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Polar bear and cub resting on sea ice beside open water, photographed from PONANT's Le Commandant Charcot on an Arctic expedition cruise

Ponant · L’Austral and Le Boréal · 19 nights

In the Heart of the Northwest Passage

Greenland to Greenland by way of the Canadian High Arctic: Disko Bay, Pond Inlet, Devon and Somerset islands, the Bellot Strait and Beechey Island, aboard a Ponant sister ship. One sailing in 2027, one in 2028, Paris flights included. From A$36,870 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

Low iceberg beneath a vast blue sky streaked with cirrus cloud near Kangerlussuaq, West Greenland, on a PONANT Greenland expedition cruise

19 nights, Kangerlussuaq to Nuuk

Franklin’s passage, in a French ship

This is the voyage that goes into the Passage rather than past it. L’Austral sails from Kangerlussuaq up the Greenland coast to Disko Bay, crosses Baffin Bay to Pond Inlet, then spends ten days among the islands of the Canadian High Arctic: the ice cap and glacier fronts of Devon Island at Croker Bay, the Hudson’s Bay post at Fort Ross on Somerset Island, the Bellot Strait at the northern tip of the American mainland, where the tide runs at eight knots between the cliffs, Prince of Wales and Prescott islands, and Beechey Island, where three of Franklin’s men lie buried above the beach. The ship then recrosses Baffin Bay to Svartenhavn, Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island and the Evighedsfjorden, and ends in Nuuk. Nineteen nights, with Ponant’s flights from Paris to Kangerlussuaq and from Nuuk to Paris included. In 2028 the voyage sails aboard Le Boréal.

We have sailed the Canadian Arctic in September and we know what the ice does to a plan, which is why we only recommend ships and teams that have done it before. Tell us which year suits you and who you are travelling with, and we tell you which stateroom we would choose and why, 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 to Nuuk
  • Devon, Somerset and Beechey
  • 19 nights

Signature moments

Five moments that make the Passage

Sea ice, tide and fog decide the route through the islands, and every year is different. These are the moments the voyage is built around.

PONANT expedition ship beside a glacier front beneath flat-topped cliffs in the Canadian Arctic, on a PONANT Northwest Passage cruise

The glaciers of Devon Island

Two glacier fronts calving into a turquoise bay beneath the Devon ice cap, the largest uninhabited island on earth.

Day by day

Nineteen nights, in outline

The outline below is the plan for the L’Austral sailing of 2027. The Le Boréal sailing of 2028 follows the same route. The captain and expedition leader reshape every day around the ice, 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
A Ponant ship near rocky landscapes with icebergs in the background

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

Nineteen nights aboard the ship, the flights from Paris to Kangerlussuaq and from Nuuk to Paris 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 flights between Paris and Greenland at each end. 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

Other ships take the Passage from the Canadian side, and the same Ponant sister ships sail the Thule region and the edge of the ice sheet. Each has its own page, and we are happy to tell you which suits you.

All expeditions
16 Nights
Ponant
From A$30,100

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.

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.

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.

11 Nights
Swan Hellenic
From A$23,500

Viking Routes: Canada, Greenland and Iceland

Halifax to Reykjavík in May, Greenland to Canada in September. Sailings in 2027 and 2028, with 2029 to follow. From A$23,500 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

13 Nights
Quark Expeditions
From US$12,921

Greenland to Newfoundland: Ice, Inuit and the Vikings

Fly Reykjavík to Kangerlussuaq, sail to St John’s. Four sailings from September 2027 to September 2028, with 2029 to follow. From US$12,921 per person in US dollars, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

Humpback whale blowing a tall column of spray in front of a blue iceberg wall off Ilulissat, West Greenland, on a PONANT Greenland expedition cruise

Dates & prices

Departures, 2027 and 2028

Nineteen nights from Kangerlussuaq to Nuuk. 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.

The only 2027 sailing, timed for the weeks when the ice in Peel Sound is at its most open.

The 2028 sailing on the same route, released early and priced accordingly. 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.