Unveiling its newest polar expedition on the Le Commandant Charcot, Ponant has created the first-ever dual-Poles sailing. This will be a world record for the cruise line, as no other ship has sailed through both geographic and magnetic North poles in September 2024.

Le Commandant Charcot will sail in the trail of explorer, Umberto Nobile, who was the first to cross the Artic via the North Pole aboard the Norge airship in 1926. Onboard PONANT’s pioneering journey, guests will leave Nome behind to navigate through the Bering Strait before reaching the Beauford Sea and its ice floes. After visiting both North poles, guests will ultimately reach the ice-covered land of Svalbard.

Throughout the 21-day itinerary, passengers will first see the spectacular Northern Lights,  before encountering a large variety of wildlife including bears, walruses, polar foxes, and whales.

In the last few days, passengers will explore Svalbard’s Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve, the second-largest protected area in Norway, known for its broad range of landscapes such as icy shores, rugged mountains with multi-coloured strata, fjords, and glaciers.

The new journey is also the opportunity to experience some of PONANT’s new activities in the great outdoors such as kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and polar plunge, where available.