On the ice
The Antarctic exerts the powerful attraction of the inaccessible which leads Man to become passionately engaged. One is never the same after returning from a long stay on the white continent.» Jean-Louis Etienne For centuries the Antarctic remained like a ghost on the map of the world, yet today the White Continent exerts a powerful fascination. Explored by man since only 1820, this vast icy continent offers spectacular mountain scenery, the world’s biggest icebergs and an extraordinary array of wildlife: fur seals, penguins, albatrosses, sea elephants, orcas and whales in large numbers live side by side in this grandiose landscape. Who has not dreamed of savouring that white stillness, an extraordinary spell-binding atmosphere of total serenity unequalled anywhere else on Earth. On the horizon, blocks of ice collapse into the sea forming vast icebergs of all shapes and sizes eroded by the wind and the waves.
The Village Travel acknowledges Ponant Yacht Cruises & Expeditions as source of this information. http://en.ponant.com/
The Village Travel acknowledges Ponant Yacht Cruises & Expeditions as source of this information. http://en.ponant.com/
Join L’Austral and set sail for the Far North, well beyond the Arctic Circle, to a legendary, highly coveted maritime route: the Northwest Passage, the only possible shipping route between the Atlantic and the Pacific. In Winter, this “roof of the world” is transformed into a majestic white desert; whilst in Summer, for a few short weeks, the temperature rises enough for the ice to melt. Life reappears, nature is reborn, the mythical route is finally free and we can breathe in the unique scent of great adventure.
To begin your cruise, discover the Falkland Islands and their undulating hills and verdant moors. Farther along, South Georgia is home to imposing glaciers that tilt towards the sea and the black sandy beaches play host to thousands of King Penguins, the emblem of this faraway land. Then, we will head South to discover the Northern Peninsula’s unique beauty: iridescent icebergs, floating ice fields and extraordinary marine mammals, such as the majestic Humpback Whale or Leopard Seals, playing in the ships’ wake. |