PONANT has formally confirmed it will break new ground by operating Le Commandant Charcot on the St Lawerence River during winter, a move exclusively foreshadowed by LATTE earlier this year.
The luxury ice-breaker cruise ship will embark on the world-first expedition on the Canadian waterway as part of PONANT’s 2024-2025 winter program, offering a voyage through the ice of the St Lawrence River to pristine Québec and the Innu and Micmac communities of Canada.
Crafted with ample time for travellers to savour the expansive frozen landscapes adorned with glistening ice, white forests and illuminated by the captivating aurora borealis, the 13-day expedition will offer guests the chance to hike, snowshoe, kayak, dog sled and ice fish. Adventure seekers will be able to explore this enchanting and truly fascinating environment while potentially encountering the emblematic caribou, elk and black bears in their natural habitat, PONANT says.
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The voyage of a lifetime is enriched by the warm welcome and ancestral traditions of the Innu people in Sept-Îles and the Micmacs in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
The St Lawrence River in the heart of the Boreal Winter itinerary will operate four times from January to February 2025, with prices for the 11-night trip starting at AU$31,910 per person twin share.
Highlights of the itinerary include:
- Outings and shore visits with a team of naturalist-guides.
- A voyage to discover the grandeur of nature in the Canadian winter and breathtaking landscapes: fjord, pristine boreal forests, ice, snow-covered valleys.
- Visiting traditional villages and meeting the indigenous Innu and Micmac communities.
- Possibility of admiring the unique colours of the Northern Lights rippling across the sky.
- Activities* during the unique winter season: kayaking, ice fishing and tasting raw rockfish, dog sledding, tastings of local produce, and optional activities such as ice climbing, canoeing on ice and skijoring.
- In Québec, attending the world’s largest winter carnival where ice decorations and sculptures and lightsform a magical spectacle (departures on 17 and 29 January 2025).
- Chance to see newborn whitecoats* in the Magdalen Islands: the only place in the world where you can observe this unique scene (departures 10 and 22 February 2025).
*Activities subject to weather conditions; to be pre-booked before departure.
For more details, click here.