Expedition cruises

From Glasgow to Reykjavik, PONANT brings you an 11-day cruise aboard Le Bellot to explore the most beautiful landscapes of Ireland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands and the coast of Iceland. 

Throughout your journey, you will benefit from an excursion included per person per port of call, to choose from a selection offered by PONANT. During this cruise, climb the Eldfell volcano on the island of Heimaey, explore the wild landscapes of the Faroe Islands on a hike or discover the three sites along the Golden Circle from Reykjavik. The diversity of experiences on offer promises you intense and varied moments (to discover the full range of excursions, go to the itinerary tab).

From Glasgow, Scotland’s welcoming cultural capital with a rich artistic and architectural heritage,your ship will sail to the Isle of Man. The capital Douglas is an authentic postcard from United Kingdom of yesteryear with a Victorian atmosphere. 

You will then set a course for the southwest Highlands to reach Fort William. This harbour town on the shores of Loch Linnhe is steeped in Scottish history and tradition, close to the beautiful and spectacular scenery of Glencoe.

In the Hebrides, you will call at Stornoway, the main town on the island, built by the Vikings in the 9th century. One of the most important prehistoric sites in Scotland can be found here: the Calanais Standing Stones.

Your ship will then sail north towards the the Faroe Islands, Denmark’s northernmost autonomous territory. In this isolated archipelago, you will immerse yourself in a wild and spectacular natural environment. In Suduroy, the rolling plains populated by sheep shape the scenery punctuated by sheer summits, mountain lakes and jagged cliffs looking out to the islands, offering outstanding terrestrial and maritime panoramas. In Streymoy, you will enjoy sailing around cliffs home to bird colonies. Here, the Viking legends and the Nordic cosmogony are never far away.

On the edge of the Arctic, with its vertiginous fjords, volcanoes and waterfalls, Iceland offers up a simultaneously romantic and wild face.  In the East Fjords region, where life is organised around fishing, you will discover a jagged coastline and alpine landscapes before reaching Heimaey. This is the only inhabited island in the Westman archipelago. An exceptional place composed of volcanoes and almost-desert landscapes, it is also a refuge for many colonies of birds, including gannets.

Finally, you will arrive in Reykjavik, the world’s northernmost capital, your disembarkation port.

Somewhere in the High Arctic, between 76 and 80 degrees latitude North, Spitsbergen, meaning "pointed mountains”, awaits you for seven days of unforgettable travel looking out for wild life.

You will lift the anchor in Longyearbyen, where colourful wooden homes dot the landscape with a human presence that will certainly be the last you see for a while.

The sea rolls on, and the white-striped mountains, which gave the region its name, rise up from deeply tinted waters. The polar light combines with the changing weather of the Arctic, a big blue sky, the horizon scattered with clouds, the enveloping mist erasing the border between the land and the sea: these variations all provide the magical, almost surreal, setting with new nuances.

The ship is escorted by Arctic fulmars. The first ice appears; still discreet, it seems to be dancing around you. At the end of a fjord, you will find yourself before an immense glacier. Black-legged kittiwakes share an iceberg, while Arctic terns fly over the area. Aboard the ship or a Zodiac dinghy, you will admire the power of nature while becoming aware of its fragility. The music of the thaw has begun its soft melody: a combination of cracking, roaring, murmuring and fizzing defies the silence of the polar desert.

On land, you will set foot on malleable earth, known as moraine. Only moss, lichen and a few rare flowers have managed to adapt and to take hold here, forming the tundra. On these inhospitable lands, Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes coexist with walruses, lying on the beach. It has been a long time since the Pomor settlers, of which traces remain, came to hunt them.

Here, the lord of the Arctic, the polar bear, is never very far away. The crucial aspects of this cruise involve searching and keeping an eye out. On board, the team of naturalists will scan the horizon so they can provide you with marvellous sightings of wildlife and, in particular, the polar bear. The region’s elusive fauna upholds its mysteries while the uncertain nature of the encounter bestows an indescribable magic upon it.

Itinerary is subject to change according to port authorizations and government regulations. We are privileged guests in these remote lands where we are at the mercy of weather, ice, tidal and current conditions. Landings on certain sites and the observation of certain wildlife cannot be guaranteed. They vary from day to day, making each PONANT cruise a unique experience. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while complying with the safety rules and instructions imposed by the AECO.

Set sail for the wild and grandiose landscapes of Kimberley, following this exceptional PONANT itinerary.  

From Broome to Darwin, embark for an 11-day expedition cruise.

On the Lacepede Islands, take the time to admire the abundance of nesting birds as well as the large population of turtles residing in the lagoon.

In one of the most picturesque parts of the region, the Hunter River, you will see wild mangrove forests where saltwater crocodiles live along with many species of birds.

During your cruise, the magnificent bays of Vansittart and Swift will offer you exceptional panoramas, between islands, secret inlets, caves and rocky overhangs.

The highpoint of this cruise will undoubtedly be the discovery of the King George River and the majestic Twin Falls, the highest falls in Western Australia.

You will also visit Collier Bay, where you will be able to admire the Montgomery Reef, home to vast expanses of lagoons and immense coral reefs.

Your ship will take you along one of the most spectacular coasts in the entire region.

With their falls, abrupt gorges, savannah, calm waters and desolate mountain chains, the wild lands of Kimberley are the promise of an exceptional adventure.

This itinerary is given as an indication only. Based on tide times and weather conditions, the Captain and the Expedition Leader may need to switch the order of certain ports of call around to ensure guests have the best possible experience.