Ponant has announced its 2023 sailings in collaboration with Smithsonian Journeys – the travel program of the Smithsonian Institution.
The sailings will feature notable experts and experiences that embrace local cultures and dive deeper into a destination’s history, cuisine, language, environment, and wildlife.
The partnership is rooted in common values – focusing on cultural immersion and discovery – with a goal of further inspiring guests to become global citizens through travel, said the cruise line in a statement.
This is the second year Ponant and Smithsonian Journeys will offer co-branded sailings.
Travellers can expect twenty-one departures, with several new itineraries exploring the Arabian Coast, Australia’s Kimberley, the Mediterranean, the St. Lawrence River, and Northern Africa in 2023.
There will be plenty of opportunities to engage with a variety of Smithsonian Journeys Experts, ranging from archaeologists and scientists to anthropologists and historians.
As part of the itineraries, Ponant will sail to ports of call never previously visited, including Ploče, Croatia and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Highlights include:
NEW: Cruising the Arabian Coast, Le Bougainville
Cruise from Dubai to Muscat with Karl Eikenberry, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, who will lead discussions centred on Middle East affairs. Seven ports of call in total with a visit to the Burj Khalifa, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island’s wildlife sanctuary.
The ship will also sail through the fjords of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, also known as the “Norway of the Middle East”.
Departure on 6 January 2023 / 8 nights, 9 days
Starting from £6,060 per person
NEW: Solar Eclipse 2023: Indonesia to Australia’s Kimberley, Le Lapérouse
Witness the total solar eclipse out to sea off the northwest coast of Australia – the only area of the world where the solar eclipse will be 100 percent visible.
Accompanying the expedition will be Alex Young, solar astrophysicist who serves as an Associate Director of Science at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center located outside Washington D.C.
Departure on 9 April 2023 / 15 nights, 16 days
Starting from £14,820 per person
NEW: Cruising from Morocco to Spain’s Andalusian Coast, Le Dumont-d’Urville
Explore the Portuguese, Moroccan and Spanish coasts from Casablanca to Lisbon with a stop in Tangier, along the famous Strait of Gibraltar. A highlight includes a trip to Granada for an exclusive private after-hours visit of the Alhambra.
After a visit to Marbella, the ship will continue to Cadiz, from which guests can travel to Seville, home to the oldest royal palace in use in Europe, the Alcázar de Sevilla.
Engaging discussions will be hosted by Alia Kate, North African international relations expert and founder of Kantara, a fair-trade design business specializing in Moroccan rugs woven in women’s weaving cooperatives; and Rafael Chacon, art historian who has twice walked the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage route stretching more than 500 miles across France and Spain.
Departure on 20 April 2023 / 7 nights, 8 days
Starting from £3,560 per person
NEW: A Circumnavigation of Sicily, Le Bougainville
A circumnavigation of Sicily, joined by Albert Leonard, an archaeologist who has directed excavations at sites around the Mediterranean during his 30-year career.
Travellers will visit the well-preserved Greek ruins in Agrigento, one of the oldest cities in Sicily dating back to 581 B.C., before continuing to Segesta, home to the unfinished Doric Temple.
Guests can meander through the ancient (but still used) Greek theatre from the third century B.C. during a stop in Taormina and see the Byzantine-Arab mosaics while visiting Palermo.
The itinerary offers the opportunity for an evening sail around one of Mother Nature’s most spectacular sights: the Stromboli Volcano, considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
Departure on 4 May 2023 / 7 nights, 8 days
Starting from £4,090 per person
NEW: Symphony on St. Lawrence: From Québec to the Canadian Maritimes, Le Bellot
This itinerary starts in Toronto and ends in Gloucester, Massachusetts, exploring the waterways of eastern Canada and northern New England.
Stops include the charming Canadian coastal towns of Tadoussac, Percé, Charlottetown, and Lunenburg, before heading south to explore the wildlife-rich ecosystem of Arcadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine.
A musical program curated by legendary Boston Pops Conductor, Keith Lockhart, will be performed by six extraordinary musicians.
Maestro Lockhart will conduct four exclusive performances throughout the sailing.
Departure on 16 October 2023 / 14 nights, 15 days
Starting from £8,540 per person
For more information, please visit Ponant or Smithsonianjourneys.org.
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