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A Ponant ship near rocky landscapes with icebergs in the background

Ponant · L’Austral and Le Boréal · 16 nights

Expedition to the Thule Region

Greenland to Greenland aboard a Ponant sister ship, north along the west coast past Disko Bay and the Karrat fjord to Savissivik and Thule, then across Baffin Bay to Pond Inlet. One sailing in August 2027, one in August 2028, return flights from Paris included. From A$30,100 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

Blue water and soaring icebergs in Antarctic waters

16 nights, roundtrip from Greenland

The far north-west of Greenland, where few ships go

Thule is the Greenland that almost nobody sees: the Inughuit villages north of Melville Bay, the sea ice that lasts into August, the polar bear country of Savissivik and the Cape York meteorite. L’Austral sails north from Kangerlussuaq past Sisimiut, Disko Bay and the Eqi glacier, into the Karrat fjord at Akulleq, then on through Melville Bay to Kullorsuaq, Savissivik and two days in the Thule district. The ship then crosses Baffin Bay to Pond Inlet and the cliffs of Baffin Island, before two sea days and a last call at Nuuk and the Evighedsfjorden on the way back. Sixteen nights, with Ponant’s flights from Paris to Greenland and home included. In 2028 the voyage sails from Nuuk aboard Le Boréal.

We send our most travelled guests on this one. If you have seen Svalbard and Disko Bay and want the Arctic that is still almost unvisited, this is the route, and the suites go a year out. Tell us which August suits you and who you are travelling with, and we tell you which stateroom we would choose, then build the rest: flights from Australia to Paris, the nights in Paris either side of Ponant’s charter, and the offers we hold for Arctic Cruise guests. One Australian specialist, from the first conversation until you are home.

  • Kangerlussuaq or Nuuk return
  • Thule and Baffin Bay
  • 16 nights

Signature moments

Five moments that make the voyage

The sea ice of Melville Bay decides how far north the ship gets and when. These are the moments the voyage is built around.

Towering calving front of the Eqi Glacier under a blue sky near Ilulissat, West Greenland, seen on a PONANT Greenland expedition cruise

The Eqi glacier

Zodiac cruising along the calving front of the Eqi glacier from the former French base of Paul-Émile Victor.

Day by day

Sixteen nights, in outline

The outline below is the plan for the L’Austral sailing of August 2027. The Le Boréal sailing of 2028 starts and ends in Nuuk. The captain and expedition leader reshape every day around the ice and the weather, and the full programme comes with the proposal we write for you.

Charter flight from Paris to Kangerlussuaq, transfer to the ship in the Søndre Strømfjord and embarkation.

Aboard L’Austral or Le Boréal

L’Austral and Le Boréal are two of Ponant’s four sister ships: 132 staterooms and suites for 264 guests, every one with a balcony or terrace, an Ice 1C hull, French restaurants with wines in the open bar, a spa, a pool and a fleet of eleven Zodiacs. Each has its own page, and we tell you honestly which stateroom we would choose on each.

L’Austral
Tiny figures on a polar hike across vast white sea ice under a deep blue sky on the Blosseville Coast, East Greenland, from PONANT's Le Commandant Charcot

Celebrating the treasures of nature

A woman standing on the deck of a cruise ship

Open to the horizon

The inside of a suite on Ponant's L'Austral ship

Refined and elegant furnishings

A woman standing on the deck of Ponant's L'Austral cruise ship.

Eleven Zodiacs

A table setting on board Le Lyrial, a Ponant ship sailing to Antarctica.

French gastronomy

We want to make your journey as easy as possible

Sixteen nights aboard the ship, return flights between Paris and Greenland with transfers, all meals and 24-hour room service, open bar and in-room minibar, Zodiac outings, landings and hikes led by the expedition team, the lecture programme, Wi-Fi, gratuities, port taxes and the polar parka to keep.

Flights from Australia to Paris and home, hotel nights in Paris, kayaking on selected outings, travel insurance, spa treatments and personal expenses.

Ponant includes the return flights between Paris and Greenland. We arrange your flights from Australia to Paris and the nights in Paris either side, so the whole journey is one booking.


Further Exploration

Other Arctic itineraries

The same sister ships sail the Northwest Passage from Greenland to Nuuk, and Le Lyrial sails Disko Bay in a week. Each has its own page, and we are happy to tell you which suits you.

All expeditions
13 Nights
Ponant
From A$18,810

Expedition to the Edge of the Ice Sheet

Reykjavík to Greenland aboard a Ponant sister ship: Tasiilaq and the east coast, Prins Christian Sund, the Norse ruins of the south, Nuuk, Disko Bay and the Eqi glacier. Four sailings across 2027 and 2028, the Greenland to Paris flight included. From A$18,810 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

16 Nights
Ponant
From A$53,550

In the Ice of the Arctic: Svalbard and Greenland

Reykjavík to Longyearbyen in June, or Longyearbyen to Reykjavík. Sailings in 2027, with 2028 to follow. Paris charter flight included. From A$53,550 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

12 Nights
Ponant
From A$29,280

Encounter with the Last Guardians of the North Pole

Nuuk to Nuuk, 4 to 16 April 2027, with 2028 to follow. From A$29,280 per person, Paris charter flights included, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

15 Nights
Aurora Expeditions
From A$30,601

Northwest Passage

Between Toronto or Reykjavík and Calgary, with charter flights to and from the ship included. Two sailings in 2027, two in 2028, with 2029 to follow. From A$30,601 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

16 Nights
Quark Expeditions
From US$22,871

Northwest Passage: In the Footsteps of Franklin

Reykjavík to Reykjavík via Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, flights and helicopter flightseeing included. Two sailings in August 2027, with 2028 and 2029 to follow. From US$22,871 per person in US dollars, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

15 Nights
Quark Expeditions
From US$19,281

West Greenland and the Far North: Ilulissat to Qaanaaq

Reykjavík to Reykjavík via Nuuk, flights across the Denmark Strait included. One sailing in September 2027, one in September 2028, with 2029 to follow. From US$19,281 per person in US dollars, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

Arctic terns flocking over a blue iceberg in front of snow-capped mountains, photographed on a PONANT Arctic expedition cruise

Dates & prices

Departures, 2027 and 2028

Sixteen nights from Greenland to Greenland. Fares are per person, twin share, in Australian dollars, with Ponant’s Paris flights included. Ask us before you compare: our offers for Arctic Cruise guests come on top, and we tell you which sailing is the best value for the way you want to travel.

Kangerlussuaq to Kangerlussuaq. The ice in Melville Bay at its most open, and the only 2027 sailing.

Nuuk to Nuuk. The 2028 sailing, with the same route north of Disko Bay. Tell us the stateroom you have in mind and we hold your place on our list.

Made to measure

Tell us your Arctic, we build the rest

Every guest sails differently. Tell us what you are hoping for, the ice, the wildlife, the light, who you are travelling with, and we match it to the right sailing, the right stateroom and the right year, with flights from Australia and our own offers included. One Arctic Cruise specialist stays with you from the first call until you are home.