAIA
Capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia lies in a bay opening into the Beagle Channel at the country’s southernmost tip. Its colourful houses are framed against towering mountains, snow-capped in winter and summer alike. Downtown, the End of the World Museumshowcases Tierra del Fuego’s natural and indigenous history. A ride on the heritage railway is an exciting excursion into the Tierra del Fuego National Park, while a cruise on Ushuaia Bay is the perfect way to spot sea lions and Magellanic penguins.
Click here to view the terms & conditions on our website
- The information above is current but subject to change at any time without advance notice from government authorities. Please consult your respective government agencies for visa and health information.
- Passport valid for at least six (6) months beyond the completion of your trip. Passport must contain at least two completely clear, blank, unused visa pages for each visa required, not including any amendment pages. Visa pages with stains or ink from other pages in the passport are not usable. Guests who deviate from the scheduled embarkation or disembarkation port should research the foreign entry requirements for the port country. Due to government regulations, regrettably, Ponant will have to deny boarding to any guest who fails to obtain the appropriate travel documentation for this trip.
- Warning about the use of drones: the use of drones aboard PONANT ships, whether they are sailing at sea, at a port of call or anchored, is strictly forbidden. The use of drones on land in the Arctic and Antarctic regions is also strictly forbidden by international polar regulations. In other regions, it may be possible to use drones on land if permission has been obtained from the relevant authorities of each country and each region travelled through, as well as a pilot’s licence that should be obtained from your home country. Passengers are responsible for obtaining these permits; they should be able to present them at all times. Passengers who do not obtain these authorisations expose themselves to the risk of legal proceedings.
- We remind you that all our ships, with the exception of Le Ponant, have a doctor on board and medical facilities. However, these cannot, under any circumstances, be compared to any medical structure on land. Given the remote areas in which we will be sailing for a number of days, safety requirements mean that we are obliged to ask each passenger signing up for this program to provide us, no more than 45 days before departure, with a medical certificate from their GP, as well as the completed medical questionnaire received during registration.
- Argentina: should you require a visa to travel to Argentina, we recommend you apply for a double-entry visa as a technical stop in Chile might be scheduled.
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