In the ice of the Arctic

Embarkation from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Departure  at 10:00 PM

La capital de Islandia se extiende a lo largo del borde de una vasta bahía en el oeste del país. Perlan, la “Perla de Reykjavík”, un museo ubicado en la colina ’Oskjuhlið, ofrece una vista panorámica de los exuberantes paisajes verdes. Un poco más adelante, se puede ver fácilmente el cartel que indica el camino hacia la iglesia evangélica Hallgrímskirkja y hacia el centro histórico, donde se puede pasear por Skólavördustígur y Laugavegur, dos calles animadas con encantadoras pequeñas tiendas. Para un poco de relajación justo fuera de la ciudad, los visitantes tienen la oportunidad de visitar la península de Reykjanes y sus famosas lagunas termales de la Laguna Azul.

Pase momentos excepcionales navegando a bordo de Le Commandant Charcot, el primer buque de exploración polar de lujo del mundo y el primer crucero polar de clase PC2 capaz de navegar hasta el corazón mismo de los hielos, en mares y océanos que las condiciones heladas hacen inaccesibles a los buques ordinarios. Le Commandant Charcot está dotado de equipos oceanográficos y científicos seleccionados por un comité de expertos. Aproveche las conferencias a bordo y las oportunidades de debate con estos especialistas para aprender más sobre los polos. Participe en el avance de la investigación científica y descubramos juntos lo que estos fascinantes destinos aún tienen que revelarnos.

Still almost unknown just a century ago, the east coast of Greenland remains the most authentic and majestic region. Here, the alpine mountains merge intimately with the sea, while the fjords are adorned with high snow-capped peaks and drifting icebergs. Follow in the wake of Captain Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s famous ship, the Pourquoi Pas?, which set off with its crew to discover Ammassalik, a small island of primitive and wild beauty where the Inuit people chose to live. The name of this island is a reference to the capelin, a small flamboyant silver coloured fish, whose presence in the thousands announces to inhabitants the return of spring. A surprising discovery in a spectacular setting.

Aboard your ship, follow in the footsteps of Jules Poret de Blosseville, a French explorer and sailor. In 1833, aboard La Lilloise, he set off to discover this isolated and unexplored part of eastern Greenland and gave French names to various sites on the coast. The adventure probably has an unfortunate outcome, since the crew was never found. This uninhabited territory, which now bears his name, lies to the south of Scoresby Sund. Surrounded by ice, icebergs and pieces of pack ice, Blosseville Coast is one of these wild and hard-to-reach places that very few people are lucky enough to explore.

On the East coast of Greenland, in the Ittoqqortoormiit region, you will have the rare opportunity of immersing yourself in the heart of isolated scenery and exploring the beauty of its landscapes. The high alpine mountains stand out in the sky, revealing dark rock edges. The region is home to the longest fjord system in the world, Scoresby Sound. On the edge of the fjord, the eponymous village is considered one of the most remote inhabited places in the world. The colourful houses, so typical of Greenland, dot the landscape with small red, yellow and blue patches that stand out against the surrounding arid landscape. Immersing yourself in this region will allow you to discover the ancestral way of life of the last hunters of the polar region. This will be a veritable deep-dive into the lives of the Arctic’s inhabitants.

Set sail for North-East Greenland to immerse yourself further and up higher in the Arctic region to explore the unexpected riches of the sea ice, where traditional ships cannot travel at this time of the year. As the light shifts and the moods of the sky change, the different states of the ice and the infinite diversity of its textures create an exceptionally stunning tableau. With patience and humility, you will sail amid the pearl-white floating cathedrals and the ice carried by the Transpolar Drift. En route, icebergs have their journey halted by ice and pressure ridges reveal their sharp edges. In the midst of this icy vastness, beauty is found in the detail and the magic of the moment. In the realm of polar bears, Le Commandant Charcot is a reassuring cocoon built for polar exploration and offers you wonderful opportunities to observe these lords of the ice when you happen upon them. You may even get the chance to admire the moving sight of a mother and her cub travelling across the immaculate icy expanse.

Pase momentos excepcionales navegando a bordo de Le Commandant Charcot, el primer buque de exploración polar de lujo del mundo y el primer crucero polar de clase PC2 capaz de navegar hasta el corazón mismo de los hielos, en mares y océanos que las condiciones heladas hacen inaccesibles a los buques ordinarios. Le Commandant Charcot está dotado de equipos oceanográficos y científicos seleccionados por un comité de expertos. Aproveche las conferencias a bordo y las oportunidades de debate con estos especialistas para aprender más sobre los polos. Participe en el avance de la investigación científica y descubramos juntos lo que estos fascinantes destinos aún tienen que revelarnos.

The Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve has been protecting the northernmost and coldest part of the archipelago, Nordaustlandet (North East Land), since 1973. This vast polar desert covered by two ice caps is the second largest island in the Svalbard archipelago. Protected by the Gulf Stream, the fjords and cliffs in the west and north are home to large colonies of birds and walruses. The landscapes in the colder east and south are dominated by imposing glaciers that calve majestic icebergs in the vast Hinlopen Strait. Large colonies of thick-billed murres have taken up residence on the sheer cliffs*. You may even get the chance to see a bear or an Arctic fox roaming in the vicinity.

*depending on nesting and migration period

Sailing in the Hinlopen Strait, in the heart of the Arctic Ocean, between the Norwegian islands of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet promises an unforgettable experience. This territory of the Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve offers breathtaking panoramas, with magnificent basalt formations and the ice cap stretching as far as the eye can see, diving into the sea. The shore line cut by the fjords moving inland composes a magical landscape in which icebergs float here and there, the result of the calving of the surrounding glaciers. This place, today a popular spot to observe the seabirds nesting in the enormous cliffs, polar bears and walruses, was once intrinsically linked to the history of the whalers who frequented the region from the 17th century. Indeed, it was one of them, Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen, then director of a Dutch whaling company, who gave the strait its name. Later on, Russian trappers, European explorers, scientists and even mountaineers roamed this region, as hostile as it is sublime.

The Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve is the second largest protected area in Norway. Established in 1973, this nature conservation area stretching over more than 21,000 km2 will offer you stunning panoramas including coastal landscapes, rocky islets, mountain plateaux, vast tundra plains, and ice floes. With a little luck, you will be able to observe a wide variety of seabirds, given the site is listed as an Important Bird Area, as well as cetaceans, Svalbard reindeer, or even Arctic foxes. Among other things, Edgeoya Island is renowned for providing shelter to a number of polar bears during the breeding season.

Pase momentos excepcionales navegando a bordo de Le Commandant Charcot, el primer buque de exploración polar de lujo del mundo y el primer crucero polar de clase PC2 capaz de navegar hasta el corazón mismo de los hielos, en mares y océanos que las condiciones heladas hacen inaccesibles a los buques ordinarios. Le Commandant Charcot está dotado de equipos oceanográficos y científicos seleccionados por un comité de expertos. Aproveche las conferencias a bordo y las oportunidades de debate con estos especialistas para aprender más sobre los polos. Participe en el avance de la investigación científica y descubramos juntos lo que estos fascinantes destinos aún tienen que revelarnos.

Longyearbyen es la capital del archipiélago noruego de Svalbard, ubicada en la isla principal de Svalbard, y es la capital territorial más septentrional del planeta. Con temperaturas invernales que pueden bajar de los -40 °C, los paisajes de esta ciudad minera son simplemente impresionantes. Los glaciares, las montañas que se extienden hasta donde alcanza la vista y la naturaleza intacta te hacen sentir como si estuvieras en un territorio completamente inexplorado.

Desembarque - Longyearbyen/Paris

Desembarque.

Recepción en el puerto por parte de nuestro representante local de habla inglesa.

Transfer to the airport in time for check-in of flight Longyearbyen/Paris selected.

Flight Longyearbyen/Paris selected.

Duración aproximada del vuelo: 4 h 30 min.

We highly recommend you stay one night in Paris after this flight.