Discover New Horizons with PONANT’s 2024 Luxury Cruises

PONANT, a designer of inspiring voyages aboard small exploration ships, will deliver an added dose of adventure in 2024 thanks to new and renewed partnerships with The Explorers Club and Smithsonian Journeys, just-launched itineraries in North America and Japan, and a never-traveled transarctic crossing in search of the elusive Magnetic and Geographic North Poles. Scientific discovery is a focus, with opportunities to learn from the world’s foremost researchers and adventurers aboard PONANT’s fleet of thirteen yacht-style vessels. Read on to discover what’s on the horizon from this boutique cruise line.

Exploration with Smithsonian Journeys

PONANT and Smithsonian Journeys are teaming up for the third consecutive year to offer all-new sailings in 2024. As with the previous journeys, these itineraries will be led by two Smithsonian Journeys experts with a background in art history, solar astrophysics, international relations, or another field. Their expertise and knowledge will deepen travelers’ immersion in the place and showcase the world’s most spectacular destinations in a whole new light. Among the departures are a seven-night expedition along New Zealand’s South Island (February 15–22), a weeklong journey into the cultural and natural treasures of Japan (May 21–28), and an epic discovery of Alaska’s Inside Passage (July 5–13 and July 20–28).

Launch of The Explorers Club Collaboration

This year also sees the launch of a new chapter in exploration now that PONANT and The Explorers Club—established more than a century ago and devoted to scientific expeditions of all disciplines—have joined forces. They offer weeks-long expeditions to the world’s most remote corners, including the Geographic North Pole, Papua New Guinea, and Antarctica. Each voyage will host a speaker series dedicated to themes of research and exploration where esteemed current explorers will regale guests with the wildest tales from their adventures and share fascinating insights from their research during onboard lectures and offshore activities.

Join the twelve-night expedition departing May 16 to Greenland’s Scoresby Sound, a region typically out of reach during this time of year due to the coastal ice flow. Ann Andreasen, the principal of Uummannaq Children’s Home and director of Uummannaq Polar Institute, will host this voyage with graduates of her school who specialize in traditional Inuit drumming and storytelling. Thanks to the Science Grant program, scientists will be present on five of the twelve expeditions to share their findings across the disciplines of glaciology, oceanography, and geology. They will also lead scientific research initiatives that inspire guests to roll up their sleeves.

What’s New with Le Commandant Charcot

Departing September 6, 2024, Le Commandant Charcot will trace the path of the great explorer Umberto Nobile to Earth’s northernmost point. Inaccessible to traditional ships, this will mark the first-ever voyage along the transarctic maritime route from the legendary Bering Strait to the ice-covered land of Svalbard and the Beaufort Sea to attempt to reach both the elusive Magnetic and Geographic North Poles. The twenty-one-day dedicated research mission will be led by acclaimed adventurer Alban Michon, American photo ambassador Cindy Miller Hopkins, and a multidisciplinary team of around twenty scientists. Their presence on Le Commandant Charcot, which serves as a floating research center with two onboard laboratories, a meteorological station, and a helipad and helicopter used solely to aid with scouting and research, will sharpen guests’ understanding of the polar world and partake in important scientific investigations.

Journeys in Japan

PONANT’s new Japan itineraries offer a rare look at the captivating country, where ancient traditions fuse with modern marvels and spectacular natural landscapes. Departing April 20–27, the weeklong “Kyushu’s Secret Islands and Ancestral Heritage” itinerary invites guests to discover the western part of the island. Explore UNESCO Heritage Sites, charming coastal villages (including the only Christian site in the Kumamoto Prefecture), and the wildlife-rich islands of Jeju, South Korea, and Yakushima, the former of which is dominated by the area’s tallest volcano and the latter of which is home to the rare Yakushima monkey.

Also departing from Kagoshima, May 4–12, is a separate itinerary: “Japan, Natural Archipelago and Secular Heritage.” This trip will uncover the gems of western Kyushu and the Seto Inland Sea, with a thematic focus on Japan’s culture, ancestral traditions, and little-known Christian heritage. The journey will set sail for the fascinating Koshikijima islands, followed by the island region of Amakusa (once a refuge for Christians during the Edo period), the Goto Islands, and the spectacular seaside city of Busan, South Korea.

New North American Cruises

Experience the Great North like never before with all-new PONANT journeys along Canada’s mightiest waterways. Highlights include an eleven-day autumnal expedition from September 4–14 to discover Lake Superior, with stops at Mackinac Island and the charming city of Bayfield, where guests will enjoy a performance by members of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) tribe.

Also in September is a twelve-day sail along the St. Lawrence River (September 8–19), beginning on the Saint Pierre and Miquelon archipelago before threading along the shores of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, and Newfoundland’s Gros Morne National Park before ending in the cosmopolitan city of Montreal.

There’s also a first-of-its-kind two-week journey from Montreal to New York in partnership with PARIS Match magazine, departing September 19 to October 1. The culture-packed getaway combines UNESCO World Heritage Sites and wildlife with stops in Quebec’s Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park, Newport, and Martha’s Vineyard.

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With PONANT, exploration is refined, authentic, and a source of inspiration. The company sails to the Arctic and the Antarctic, as well as many other destinations worldwide. For more information, visit US.PONANT.com.