Discovery of the King of the Arctic

Follow the trail of the polar bear during an Expedition Cruise in the Arctic. PONANT invites you to set sail aboard L’Austral for a memorable 13-day cruise around Spitsbergen, one of the jewels of the northern hemisphere.  

Discovery of the King of the Arctic

Follow the trail of the polar bear during an Expedition Cruise in the Arctic. PONANT invites you to set sail aboard L’Austral for a memorable 13-day cruise around Spitsbergen, one of the jewels of the northern hemisphere.  

The main island of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, Spitsbergen offers magical landscapes, a blend of ancient glaciers, jagged mountains and spectacular fjords. In summer, the sun shines day and night, to better showcase the vastness of the ice and the animals that inhabit the region – whales, arctic foxes, walruses, but also polar bears, the undisputed kings of the ice.  

Setting sail from the cosmopolitan village of Longyearbyen, your journey will begin with an exploration of the wild and unspoiled east coast of Spitsbergen.

You will then reach the Bellsund fjord, whose lush green valleys will not fail to delight you.

This will be followed by a visit to Ny-Ålesund, the former mining town that is today home to a scientific base, a museum and the most northerly post office in the world.

Further to the north you will find the majestic Monaco glacier, an impenetrable wall with blue-tinged highlights. You may even encounter a polar bear – a moving experience that you will never forget – before charting a course south to conclude your journey.

Subject to ice and weather conditions. The expedition highlights and itineraries described above illustrate possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The most complete PONANT cruise to Spitsbergen: 13 days for a fully-comprehensive discovery of the kingdom of the polar bear.
• Outings and shore visits in Zodiac^®inflatables with your naturalist guides.
• Hiking opportunity.
• Landscapes: ice floes, jagged mountains, icebergs, plains covered with moss and lichens, lakes and rivers.
• Wildlife: polar bears, Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer, Arctic terns, walruses, whales, puffins.