The Great Austral Loop

Experience a magical Christmas and New Year’s Eve with PONANT between South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Discover the Southern Ocean as you have never seen it before! Embark on a 18-day polar expedition cruise to the highest latitudes, from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia and the immaculate lands of Antarctica.

Your expedition to the heart of the South Atlantic begins with the exploration of the Falkland Islands: as you sail in this archipelago of 200 islands, you will be escorted by sei whales. Composing the wild beauty of the shorelines are beaches of white...read more sand, jagged cliffs, windswept moors and tall grass swaying with the wind.

Your ship will soon take to the seas once again, to reach the mountainous island of South Georgia. It is there, in the midst of gigantic glaciers, that Sir Ernest Shackleton miraculously ran aground during the famous Endurance Odyssey in 1916. Today, king penguins, elephant and fur seals that have taken over the black-sand beaches dominated by the tall peaks that reveal the Scotia Arc.

You will ultimately land on the frozen shores of the nearly inaccessible White Continent, Antarctica. White shades take on a thousand nuances as it covers the icebergs, glaciers, mountains and frozen sea all around you. You will be one of the rare few travellers to have laid eyes on this legendary land, the theatre of the greatest expeditions and the witness of the most extraordinary adventures. Above all, you are in the realm of the penguins – Adelie, Gentoo, chinstrap – seals, whales and seabirds that accompany you on this unforgettable trip.