The White Continent in all its facets: PONANT’s Winter 2024-2025 expeditions /

Twenty-six! That’s the number of sailings for which PONANT has just launched sales for voyages to Antarctica for winter 2024-2025. Backed by 30 years of experience in the region, the company offers expeditions throughout the southern summer season, from October to March, covering the entire reproductive cycle of the penguins that populate the White Continent.

Each month has its privilege

November is special because then the penguins breed and nest on the Antarctic Peninsula. Icebergs float in the distance against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks. Newborn penguins are a sight to behold in January, while February is an equally magical month as the chicks are growing and the snow at the end of summer makes walking easier.

On board the company’s three small vessels, Le Lyrial, L’Austral and Le Boréal, PONANT’s experts – captains, expedition leaders, nature guides – share their passion and knowledge of the region. Thanks to them, guests have the chance to see adelie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins, killer whales, seals, elephant seals, albatrosses and southern petrels, all in conditions that fully respect the environment.

One of the must-see trips for this season: The Southern Adventure promises a 15-day polar expedition at the highest latitudes between the Falkland Islands and the pristine regions of Antarctica; The Great Adventure takes in the most beautiful spots of the southern region; and Expedition to Southern Lands follows in the footsteps of South Georgia’s greatest explorers along the coasts of the White Continent on a 17- or 18-day journey through time. Just three of the many adventures that beckon.

Focus on three exclusive routes

The Southern Adventure

This polar expedition to the southernmost countries of the planet begins with the discovery of the Falkland Islands. Accompanied by Rudolphi whales, the ship follows in their wake through this archipelago of 200 islands, before approaching the frozen shores of the – almost – inaccessible Antarctica. Here, guests can see for themselves that white comes in a thousand shades. Trips and landings in Zodiacs or sea kayaks, always supervised by professionals, bring guests as close as possible to the ice.

Ushuaia – Ushuaia, on Le Lyrial and Le Boréal. Two sailings, 1 and 16 November 2024, 16 days – 14 nights on board. From € 14,000, including return flights Buenos Aires-Ushuaia – Read more about these trips

The great adventure

L’Austral and Le Lyrial go back in time as they head for South Georgia. It is here, amidst black sand beaches guarded by snow-capped mountains, that Sir Ernest Shackleton miraculously washed ashore on the famous Endurance Odyssey in 1916. Further south on L’Austral, the Orkneys pop up just beyond the latitude of the mythical Screaming 60s. Throughout the journey, this vast area is revealed where penguins, albatrosses, seals and whales live.

Buenos Aires – Ushuaia, Ushuaia – Buenos Aires, on L’Austral and Le Lyrial. Two sailings, November 9, 2024 and March 3, 2025, 19 days – 17 nights on board. From €14,990, including return flights Ushuaia-Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires-Ushuaia.

Emblematic Antarctica

At the border between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, guests enter the Drake Passage. At the latitudes of the Furious 50s and Screaming 60s, the wind blows and the waves beat against the bow; in the sky Cape petrels lead the ship to their kingdom, to the first lands of the White Continent. The ice is there and evolves throughout the summer, in all its forms, to give life to the reproductive cycle of the Adélie penguins, Gentoo penguins and Chinstrap penguins. A mountainous landscape opens up to give way to massive glaciers, as tabular icebergs float in the ocean and sea ice glistens in the distance.

Ushuaia – Ushuaia, on L’Austral, Le Boréal and Le Lyrial. 16 sailings from November 2024 to March 2025, 12 days – 10 nights on board. From € 10,640, including return flights Buenos Aires-Ushuaia.

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Falklands, South Georgia & Valdes Peninsula: in the heart of the wilderness

Le Boréal will set sail on a polar expedition in the southern seas to discover beautiful wildlife, in the heart of three rich and unique ecosystems: South Georgia, the Falkland Archipelago and its 200 islands, and the Argentine province of Chubut. Magellanic, gentoo and king penguins, elephant seals, fur seals, albatrosses and killer whales inhabit these wild areas. The richness of the landscape will range from the black sand beaches ringed by the snow-capped mountains of South Georgia to the rich beauty of the shores of the Falkland Islands, where white sand beaches, jagged cliffs and windswept moors meet, before giving way to the desert lands of Chubut province.

Ushuaia – Buenos Aires, aboard Le Boreal. From 11 to 30 March 2025, 20 days – 18 nights on board. From € 10,570, including flight Buenos Aires-Ushuaia.