Compagnie du Ponant, the French luxury boutique cruise brand, says new additions to the programme for 2014 include the North-West Passage crossing to Alaska and the White Sea, the gateway to Russia’s Far North, as well as the East Fjords of Iceland.
On the edge of the Arctic Circle, beyond the northern point of Norway, L’Austral embarks on a whole new adventure deep into the isolated territories of Russia’s Far North, which were closed to foreigners until 1991. Scheduled for early June when nature awakens after a long hard winter, this exceptional cruise will sail among the North Cape islands and along the shores of the Kola Peninsula. Covering nearly 100,000 km2, this wilderness of tundra, forests, lakes and rivers is austere and yet strikingly beautiful; the perfect spot to see the midnight sun. Passengers will then discover the White Sea coast in the Russian Arctic, including the Solovetsky Islands, a desolate archipelago carpeted in black pine forests which is home to one of the most beautiful Russian Orthodox monasteries, and the city of Arkhangelsk.
A new new itinerary linking Kirkenes to Longyearbyen on L’AUSTRAL will include five whole days in Spitsbergen, final stop before the North Pole. In the heart of this great white desert of rugged peaks where the omnipresent light blurs the boundaries between day and night, days at sea are interspersed with Zodiac® outings to explore this polar universe and sneak a peek at polar bears, reindeer and seals at dawn.
A cruise on Le Boreal to the heart of the Great Canadian North is a chance to explore all aspects of this magnificent region of protected natural areas and to see the northern lights – plus, whale watching in the Baffin Sea and Saint Lawrence, discovering Akpatok Island (home to polar bears) and Percé Rock (gannet colony), as well as visiting the colourful Greenlandic and Quebecois villages, sailing up the Saguenay fjord, and touring Quebec City’s old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
For this second edition, the North-West Passage crossing will leave from Greenland on a voyage that has fired the imaginations of generations of sailors and adventurers over the centuries. The last section of this legendary itinerary is along the Alaskan coast to Nome.
From Nome in Alaska, L’Austral sets sail for the wild landscapes of the almost forgotten Kamtchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East. This volcanic region is spectacular and home to a diverse and abundant wildlife, such as Steller’s sea lions. There is much to see, including the Valley of Geysers, the 40 volcanoes at the heart of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Uzon Caldera, not to mention the breath-taking contrasts in colours, from the intense blue of the lake and streams, suspensions of milky sulphur to the emerald green of the algae.
