Look out for Winter 2023! Ponant Cruises announced they are collaborating with Smithsonian Journeys on a series of co-branded sailings offering 21 cruises to Antarctica. Two experienced Smithsonian Journeys Experts will lead each trip with backgrounds in art history, a solar astrophysicist, or an international relations expert to further assist travelers in immersing in their destination.
Ponant’s Le Lyrial with experts Michelle Thaller, Assistant Director for Science Communication at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight, and Peter Bobrowsky, geologist and archeologist, will be on board for a 12-day polar cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula from February 20, 2023, to March 3, 2023, to view wildlife and landscapes all around Antarctica along with guests.
ANTARCTICA CRUISE Itinerary:
- The trip begins with an overnight in Buenos Aires before a charter flight brings guests to Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, considered the gateway to the White Continent.
- From there, the ship will cross the mythical Drake Passage, an ice-cold 500-mile stretch between the tip of South America and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, where sightings of albatrosses and cape petrels will be accompanied by lectures about the continent’s history and wildlife.
- For five days, guests will embark on zodiac outings and landings to explore Antarctica’s vastness—ice floes, tabletop icebergs, mountain peaks that plunge into the sea, volcanic beaches, and icy bays.
- Travelers will also visit research stations and former whaling stations.
- After guests have discovered every craggy crevasse of the Antarctic Peninsula, Le Lyrial will turn around and return to Ushuaia via the Drake Passage.
RELATED: The Ultimate Antarctic Cruise Voyage
Would you travel to Antarctica on this co-branded sailing experience? Let us know in the comments!
