Ponant Opens Antarctica Bookings for Winter 2027-2028

Ponant Explorations, which has been cheerfully venturing into places most of us prefer to admire from documentaries for more than 25 years, has opened bookings for its 2027–2028 Antarctic season. The program includes 28 voyages to the bottom of the world, a region notable for its beauty, its wildlife, and its complete indifference to human comfort. These expeditions promise immersive encounters with some of the planet’s most remote and uncompromising latitudes, where maps thin out and ice takes over.

During the 2027–2028 season, four Ponant ships will operate in Antarctic waters, including three expedition vessels sailing the company’s signature itineraries. Leading the fleet is Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s only luxury icebreaker—a phrase that neatly sums up Ponant’s philosophy of exploring the extremes without abandoning hot showers, good food, or common sense. Built with a PC2 polar hull and powered by a hybrid LNG propulsion system, the ship is designed to tread lightly through some of Earth’s most fragile environments, proving that sustainability and serious adventure can, on occasion, share the same sentence.

Ponant’s approach is very much a real expedition, meaning days shaped by weather, ice, and opportunity rather than rigid schedules. Guests are guided by experts in science, wildlife, and polar history, with daily landings in landscapes that appear largely unchanged since the heroic age of exploration. Wildlife encounters are frequent and often spectacular: whales surfacing unexpectedly, seals lounging with comic indifference, seabirds filling the skies, and penguin colonies operating with the chaotic efficiency of a small city.

Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, two voyages venture into Southern Hemisphere latitudes accessible only to a vessel capable of negotiating serious ice. One itinerary retraces the routes of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, the legendary French explorer, leading travelers toward the rarely visited Bellingshausen Sea and Charcot Island—names that still sound faintly heroic even today. This 16-day round-trip from Ushuaia departs December 2 and December 28, 2027, and begins at $26,030 per person.

Another voyage offers the rare chance to encounter emperor penguins in the Weddell Sea, a realm of towering tabular icebergs and pack ice that stretches endlessly in every direction. These stately birds, seemingly designed by committee and dressed for formal occasions, live in one of the harshest environments imaginable. Departures from Ushuaia run from October through December 2027, with prices starting at $26,000 per person.

For those seeking a slightly broader sweep of the Southern Hemisphere, Ponant also offers four itineraries linking Antarctica with Patagonia. Emblematic Antarctica, the company’s flagship voyage, is a classic introduction to the White Continent. After crossing the famously temperamental Drake Passage, guests encounter icebergs, whales, penguins, and seals in what feels like a greatest-hits album of Antarctic wonders. Departures run from November 2027 through February 2028 aboard Le Boréal and Le Lyrial, starting at $14,070 per person.

The Great Austral Loop expands the canvas further, connecting the Antarctic Peninsula with the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Over 19 days, travelers move between black sand beaches, vast colonies of wildlife, and immense fields of pack ice—three ecosystems that could not be more different, yet somehow belong together. Prices begin at $19,730 per person.

Those drawn to Patagonia itself may prefer The Best of Chilean Fjords, a journey from Valparaíso to Ushuaia that traces the dramatic coastline past Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego, and the glacier-filled Strait of Magellan. It’s a voyage that compresses the grandeur of southern Chile into a single, unforgettable itinerary, with fares starting at $9,490 per person.

Finally, Falklands, South Georgia & Valdés Peninsula: In the Heart of the Wilderness offers a sweeping exploration of the Southern Ocean, linking UNESCO-listed Valdés Peninsula with the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Rich in wildlife and startling scenery, this 20-day expedition departs March 3, 2028, from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, beginning at $18,330 per person.

Altogether, Ponant’s 2027–2028 Antarctic season offers a rare combination: genuine exploration, serious science, and the comforting knowledge that even at the edge of the world, someone has thoughtfully prepared dinner.