Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro
21 Feb 2025
9
Nights
Departing:
South America
From:
£
18000
per person
Seward (Anchorage, Alaska) to Vancouver
28 Aug 2025
7
Nights
Departing:
Canada
From:
£
10600
per person
Through PONANT’s alliance with The Explorers Club, this voyage will feature maritime archaeologist Peter Campbell. Peter has led archaeological missions across multiple countries, exploring shipwrecks, aircraft, sunken cities, and underwater caves. His research delves into ancient navigation and evolving trade networks, examining how social, economic, and environmental changes, including piracy and climate shifts, have shaped these routes. His recent research surveys the southern coast of Tanzania, revealing the intricacies of Indian Ocean trade. Beyond underwater archaeology, Peter is also an expert in art crime investigation, directing the heritage crime program at Cranfield University.
Embark with PONANT aboard Le Bougainville for a 13-day expedition cruise in the Indian Ocean. A chance to discover stunning natural environments, exceptional wildlife and UNESCO World Heritage sites loaded with history. From Victoria on the island of Mahe, you will first sail to La Digue, where a veritable picture-postcard of the Seychelles awaits you: palm trees, granite rocks, white sand and crystal-clear waters. You will extend these activities at sea and on land on the sublime Saint François Atoll. After a stop on the sublime Assumption Island, you reach the reach the Aldabra atoll, a pristine natural sanctuary listed as a Unesco World Heritage site. Further on, the small islands Astove will be an opportunity to snorkel and dive among bright-coloured sea life. Your next ports of call will provide opportunities to discover several of the wonders of Tanzania. You will explore the ruins of the 13th-century Swahili trading past of Kilwa Kisiwani, the small coral island of Misali as well as Pemba Island and its clove plantations and fantastic scuba diving. This fabulous trip will draw to an end in Zanzibar, a city with superb UNESCO-listed buildings, blending African, Arab, Indian and European influences over more than a millennium. The encounters with the wildlife described above illustrate possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed.
Through PONANT’s alliance with The Explorers Club, this voyage will feature maritime archaeologist Peter Campbell. An expedition cruise between Tanzania and the Seychelles, featuring wild, preserved nature and sites brimming with history.Outings in zodiac inflatables with a team of experienced naturalist guides and landings on idyllic beaches.UNESCO sites: Aldabra, the largest coral atoll in the world; the ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani; and Zanzibar’s Stone Town.In the Seychelles, Anse Source d’Argent, the most famous beach of La Digue, surrounded by large blocks of granite and edged with coconut palms.Possibility of observing tortoises and many species of birds on Aldabra atoll.Possibility of diving (PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent) with an experienced instructor on board and of snorkelling with your expedition team.
Discover Mahe, the main island of the Seychelles and also the largest of the archipelago, home to the capital, Victoria. Mahe has almost 70 beaches of fine sand, framed by the emblematic granite rocks, and whose crystal clear waters are renowned for their rich underwater life. The island is also famous for its splendid mountain panoramas accessible on hikes, such as the Morne Seychellois, which is 905 metres high and overlooks the Indian Ocean. Mahe is also an island full of history where fine colonial properties rub shoulders with Creole houses - and don’t forget the marvellous Botanical Gardens in Victoria.
La Digue Island is a veritable concentration of all the beauty of the Seychelles. Located 6 km south-east of Praslin, this small piece of land that looks like paradise is the third-largest island in the Seychelles, despite its modest size (5 km by 3 km)! Turquoise waters just asking you to swim in them, lush vegetation sheltering giant tortoises, beaches of fine sand fringed with coconut trees and surrounded with those emblematic large granite rocks with their pink highlights like at the famous Anse Source d’Argent: the perfect picture postcard… Authentic and preserved, the island follows a peaceful rhythm, with the only means of transport along its little roads being bikes or traditional oxcarts.
In the heart of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, St. François Atoll paints the Indian Ocean in an infinite palette of blues. This coral atoll, made up of the Bijoutier and St. François islands, is exactly what people imagine when they think of the Seychelles. Formed around volcanos having vanished into the abyssal depths of the Indian Ocean, its islands are protected by splendid and fragile coral reefs. Here, the population is composed of myriad birds on land and of sea turtles and a multitude of fish in the water, making this the ideal place for hiking or snorkelling.
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.
Assumption Island is part of the Aldabra group (Outer Islands), situated in the south-west of the Seychelles. Discovered in the mid-18th century by the French captain Nicolas Morphey, this bean-shaped island covered in dunes and shrubs is relatively flat. A handful of people live there, in a small village in the island’s west. The island’s beaches are a major egg-laying and breeding site for sea turtles. The surrounding waters are ideal for scuba diving. This is where Jacques-Yves Cousteau filmed some of the scenes for his famous documentary film “The Silent World”, released in 1956.
Located in the very heart of this faraway archipelago, the Aldabra Atoll is considered to be one of the last virtually untouched sanctuaries on earth, where a large population of sea turtles has found refuge. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this vast tract of land is formed by 4 small coral reef islands separated by narrow passes and containing an emerald-water lagoon lined with mangrove and fine-sand beaches. As your ship slowly nears the clear, reflective waters along its shoreline, do not miss your chance to discover this natural wonder, which is considered to be the largest atoll in the world and once fired the imagination of many an explorer.
Closer to Madagascar than to Victoria, Astove is the southernmost island in the Seychelles. It is part of the Aldabra group, in the Outer Islands of the Seychelles. Now uninhabited, this coral island covered in coconut trees was once home to the employees that worked on the coconut plantations. Renowned for the richness of its seabeds, Astove Atoll is now a top destination for fishing enthusiasts. It also attracts experienced divers, who visit the atoll to explore the “Astove Wall”, where the sea floor drops to a depth of about 40 metres. The wall is covered in coral and many fish and green sea turtles can be found there.
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.
Near the Tanzanian coast, around 300 km south of Dar es Salaam, the island of Kilwa Kisiwani is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Occupied from the 9th century to the 11th century, it reached its heights in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was described by the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battouta as “one of the most beautiful cities in the world.” A former Swahili trading city, the island prospered from the trade of gold and ivory from the inland regions. The remains of its former port city cover a large part of the island. Those of its superb Great Mosque, the oldest mosque remaining on the coast of East Africa, are well worth a visit.
The second-largest island in the Zanzibar Archipelago, Pemba Island captivates, surprises and fascinates. You will be enchanted by the songs of the island women, on the beaches of fine sand, as they gather red algae at low tide. A unique sight! Mountainous with hills of fertile land and bearing the nickname ““the Green Island”, it is bordered by quiet shores, brimming with authenticity. Banana trees, coconut trees, clove trees, nutmeg trees… its lush vegetation ensures the local production of the spices that has made its reputation (primarily cloves but also nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, turmeric, pepper, etc.).
Renowned for its underwater world, Misali became a protected conservation area in 1998. So, it’s possible to admire its sea beds and swim there, but not to fish. If conditions allow, you’ll perhaps have the chance to see varied underwater fauna. To the north-east of the island, a white sandy beach, bathed in stunningly transparent turquoise water, is an ideal place to relax.
Once a mythical post along the legendary Indian Ocean trade route, today a certain whiff of adventure still pervades in Zanzibar. Located off the coast of Tanzania, this place often referred to as “spice island” is brimming with natural treasures, such as Jozani Forest, the last remains of the huge primeval forest that once covered the island, home to a unique ecosystem. This port of call will also be the moment to discover ”Stone Town”, the historical centre of Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A veritable labyrinth of narrow streets lined with houses made from coral stone, it is home to sumptuous buildings in a multitude of architectural styles, the result of the blending of African, European and Indian cultures.
Welcoming and spacious common areas, refined open-to-the-sea design, sleek exterior lines, a marina to make access to the ship's zodiac inflatables easier, hi-tech equipment, an outdoor pool, a multisensorial underwater lounge… Le Bougainville represents the new generation of ships designed to combine discovery and exploration with luxury, even in the planet's most remote and isolated regions.
Inviting and expansive communal spaces, an elegant design that opens to the sea, streamlined exterior lines, a marina for convenient access to the ship's zodiac inflatables, state-of-the-art technology, an outdoor pool, and a multisensory underwater lounge… Le Bougainville embodies the next generation of vessels crafted to blend exploration and discovery with luxury, even in the most remote and secluded parts of the planet.
At the back of deck 4, there is a spacious panoramic restaurant designed to seat all passengers at once. This venue offers a unique experience compared to Ponant’s other ships, featuring an open-air design and serving buffet-style salads, desserts, and cheeses. The attentive and discreet staff is on hand to provide table service for hot meals. There is also an exterior grill restaurant on deck 3 offering a more relaxed atmosphere with a capacity of 70 and views out over the pool deck.
The 92 staterooms and suites aboard Le Bougainville perfectly capture the essence of the PONANT spirit and philosophy, aiming to provide a blend of elegance, cosy intimacy, and comfort. Each room features private balconies that allow for soft, natural light to fill the space throughout the day. After an adventure in a Zodiac® inflatable or a delightful dinner at a fine restaurant, you’ll be pleased to return to the sophisticated atmosphere of your cabin.
Le Bougainville offers many relaxing spaces in which to sit back and unwind. Take in the stunning views from the panoramic lounge or the pool deck or head down to the Blue Eye; a breathtaking underwater lounge. If you're feeling more adventurous, head to the hydraulic platform to swim, bathe in the sea and indulge in various nautical sports, such as kayaking and paddleboarding.
Embark with PONANT aboard Le Bougainville for a 13-day expedition cruise in the Indian Ocean. A chance to discover stunning natural environments, exceptional wildlife and UNESCO World Heritage sites loaded with history.
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