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In the Heart of the Northwest Passage - 20 Days | L'Austral

Available on 31 Aug 26

Not available on Superior Staterooms or Owners Suites

Valid as of 11 Nov 24 - subject to availability 

See Additional T&Cs below

25 Days
From USD 22,160

STYLE: Luxury Small Ship Expedition

Trip Code: ACPOASNW

DIFFICULTY RATING: 2 (Light Adventure)

Start: Paris, France

Finish: Paris, France

SHIP: L'Austral

DestinationDestination

Canadian Arctic & Greenland

DestinationDeparture Date

31/08/2026

MealsMeals

All Meals & Open Bar Onboard The Ship

TransportTransport

Charter Flights to/from Paris & Transfers To/From The Ship

TransportAccommodation

Cabin onboard ship



Enquire Now
map

Included SightseeingIncluded Sightseeing

Daily Arctic Excursions in location, Zodiac Cruising, Onboard Expert Lectures & Briefings by the Experienced Expedition Team

 

NOTE: Itinerary is subject to change depending on weather & ice conditions 

OVERVIEW

Take a 20-day expedition cruise onboard L'Austral and explore Baffin Bay all the way to the fabled Northwest Passage. Explore the main portion of this historic sea route and embark on an amazing journey through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Arctic, departing from Kangerlussuaq.

Initially, you will travel to Greenland's western coast, which awaits you with its magnificent icebergs at Disko Bay—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—as well as its vibrant settlements surrounded by mountains and basalt rocks. This is the perfect chance to get to know the locals and discover the Inuit culture of Greenland.

Then set sail towards the Nunavut province in Northern Canada, to approach the entrance of the Northwest Passage. Follow the route taken by the Franklin expedition on Beechey Island, and then stop by Fury Beach to admire the breathtaking canyon.

In the hopes of catching a glimpse of the polar bear, you will go through majestic fjords and along the edge of ice floes during your journey. The slender Coningham Bay passageway, which comes after Bellot Strait, is the ideal location for a close-up view of magnificent beluga whales. You will get to know the people living in an Inuit settlement in Artic Bay and have the opportunity to form special bonds with them.

The unifying theme of this voyage, which will allow you to experience magic and unforgettable moments, is the discovery of environment and fauna as well as, most importantly, the arctic history associated with this mythical route. Your spirit of adventure is sharpened by the crew of naturalists on board, and the untainted beauty of the Arctic provides an amazing backdrop. With an acute eye, you will seek for signs of life along the coast, in fjords, and on glaciers and recognise the historical sites that are testament to this famous voyage.

ITINERARY

Fly to Kangerlussuaq & Embarkation

Today, you will fly from Paris to Kangerlussuaq. Our team of experts will be waiting to assist you with embarkation.

From 1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport, it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled nature. Indeed, just a few dozen kilometres from there it is possible to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb landscapes of tundra in autumnal colours, where Arctic hares, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons and eagles live.

Sisimiut

During your cruise, we invite you to discover Sisimiut, founded in 1756 and the second largest town in Greenland. This small town is typical of Greenland, boasting bewitching panoramas: here and there, colourful stilt houses dot the undulating landscape, and the small fishing port stands as the gateway to an icy realm. As for the town centre, it is home to a number of historic buildings, a small church and a museum which retraces the history of the Inuit people, as well as many craft shops. When your ship drops anchor here, you will set out to meet the locals in a typically arctic atmosphere.

Kitsissuarsuit (Dog's Island)

The Dutch were the first to come and hunt whales on this island they called “isle of dogs” - Kitissuarsuit in Greenlandic. Indeed, when they arrived there in the summertime, the inhabitants had left the island, leaving behind their dogs, and moved to the neighbouring fjords for a season of fishing. Kitissuarsuit is considered to be the larder of the small town of Aasiaat, which is further away from the fishing areas, and the villagers still live self-sufficiently thanks to the marine resources, while trying to keep their age-old traditions alive.

Disko Bay

To the east of Baffin Bay, discover Disko Bay, scattered with countless icebergs produced by the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From your ship, admire the majestic ballet of these ice giants as they slowly drift across the dark waters. This site is a natural marvel of Greenland, and is also renowned as an observation point for the region’s many humpback whales. The encounters with wild fauna and stunning landscapes in the heart of this spectacular and fragile nature will be pure moments of wonder for you.

At Sea

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

Pond Inlet, Nunavut

On Baffin Island, located in northern Canada at the mouth of the famous NorthWest Passage, there is a small Inuit settlement at the very bounds of infinity. To get there, cross the Arctic Circle, the imaginary line that separates man from lands of mystery and wonder. It’s not so much the way of life that sets Pond Inlet’s inhabitants apart, so much as the setting. Snow-capped mountains, fjords and glaciers combine in a dazzling natural environment that fills space and expands time. Some discoveries change you forever: this is one of them.

Queen Harbour, Nunavut

Today, you will visit Queen Harbour on Devon Island. More information about the destination will be provided by your destination specialist.

Dundas Harbour, Nunavut

On the southern coast of Devon Island, Dundas Harbour, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police post in the early 20th century, keeps watch over the entrance to the Northwest Passage. This site has been frequented for centuries by the Inuit, who call it Talluruti - or “woman’s chin with tattoos on it” in Inuktitut - in reference to the lines of the landscape which are reminiscent of their traditional tattoos. Its hills, covered in taiga reflecting greens, browns and golds, are edged by the deep navy waters of a bay dotted with white and turquoise ice floe glistening in the sunlight.

Port Leopold

The Canadian Arctic Circle is home to one of the planet’s best preserved natural sanctuaries: Somerset Island. This immaculate northern desert is renowned for its phenomenal landscapes, its midnight sun and its huge tundra, where musk oxen roam. Covering 24,786 square kilometres (15,400 square miles), it is the Arctic archipelago’s ninth-largest island. Vegetation is rare except in some hollows and lowlands, where Peary caribou are common.

Fort Ross & Bellot Strait

Discover Fort Ross, the last trading post established by the Hudson's Bay Company. Constructed in 1937, it was used as a fur and whaling trading post at the same time. Fort Ross, located on a small island at the entrance to the Bellot Strait, is still home to this former store as well as the house for the manager and staff. The interior of these two buildings has been damaged over time and by the presence of polar bears. After a short walk towards the summits of the island, you will be able to enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view over the Bellot Strait and surrounding area.

A key stage in the North West Passage, the Bellot Strait, crossed by strong currents, promises you an unforgettable sailing experience. The entrance to the strait is dominated by the Ross Cairn. The buildings of Fort Ross also stand not far from here. Separating Somerset Island from the Boothia Peninsula, this 2-km-wide strait was discovered in 1852 by Captain William Kennedy of the Royal Navy, and the Frenchman Joseph-René Bellot, during an expedition in search of Sir John Franklin. Discover a magnificent décor covered in snow, fragmented by large ice floes. As you sail between them, your ship will perhaps be accompanied by a few polar bears.

Cunningham Bay

At the heart of the legendary Northwest Passage, discover the sheltered Coningham Bay in the south-east of Prince of Wales Island, during an exceptionnal sailing. The surrounding waters, rich in nutrients brought in by the tides and currents, are home to cetaceans including beluga whales. The polar bear, lord of the Arctic, has also established its realm on this hunting ground where food tends to be abundant. When conditions are favourable, extraordinary encounters with the wildlife are possible in these isolated lands.

Prescott Island

Prescott Island is located between Somerset Island and Prince of Wales Island, in the heart of Peel Sound, and its shorelines provide a perfect playground for belugas. However, the opportunity to observe and listen to these 'sea canaries” is not the only reason to scan the horizon: here, between the icebergs and the dramatic landscapes, you may also be able to spot polar bears, as well as summon up memories of Sir John Franklin, who was the first to cross Peel Sound in 1846 during his expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, followed in 1903 by Roald Amundsen, who was the first to find a route through that passage!

Beechey Island & Devon Island

Beechey Island, at the eastern end of Resolute Bay, will call to mind some of the most important moments of Franklin’s expedition. Sir John set off in 1845 in search of the mythical Northwest Passage and was forced to take shelter in Erebus Harbour for two long years, while he waited for the ice floes to recede and allow him a way through. It is a spectacular location; seeing the three wooden grave markers, bleached by the sun (indicating the burial places of at least three of Captain Franklin’s men) and visiting the memorial that has been erected in memory of Franklin and his men can only reinforce the hushed sense of reverence. If the surrounding wilderness impresses us, the ochre and yellows of the rocky desert soften the landscape.

Located in Baffin Bay, Devon Island is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Anchored on the Arctic Cordillera, its rocky surface, similar to that of Mars, is of great interest to scientists. Robert Bylot and William Baffin were the first Europeans to sight Devon Island in 1616 but it would be mapped two centuries later by the British sailor William E. Parry, who named it after the eponymous English region. Around 1920, the Hudson's Bay Company set up a fur-trading outpost there, until the departure of the Inuits in 1936. A new attempt to populate it was made at the beginning of the 1950s. Only a few buildings in ruins, vestiges of that time, remain today.

Arctic Bay, Nunavut

Arctic Harbor is on the small island of Aulitiving, barely 15 km long and 5 km wide, at the entrance to Isabella Bay. A major whale hunting site, this small natural harbour still has remnants from those times, notably some whaler graves. This port of call will be the opportunity to go for a lovely hike in the heart of the Arctic tundra, and perhaps to reach the highest point of the island, located at an altitude of 410 metres.

At Sea

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

North Arm Fjord

The ship makes its way deeper into the fjord, leaving you free to admire the spectacular geological formations that plunge abruptly into the emerald-green waters of Baffin Bay. When the temperature rises and the ice begins to melt, Nunavut becomes of the best places in the world to observe the wildlife of the Arctic. Be on the lookout for polar bears, which hide away amongst the scree to seek out the freshness of the permafrost. On the water’s surface, you could get the chance to glimpse the tusk of a narwhal, or perhaps the silhouette of an orca or a bowhead whale. And in the sky, it is not uncommon to see a colony of arctic fulmars with their impressive wingspan gliding near the ship.

Icy Arm Fjord

The east coast of Baffin Island is a real lacework of fjords. Among them, in the north, is the spectacular Icy Arm fjord. As you sail these parts, you’ll be dazzled by the immense cliffs that are sometimes over 1,000 metres high. This is a paradise for base jumping (parachute jumping from the top of the cliffs). During your stop here, you will have the opportunity to hike at the feet of these mountains and within the glacial valleys. Keep your eyes open when you get back on your boat: you’ll probably get the chance to observe marine mammals, such as whales, orcas and even narwhals.

At Sea

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

Evighedsfjorden

Your ship glides slowly along the water towards the west coast of Greenland, to enter Evighedsfjorden, just a few kilometres south of Kangerlussuaq. Evighedsfjorden means “the fjord of Eternity”, and for good reason: just when you think you’ve reached the end of this stretch of sea measuring over 100 kilometres in length, it seems to go on forever, as though to bring even more pleasure to those sailing in it. The spectacular scenery ranges from glaciers to tundra with an abundant flora, and jagged cliffs where numerous bird species have taken up residence. Take the time to observe the white-tailed eagles and the colonies of seagulls and black-legged kittiwakes flying overhead in the area.

Disembark in Kangerlussuaq

Bid farewell to your guides and fellow expedition members before disembarking in Kangerlussuaq.

From 1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport, it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled nature. Indeed, just a few dozen kilometres from there it is possible to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb landscapes of tundra in autumnal colours, where Arctic hares, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons and eagles live.

DOWNLOAD ITINERARY PDF

WHY CHOOSE THIS CRUISE?

  • Visit Disko Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to witness the largest icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere.

  • Meet Canadian and Greenlandic Inuit people and tour traditional settlements.

  • Finding the ruins of a former whaling- and fur-trading post in Fort Ross.

  • Enjoy an expedition onboard the luxurious and refined L'Austral and take in the scenery from the small yet spacious vessel.

L'Austral

L'Austral

The French ship L’Austral is a sleek mega-yacht that offers a luxury experience. This is paired with an elegant ambience and refined personalised service combined with gastronomic cuisine. Chic yet casual, L’Austral accommodates up to 200 guests in 132 outside cabins ranging from staterooms to suites.

 

 WHY WE LOVE L’AUSTRAL 

  • Innovative, stylish design, combined with exceptional cuisine and wine, offers luxury travel to the polar regions. 
  • Book in for a wellness massage or soak in the hammam or pool after an invigorating morning on the ice. 
  • Under 200 guests means you’ll be able to get off the ship and enjoy everything that the polar regions have to offer, guided by the expert expedition crew onboard. 

 

 FEATURES OF L’AUSTRAL

 

Expedition cruising with the feeling of a private yacht

Harmonious design, muted hues, and French style will welcome you back onboard after a day of exploring. The ship has a small, intimate feeling, with exceptional attention to detail. But, that doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on the full Antarctic experience, with twice daily zodiac rides or shore landings. Guests can also enjoy kayaking as an optional activity. 

Fine French and international cuisine 

Guests can select from two restaurants, the Gastronomic Restaurant serving French and International cuisine, with the Grill Restaurant serving buffet lunches and themed dinners outside. All guests have room service included and you will be able to enjoy the finer things while onboard. An open bar is included on many sailings. 

Luxurious amenities and common spaces 

The ship has seven decks with elevators connecting all decks. Features of the ship include an open-air bar, sundeck, pool, library, panoramic lounge, spa, hairdressing salon and terrace, fitness centre, beauty corner and medical centre in addition to the main lounge and lecture theatre. In the evening, enjoy a range of entertainment and lectures.

 

Ice Class: Length: 142 m (466 ft)
Breadth: 18m (59 ft)Max
Draft: Cruising
Speed:
Electricity: Passenger
Capacity:
264

View Ship Details

Accommodation

We believe that appropriate accommodation should add to the authentic travel experience, as well as providing utmost enjoyment. For that reason our accommodation is scrutinised by our staff on the ground frequently, ensuring the properties adhere to our high standards. This key will help you understand the levels of accommodation available on this tour.

Standard

Comfortable properties with dependable facilities and service.

Superior

Comfortable properties with dependable facilities and service.

Deluxe

Luxurious properties with impeccable facilities and service.

Pricing per person & date

In the Heart of the Northwest Passage - 20 Days | L'Austral from USD 22,160
Departing Ending Duration
31 Aug 202624 Sep 202625

Important Information

  • Promotional Terms & Conditions*

    Single Supplement Offer**
    No Single Supplement available on selected cabins on specified date 
    Not available on Superior Staterooms & Owners Suite
    Offer is correct at the time of publishing however availability is strictly capacity controlled and only available until sold out
    This promotion may be withdrawn or varied without notice by the operator at any time 
     

    Prices from the operator are dynamic in nature. They are correct at time of publishing (11 November 2024) but are subject to change at any time until the time of booking. Please Contact us for the most current availability and up to date cabin pricing. 

    Pricing is subject to change based on currency fluctuation, selected cabin, availability at the time of booking and may be withdrawn or varied at any time without notice.
     

  • Prices are based on per person, and vary from twin share cabins.
    Prices are correct at time of publishing but are subject to change at any time.
    All entrance fees are subject to change without prior notice.
     

    Please note this itinerary is subject to change depending on weather and ice conditions.*

  • INCLUSIONS

    Cabin accommodation on board ship 
    All meals whilst on board
    Charter flight Paris/Kangerlussuaq on Embarkation Day
    Charter flight Kangerlussuaq/Paris on Disembarkation Day
    Transfers to/from airport to vessel
    Guiding and lectures by experienced expedition crew
    Unlimited Open bar & included Mini bar
    Free WiFi on board

     

    EXCLUSIONS

    International flights
    Pre and post land arrangements and accommodation in Paris
    Any optional activities not mentioned in itinerary
    Visa and reciprocity fees (if applicable) 
    Travel Insurance
    Any Personal Expenses
    Optional tipping/gratuities 

  • 2 (Light Adventure)
  • Available upon request, a supplement surcharge applies and is subject to availability. Please contact us for more information.

  • Departure date, fuel surcharges, cabin category, currency fluctuations, seasonality and availability.

FROM PRICE & PROMOTIONAL DETAILS

  • From Price based on 31 Aug 26 - Superior Twin/Double Stateoom* 
  • Includes Booking Bonus - 30% Discount
  • Pricing is dynamic in nature and subject to change until booking is confirmed
  • Please enquire for solo cabin pricing - no single supplement offer available on selected cabins until sold out or withdrawn 
  • Prices last updated 11/11/2024 
     

Please Contact Us for the latest availability, pricing and details of your preferred voyage. Chimu Adventures are Antarctica experts and we will endeavour to find you the perfect Antarctica expedition cruise to ensure you have an unforgettable adventure!

See detailed promotional T&Cs below

NOTE: Pricing is subject to change, currency fluctuation and availability at the time of booking and may be varied without notice by us or any of the operators and partners we work with. It is only confirmed and guaranteed at the time of making a booking, agreeing to our terms and conditions and paying a deposit.