Ponant publishes its first Polar Diary

The high-end Polar Diary is filled with stunning images and personal testimonies to the emotions and privileged rare encounters experienced by travelers in the polar regions. Among them: a whale emerging alongside a Zodiac, a penguin colony plunging into glacial-blue Antarctic waters and an encounter with the Inuit people.

This invitation to discover far corners of the globe in five-star comfort on board luxury small ships without losing the authenticity of the experience includes interactions with Ponant’s naturalists and those who call the polar regions home.

The brochure details both new and classic routes.

For example, three cruises on Le Soléal will follow the Vikings, from Iceland to Newfoundland, then on to the St Lawrence region, with visits to archaeological remains and talks to understand more about these great explorers.

'The Saga of Erik the Red' sails the route of Greenland's first colonizer. The Aug. 9, 2017 cruise, 12 nights, is from Reykjavik to Kangerlussuaq. 'Ultima Thulé – The Horizontal Everest,' offers the chance to meet Inuit people and see the region's most diverse range of wildlife and drifting ice. The Aug. 21 departure, 16 nights, is round-trip Kangerlussuaq. 'Vinland - The Discovery of America,' heads to the New World as the Vikings did, 500 years before Christopher Columbus. The Sept. 6 sailing, 14 nights, is from Kangerlussuaq to Québec City.

These cruises can be taken back-to-back. 

Heading south, Le Soléal charts a first for the company: crossing the Antarctic Circle (latitude 66°33’39’’ south). During this 'Sailing Through the Sea Ice' cruise, passengers will visit the Falkland/Malvinas Islands and South Georgia before reaching Antarctica. The 16-night voyage departs Jan. 23, 2018, round-trip Ushuaia.

Accompanied by naturalist guides and experienced expedition leaders, passengers will go on landings to see colonies of king penguins and explore one of the Antarctic Peninsula’s most beautiful sites, Neko Bay.

The Polar Diary has been sent to Ponant Yacht Club members and partner travel agencies, and will be available in French, English and German on Ponant websites April 5. The brochure also can be ordered online.