Explore to inspire, a PONANT podcast
PONANT's cruises
Exploring the White Continent
From penguins, cetaceans and seals to a gigantic ice shelf and drifting ice floes, since the earliest days of polar exploration the White Continent has never ceased to fascinate. As you sail towards the high southern latitudes, the known world gradually disappears, giving way to the rare sensation of travelling to the furthest reaches of the planet. Experiences in Antarctica are a reminder of the profoundly unique nature of this sanctuary of peace and science.
1. Observe the widest variety of penguins in the world
For some twelve million years, huge families of penguins have flourished on the coasts of the sub-Antarctic islands and on the shores of mainland Antarctica. The members of the large community include vast colonies of intensely social King penguins, mischievous Adélie penguins, impassive Chinstrap penguins, tireless Gentoo penguins and majestic and mysterious Emperor penguins, the champions of survival in this polar environment. These emblematic sentinels of Antarctica display engaging curiosity towards explorers fascinated by polar wildlife.
2. Approach the South Magnetic Pole
The great adventure of polar exploration enabled 19th-century navigators to locate the magnetic South Pole, where the Earth’s geomagnetic field lines converge. Unlike the geographic South Pole, the coordinates of the magnetic South Pole are not fixed. Varying from year to year, the spot at which compass needles literally go wild can be several dozen kilometres away from its previous location. This is why there is little navigation in this area that shifts slowly between land and sea.
3. Sail alongside the longest ice shelf in the world
A “large ice shelf preventing us from continuing our course further south”. This was how James Clark Ross described what is now the longest ice shelf in the world. This natural wall seems to block the sea, named the Ross Sea in honour of the pioneering navigator. Sailing along the base of this giant is one of the most striking experiences to be had in Antarctica.
4. Learn from the exploits of Sir Ernest Shackleton
Among the giants of Antarctic exploration, Sir Ernest Shackleton stands out as a hero and an exceptional leader. His courage saved the lives of almost all the members of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917), after the loss of Endurance in the Weddell Sea. Today, journeying to Antarctica, visiting the sites of their exploits, brings to life the inspiring legacy of the pioneers of South Pole exploration.
5. Contemplate Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost volcano
Imagine a lake of lava bubbling beneath an icy cone. Fire and ice, thousands of miles from inhabited land. At an altitude of 3,794 metres, fumaroles of steam rise constantly from the highest point of Ross Island. To observe Mount Erebus is to witness extreme heat bursting forth from a landscape of intense cold. Last erupting in 2020, the world’s southernmost active volcano has retained all its powers of fascination.
6. Hike on little-known frozen shores
Step out in snowshoes and feel the crunch of snow under your feet to experience the unique sensation of being a pioneer. Hiking on the icy shores of little-known or little-explored islands and coastlines has all the makings of a life-changing experience. These territories, such as Charcot Island or Pourquoi Pas Island, uninhabited except for the occasional sea lion or penguin, give hikers the impression of following in the footsteps of the first explorers of the White Continent.
7. Send a postcard from the world’s southernmost post office
A post office in Antarctica? For three months of the year, volunteers staff the small base at Port Lockroy, a former scientific research station, now a museum, but also the world’s most southerly post office! Be sure to call in and write a postcard, which will be duly dispatched by one of the local volunteers who, as well as sorting the post, monitor a colony of Gentoo penguins and keep the shelters in a good state of repair.
8. Admire the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea
To the observer, this remarkable, geometrically precise landscape of ice cliffs almost looks man-made. And yet the Larsen Ice Shelf is a natural miracle. Formed of several giant floating platforms of ice, it constitutes the main source of protection for the Antarctic ice cap, which helps to regulate our planet’s climate.
9. Enjoy the ballet of exceptional marine life
The animal kingdom is astonishingly diverse all around Antarctica: the coastline of the White Continent boasts a unique variety of marine species. While crabeater seals, Weddell seals and sea lions can be seen close to the coast, the various oceans bordering the continent are also among the migration routes used by large cetaceans. During your polar exploration, you will come across humpback whales, and you may even encounter the fascinating and majestic blue whale.
10. Kayak between ice floes
Paddle silently through an environment made of ice and water. Forge a path between the frozen walls of sea ice. Feel the almost absolute silence, disturbed only by the gentle swash of the paddles and the slow cracking of the ice. The high point of an Antarctic adventure can be reached by kayak, which offers one of the most wonderful ways of becoming an ambassador for Antarctica.
Ready for the trip of a lifetime?
On 11 January 2028, Le Commandant Charcot, the only passenger ship icebreaker, will carry out its first ever complete circumnavigation of the Antarctic, starting from Ushuaïa in Argentina, heading for Hobart in Tasmania via the Pacific Ocean, before returning to Ushuaïa via the southern Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. 23,000 km of coastline, a two-month voyage… A sailing experience like no other.
Photo credits: ©PONANT/Julien Fabro; Mike Louagie; Nicolas Dubreuil; ©StudioPONANT/Olivier Blaud; Morgane Monneret; Nathalie Michel; Clement Louineau; Laurence Fischer; Adrien Morlent; Camille Martin Juan
Set sail for Antarctica
An unforgettable travel experience with PONANT
