2026 Luxury Ponant Polar Arctic Ice Breaker Cruise

Imagine waking up to a horizon of endless ice, where the silence is broken only by the crack of glaciers and the call of distant seabirds. This is no ordinary cruise - it’s a once-in-a-lifetime polar expedition with PONANT, tracing the raw, remote coastline of East Greenland all the way to the untamed beauty of Spitsbergen. Over 17 extraordinary days aboard Le Commandant Charcot, you’ll follow in the wake of legendary explorers, venturing into places few humans have ever seen - and even fewer have truly experienced.

Your journey begins in the pristine wilderness of Scoresby Sound, the world’s largest fjord system. Here, towering cliffs and jagged icebergs form a surreal Arctic cathedral, sculpted by millennia of wind and water. As you glide through these icy waters aboard the world’s first hybrid electric polar exploration ship, you’ll witness a landscape that feels almost untouched by time - vast, silent, and absolutely awe-inspiring.

From there, you’ll push deeper into the frozen north, entering Northeast Greenland National Park - the largest national park on Earth and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Think snow-dusted peaks, glittering glaciers, and alpine valleys so remote they feel mythical. Scattered among the wilderness are remnants of trapper cabins and the whispers of Inuit legends - a reminder that this harsh, beautiful land has stories to tell.

As you sail through King Oscar and Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjords, the scenery becomes almost cinematic. Sheer ochre cliffs rise from the icy sea, home to Arctic foxes, musk oxen, and - if you're lucky - the silent, powerful presence of a polar bear in the distance. The Arctic wildlife here is not just a possibility, but a highlight, with walruses lounging on sea ice and whales breaching in the frigid waters.

Crossing the Greenland Sea, your adventure continues northward into Spitsbergen’s Nordvest National Park - a place where nature has reclaimed old whaling stations, and the bones of history lie quietly beneath the snow. Once a rugged outpost for whalers, it’s now a haven for Arctic wildlife and a place of astonishing natural beauty. The light here plays tricks on your sense of time - golden midnight suns and haunting twilight skies you’ll never forget.

Throughout this journey, nothing is scripted. Ice conditions shape the path, making each day a new adventure. Your expert expedition team will adjust course in real time, ensuring safety while maximising discovery. One morning you might kayak past sculptural icebergs; the next, step ashore on a glacier with no footprints but your own.

This is a voyage for those who crave the extraordinary - not just to see the Arctic, but to feel it in their bones. With every icy breath and each quiet moment on deck, you'll know: this is what it means to explore.