Ponant Explorations has announced 15 new voyages in alliance with Smithsonian Journeys for 2028. 

In a press release, the cruise line said these latest itineraries complete a roster of 36 voyages exploring all seven continents in 2028. 

“Travel, when guided by genuine expertise and sincere curiosity, has the power to change how we see the world,” said Samuel Chamberlain, CEO of the Americas, Ponant Explorations.  

“Since 2022, our alliance with Smithsonian Journeys has provided travelers with an ever-richer lens through which to experience destinations that have long held intrigue and fascination. The expert insight shared on these voyages by the some of the most astute minds in history, culture, and the natural world foster real understanding and the kind of connection to destinations that endure long after the voyage ends.” 

Each voyage in the expanded offering will welcome two Smithsonian Journeys Experts onboard to share context about the places, people and landscapes explored.  

Leading the expansion are two new itineraries: 

Costa Rica by Sea: Wildlife and Rainforests of the Pacific Coast  

(February 16, 2028, Puntarenas, Costa Rica to Puntarenas, Costa Rica) 

Smithsonian Journeys Experts: Dennis Wille Sáenz, naturalist & Arianna Soldati, volcanologist 

This seven-night journey aboard Le Bougainville explores the environment and cultural heritage along Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast.  

From the Osa Peninsula to the Manuel Antonio National Park, guests explore parks and wildlife refuges alive with scarlet macaws, sloths, squirrel monkeys, and various bird species.   

Sailing the Adriatic: Treasures of Eastern Italy and Sicily 

(September 27, 2028, from Venice, Italy to Valletta, Malta) 

Smithsonian Journeys Experts: Ross King, art historian & Allen Glazner, geologist 

This eight-night itinerary aboard Le Dumont d’Urville traces the Adriatic’s lesser-explored western shores.

Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna, Renaissance masterworks in Urbino, the trulli houses of Alberobello and Baroque architecture and Greek theaters in Sicily are some of the locations visited. 

These are complemented by returning itineraries: 

• eight-night Treasures of Japan and South Korea by Sea  

         – April 2, 2028, from Busan, South Korea to Osaka, Japan (Le Soléal) 

• seven-night Mediterranean Island Voyage: Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Elba  

         – May 4, 2028, from Valletta, Malta to Nice, France (L’Austral) 

         – May 14, 2028, from Valletta, Malta to Nice, France (Le Dumont d’Urville) 

• seven-night Iceland Voyage: Land of Fire and Ice 

         – June 1, 2028, from Reykjavik, Iceland to Reykjavik, Iceland (Le Bellot) 

• eight-night Cruising the Historic Cities of the Baltic Sea 

         – June 22, 2028, from Copenhagen, Denmark to Helsinki, Finland (Le Lapérouse) 

         – July 12, 2028, from Copenhagen, Denmark to Helsinki, Finland (Le Lapérouse) 

• seven-night Cruising the Greek Islands of the Southern Aegean 

          – June 24, 2028, from Athens, Greece to Athens, Greece (Le Dumont d’Urville) 

          – September 20, 2028, from Athens, Greece to Athens, Greece (Le Champlain) 

•  12-night Fall Foliage on the St. Lawrence: Québec to the Canadian Maritimes 

          – October 1, 2028, from Toronto, Canada to Boston, United States (Le Bellot)