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Beyond the Antarctic Circle – In the Wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

In alliance with The Explorers Club

Beyond the Antarctic Circle – In the Wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

  • Itinerary
    Ushuaia to Ushuaia
    Duration
    16 days
  • Dates
    Prices from
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Come aboard Le Commandant Charcot for an unforgettable voyage.

Through PONANT’s alliance with The Explorers Club, this voyage will feature Dr. Britney Schmidt, Associate Professor at Cornell University and Astrobiologist, who is at the forefront of polar and planetary exploration. Dr. Schmidt leads a team developing cutting-edge robotic tools, including Icefin, an innovative under-ice vehicle that explores beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves and glaciers. Her team made a groundbreaking discovery by revealing how Thwaites Glacier’s grounding line is melting through the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. In 2023, Dr. Schmidt and colleague Peter Davis were named as Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and recognized as an Explorers Club EC 50 member in 2024. Dr. Schmidt has played a key role in NASA missions and completed numerous field seasons in Antarctica and the Arctic, advancing our understanding of Earth and beyond.

Equipped with specialized laboratories onboard Le Commandant Charcot, Explorers Club Science Grantees will provide invaluable firsthand knowledge, delving into their ongoing research.

With featured guest Santiago Ramirez Said, Colombian photo ambassador.

Your journey aboard Le Commandant Charcot will begin with your first look at this strikingly elegant ship, capable of navigating our planet’s most extreme environments. You are about to begin an adventure that will lead you to the edges of the Earth, on the continent that no people have ever inhabited, the Antarctic. But while these lands belong to no one, they have been the theatre of the greatest expeditions and have proven the heroism exemplified by certain men. From the Antarctic Peninsula to the Bellingshausen Sea and its unknown islets, Le Commandant Charcot will humbly take you on a 15-day exploration of the Far South, in the wake of the legendary man to whom it owes its name.

After crossing the mythical Drake Passage, beaten by the winds and home to soaring cape petrels, you will glimpse the last continent on the horizon. Jean-Baptiste Charcot led his first journey to the Antarctic over a century ago, but his exploits still resonate and his traces are tangible here. His first expedition with the ship Le Français built his legend and made a mark on Salpêtrière Bay. A little further south lies Marguerite Bay, which he explored during his second expedition. He named this mountainous and magnificent land after his wife and Pourquoi-Pas Island after his eponymous ship. At the exit of the Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island still holds memories of the wintering of this exceptional expedition.

As you sail on exploring the Bellingshausen Sea, the conditions become increasingly extreme. Ice takes over your horizon, the ice floe stretches out, and icebergs drift around you. The approach to Charcot Island guarantees intense emotions and gives you the unique feeling of being among the privileged few able to contemplate it.

Throughout your journey, our team of passionate experts will go over all the details of these historic exploits with you while sharing their in-depth knowledge of the wildlife and landscapes. You will have the chance to observe Adelie, Gentoo and chinstrap penguins and perhaps even some young emperor penguins on the edge of the ice floe. Leopard, crabeater and Weddell seals, humpback and Mink whales, and orcas also live in these southern waters that you will sail through like those men of legend did before you.

We are privileged guests in these extreme lands where we are at the mercy of weather and ice conditions. Our navigation will be determined by the type of ice we come across; as the fast ice must be preserved, we will take this factor into account from day to day in our itineraries. The sailing schedule and any landings, activities and wildlife encounters are subject to weather and ice conditions. These experiences are unique and vary with each departure. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while respecting safety instructions and regulations imposed by the IAATO.

Overview

Your voyage

All-inclusive

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Destination

Destination

Antarctica

Ushuaia to Ushuaia

Duration

16 days, 14 nights on board

The Explorers Club, Expeditions

The Explorers Club

The Explorers Club

Britney Schmidt

Britney Schmidt, Santiago Ramirez Said

Night in santiago + flight santiago/ushuaia + transfers + flight ushuaia/santiago

No single supplement, PONANT Bonus 20%

Hiking or snowshoeing

Hiking or snowshoeing, Polar plunge, Kayaking - Le Commandant Charcot, Outings and shore visits in zodiac inflatables

Ref: UUIQ45 - CC061225

Journey

Your daily itinerary

  • A voyage infused with the spirit of discovery, accompanied by special guests from The Explorers Club to share onboard lectures, exploration stories, and scientific research.
  • Discover the polar landscapes (ice floes, glaciers, icebergs) and wildlife: opportunities to observe penguins, seals, whales, orcas and seabirds.
  • Activities: outings and shore visits in a rubber dinghy with a team including naturalist guides; kayaking; polar hikes on foot or snowshoes; polar plunge without a wetsuit.
Beyond the Antarctic Circle – In the Wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot null

Customize your journey:

Guests

Sharing your journey with

Britney Schmidt Peter Kimball

Britney Schmidt

Santiago Ramirez Said ARR

Santiago Ramirez Said

Staterooms and suites

Elegance and refinement

*Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability, and subject to change at any time. The category of stateroom to which this price applies may no longer be available.

Details

More information

What's Included

Important travel details

In your luggage

Beyond the Antarctic Circle – In the Wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Itinerary

Embarkation 06/12/25 from 16:00 to 17:00 Departure 06/12/25 at 18:00

6 Dec 25 - Ushuaia
6 Dec 25 - Ushuaia

Arrival 07/12/25 Departure 08/12/25

7 Dec 25 > 8 Dec 25 - Crossing the Drake Passage
7 Dec 25 > 8 Dec 25 - Crossing the Drake Passage

Arrival 09/12/25 Departure 09/12/25

9 Dec 25 - Crossing the Antarctic Circle
9 Dec 25 - Crossing the Antarctic Circle

Arrival 09/12/25 Departure 09/12/25

9 Dec 25 - The Gullet
9 Dec 25 - The Gullet

Arrival 10/12/25 Departure 11/12/25

10 Dec 25 > 11 Dec 25 - Expedition to Charcot Island
10 Dec 25 > 11 Dec 25 - Expedition to Charcot Island

Arrival 12/12/25 Departure 12/12/25

12 Dec 25 - Bellingshausen Sea
12 Dec 25 - Bellingshausen Sea

Arrival 13/12/25 Departure 13/12/25

13 Dec 25 - At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot
13 Dec 25 - At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot

Arrival 14/12/25 Departure 14/12/25

14 Dec 25 - Marguerite Bay
14 Dec 25 - Marguerite Bay

Arrival 15/12/25 Departure 15/12/25

15 Dec 25 - Pourquoi Pas Island
15 Dec 25 - Pourquoi Pas Island

Arrival 16/12/25 Departure 17/12/25

16 Dec 25 > 17 Dec 25 - Antarctic Peninsula
16 Dec 25 > 17 Dec 25 - Antarctic Peninsula

Arrival 18/12/25 Departure 19/12/25

18 Dec 25 > 19 Dec 25 - Crossing the Drake Passage
18 Dec 25 > 19 Dec 25 - Crossing the Drake Passage

Arrival 20/12/25 Disembarkation 20/12/25 at 7:00

20 Dec 25 - Ushuaia
20 Dec 25 - Ushuaia

Beyond the Antarctic Circle – In the Wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Included package

Night in Santiago + flight Santiago/Ushuaia + transfers + flight Ushuaia/Santiago

Beyond the Antarctic Circle – In the Wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Customize your journey

Exclusive overnight in santiago (1 night)

EXCLUSIVE OVERNIGHT IN SANTIAGO (1 NIGHT)
Details

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

Day 1 - Pier of disembarkation/Santiago

Meet and greet at the pier by PONANT by our local representative.
You will be transferred to Magnolia Hotel Santiago.
Lunch and afternoon at leisure.
Dinner at leisure.

Optional activity for dinner:

Wine cellar dinner
In a historic and intimate space, enjoy a gastronomic expericence combine with a fine selection of Chilean wines.

Limited seats, contact your travel agent for more information.

Day 2 - Santiago

Breakfast followed by check-out.
You will then be transferred to the airport in time for check-in for the PONANT selected flight or any other flight (provided that you have previously communicated your flight schedule to your travel agent).

Your hotel:

Hotel Magnolia Santiago is located just a few steps from the Lastarria district in downtown Santiago.

You'll discover a restored, listed building, elegantly decorated and offering maximum comfort. Rooms feature air conditioning and heating, king-size beds, private bathrooms, minibars, coffeemakers, flat-screen cable TVs and safes. You will enjoy a restaurant, terrace and bar, so you can enjoy delicious gourmet food at any time. There's also a library, 24-hour reception, concierge service, gym, in-room massage service and luggage storage. Chile's National Museum of Fine Arts is 400 metres away.

Upgraded rooms are also available depending on availability and on a supplement basis. Contact your travel professional for further detail.

Your programme includes:

·        1-night Deluxe accommodation at The Magnolia Hotel Santiago local norm (or similar), including breakfast. 

·        Transfers mentioned in the programme.

·        Services of a local English speaking local guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Tips for the guide and the driver.

·        Personal expenses and other services not mentioned in the programme.

·        The lunch and dinneron your arrival day.

·        Optional dinner experience


Please note:

The official currency is the Chilean peso. Credit cards are accepted in most hotels, city centre shops and boutiques, or you can change euros in the foreign exchange outlets, or take out Chilean pesos from cash-points and banks. US dollars are also accepted (make sure you have some small denomination notes with you).
It is imperative that the details of your departure flight are provided to your travel agent, no later than 30 days before the start date of your cruise, to secure the proper private transfer.

Contacts of your hotel:

The Magnolia Hotel

Huérfanos 539, 8320150 Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chili

+56 2 2664 4043

To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.
Travellers are advised to check all the information with the authorities concerned prior to the departure date. CDP advises Travellers to consult the country factsheets relating to the chosen destinations. CDP specifically draws Travellers' attention to the fact that the information provided may change up until the departure date, and they are advised to consult that information up until the time of departure. CDP invites Travellers to adjust their behavior to the visited country, to exercise vigilance and to avoid carrying valuable objects during their travel.


Total

380 €/person*

Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability.

Flights from/ to paris + flights + exclusive overnight in santiago 1n (post)

FLIGHTS FROM/ TO PARIS + FLIGHTS + EXCLUSIVE OVERNIGHT IN SANTIAGO 1N (POST)
Details

Total

1,900 €/person*

Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability.

Beyond the Antarctic Circle – In the Wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Other available dates

06/12/2520/12/25

14 nights aboard the ship Le Commandant Charcot

No single supplement, PONANT Bonus 20%

From

23,790 €

/person*

20/12/2503/01/26Sold out

14 nights aboard the ship LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT

From

28,950 €

/person*

Discover

03/01/2617/01/26

14 nights aboard the ship LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT

PONANT Bonus 10%

From

26,370 €

/person*

Discover