Ponant and its Le Commandant Charcot is ready to take guests to the Geographic North Pole.
With eight departures for the summer 2022 and 2023 Arctic season beginning at $35,960 per person, Ponant’s North Pole sailings will take tourists to the farthest corners of the region, according to a press release.
The 16-day exploration begins in Longyearbyen, the capital of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, where winter temperatures drop below 40-degrees Fahrenheit and the glaciers and mountains stretch as far as the eye can see. From there, travelers will sail along the icy coast of Spitsbergen.
After four days of carving through the ice floe, guests will arrive at the Geographic North Pole, a site few people have ever reached.
Off-ship excursions range from outings in Zodiacs, kayaks, snowshoes, or by foot. There will also be opportunities to practice ice fishing and go ice floating.
Guests will be outfitted with a special suit, designed to keep the body warm and clothes dry while buoyant on the fresh Arctic waters.
Plus, chances to participate in citizen science experiments, like setting up a research station on an ice floe and deploying an Argos transmitter, a satellite-based system that collects and disseminates environmental data.
According to Ponant, Le Commandant Charcot is among the most environmentally-friendly ships in the sea, powered exclusively by battery and LNG (liquified natural gas). When in battery mode, the ship can sail for up to eight hours at a time without producing any emissions and with very low noise levels.
