Explore to inspire, a PONANT podcast
PONANT's cruises
There are places where time seems to have no hold, freezing the scenery in the unspoilt emotion of the world’s first mornings. Travelling to Antarctica means immersing yourself in a white and majestic sanctuary. A sublime contemplation of the absolute. From the glistening pack ice to the deep blue of millennia-old ice, Earth’s last great wilderness beckons exploration.
Antarctic landscapes, a theatre of ice and light
Sailing in the Southern Oceans means succumbing to the enchantment of the White Continent. From the moors of the Falklands to the black sands of South Georgia, the landscape gradually becomes barren. The Antarctic Peninsula then unfolds its breathtaking fjords, before giving way to the immensity of the Weddell Sea to the east. To the west, on the edge of the continent, the Ross Sea unfurls its ice barrier beneath the silhouette of Mount Erebus. As the gateway to the South Pole, it remains closely linked to the history of exploration. A transparent theatre where tabular icebergs and low-angled light constantly reinvent the horizon, in a silence barely disturbed by the creaking of the pack ice.
Antarctic wildlife, a ballet of wildlife
A veritable polar Noah’s Ark, Antarctica is home to unexpected life. In the ocean, whales, orcas and rorquals swim majestically, while in the air, albatrosses and giant petrels fly over the waves. On the pack ice, the clamour of the penguins echoes the whistles of Weddell seals basking on the ice. Wildlife with no terrestrial predators offers the privilege of unfiltered encounters.
A whale jumping in Antarctica
Ice sculpture
Emperor penguin in Paradise Bay, Weddell Sea
A chunk of ice in the Weddell Sea
Harbour seal at Portal Point, Antarctic Peninsula
Tabular iceberg in the Ross Sea
Inside Sir Robert Falcon Scott’s hut, Ross Island
Chinstrap penguin, Aitcho Islands
What accounts for this strange attraction to these polar regions, so powerful, so tenacious, that once you’ve returned you forget the hardships and think only of going back?
Jean-Baptiste Charcot
Up close with the elements: six experiences to enjoy in Antarctica
It is on the ice or along the water that a trip to Antarctica truly comes into its own. Glide through the ice in a kayak, try to get close to majestic emperor penguins, flirt with the South Pole in the Ross Sea, or travel back in time in the footsteps of Jean-Baptiste Charcot. A collection of special moments.
Walk with the emperors
An icon of the Southern Oceans, the emperor penguin commands respect with its majesty. With its long curved beak, black and white plumage enhanced by two bright yellow spots, its silhouette stands out against the vast white expanse. The only penguin to brave the southern winter, the emperor penguin breeds where everything freezes. It is a rare privilege to get close to these colonies, which raise their chicks on the pack ice.
Glide silently through the ice
Change your perspective and experience Antarctica from the water’s edge. Kayak between millennia-old ice fragments and blue cliffs. This stealthy approach sometimes offers moments of grace: a seal piqued by curiosity or, for the luckiest among you, the blow of a whale rising in a plume into the icy air.
Walk in the footsteps of explorers
These southern latitudes captured the imagination of explorers during the golden age of polar exploration at the turn of the 20th century. On Petermann Island, relive Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s wintering aboard his ship named Pourquoi Pas?. Opposite Elephant Island, imagine the refuge of the shipwrecked crew of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance. To follow in their footsteps is to appreciate the incredible daring of these pioneers, whose tales of shipwrecks and survival still haunt these places.
Sail along the legendary South Pole route
In the Ross Sea, nicknamed the “Last Ocean”, sail beneath the immense ice cap that partially covers the largest marine sanctuary on the planet. A monumental ice barrier punctuated by vast grottoes carved out by the waves. At the foot of Mount Erebus, on the shores of the west coast of Ross Island, discover the huts of Robert Falcon Scott (Discovery expeditions 1901–1904 and Terra Nova, 1910-1913) and Sir Ernest Shackleton (Nimrod expedition 1907-1909), moving remnants of the race to the South Pole, frozen in the cold.
Hike among king penguins
Before the ice, enjoy a green stopover in the Falkland Islands. Stroll through its tussock moors swept by the winds of the South Atlantic. It is on these white sandy beaches that the king penguin has established its colonies. They sometimes stretch as far as the eye can see. Watch these birds of rare elegance moving in their thousands, in harmony with the rich wildlife of the archipelago, which is home to a large colony of black-browed albatrosses. A gentle and soothing immersion in nature.
Sail through the heart of the Deception Island caldera
Nestled in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, Deception Island is one of the jewels of the South Shetland Islands. Recognisable by its horseshoe shape, this ancient volcano offers a unique natural shelter. Cross ”Neptune’s Bellows” to sail right into the heart of the flooded crater. On the black ash beaches, amidst the remnants of the whaling era, rub shoulders with the largest colony of chinstrap penguins in the region.
Area: 14 million km².
Population: 0 permanent residents, 1,000 to 5,000 scientists.
South Pole
The Antarctic Treaty (1959) dedicates the continent to peace and science.
Tabular icebergs, like the bow of a ship
Tabular
Refers to an iceberg with a flat shape and vertical walls, characteristic of Antarctica. These giants detached from the ice cap can measure tens of square kilometres.
Gentoo penguins around the Port Lockroy post office
Snowy albatross flying over the Drake Passage
The Drake Passage
Between Cape Horn and Antarctica, the Drake Passage is legendary. Crossing these “Furious Fifties” is a necessary and sometimes turbulent rite of passage for any polar traveller.
The Antarctic “desert”, Hanusse Bay
A frozen desert
With virtually no rainfall inland, Antarctica is paradoxically the coldest and driest desert in the world.
