PONANT & Smithsonian Journeys announce 2024 expeditions

PONANT has announced its 2024 sailings in collaboration with Smithsonian Journeys, the travel program of the Smithsonian Institution. 

Drawing on Smithsonian's rich history as the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, the 24 departures will feature notable experts and experiences that embrace local cultures and dive deeper into a destination’s history, cuisine, language, environment, and wildlife. 

PONANT and Smithsonian Journeys are rooted in common values, with the goal of further inspiring guests to become global citizens through travel. This is the third year PONANT and Smithsonian Journeys will offer co-branded sailings.   

Several new itineraries exploring Alaska, New Zealand’s Fiordland, and the wonders of the Mediterranean, will provide opportunities to engage with a variety of Smithsonian Journeys experts, ranging from archaeologists and scientists to anthropologists and historians. 

For the 2024 season, guests will have even more choices among half-day and full-day included shore excursions and specially arranged onshore activities, ranging from a visit to the new Grand Egyptian Museum followed by an exclusive talk with a Egyptologist, to pizza making in Sorrento and wine tasting on the slopes of Mt. Etna.   

 PONANT and Smithsonian Journeys will also bring back voyage-favourites from 2023 including a seven-night itinerary from Panama to Costa Rica, with an exclusive visit to the open-air Punta Culebra Nature Center of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (February 10-17, 2024); a seven-night voyage to the Scottish Isles and Norwegian Fjords, including a train journey aboard the Flåm Railway into the mountains of western Norway (June 8-15 and June 15-22, 2024); and a week-long exploration of the Greek Islands in the Southern Aegean, with ports of call at a different island each day (October 3-10, 2024).  

Highlights of the 2024 voyages include:  

New: New Zealand’s South Island by Sea: A Voyage to the Fiordland, Le Lapérouse 

The diversity of New Zealand’s flora and fauna will be on full display on this seven-night expedition along South Island’s eastern seaboard and the Fiordland National Park. The park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is known for its craggy mountains and pristine fjords that were formed over 100,000 years of glacial activity. There, guests will discover landscapes described by British navigator James Cook, enjoy sightings of rare Fiordland crested penguins, and discover the cascading waterfalls and dramatic cliffs of Milford Sound. 

Departure on February 15, 2024/ 7 nights, 8 days 

Starting from $6,480 per person 

New: Ancient Civilizations by Sea: Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, & Turkey, Le Champlain 

During this 12-night sailing, guests will discover seven countries—Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, and Malta—and the cultural treasures therein, from the sacred sites of Jerusalem and the Pyramids of Giza to the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum. As Le Champlain sails through the waters of the Red Sea and crosses the Suez Canal, guests will stay entertained through engaging onboard discussions with a renowned archaeologist and a foreign correspondent. 

Departure on April 2, 2024 / 12 nights, 13 days 

Starting from $10,430 per person 

New: Mediterranean Island Voyage: Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Elba, Le Bougainville 

Beginning in Malta and ending in the South of France, this seven-night journey offers the very best of the Mediterranean, with stops on the windswept isles of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Elba.  Highlights include visiting the well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins in Syracuse, Sicily; viewing the stunning Byzantine-Arab mosaics in the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, Sicily; touring the medieval clifftop town of Bonifacio, on Corsica; and strolling the clifftop estate on Elba, Italy, where Napoleon was exiled.  

Departure on May 15, 2024 / 7 nights, 8 days 

From $6,540 per person 

New: Cultural and Natural Treasures of Japan by Sea, Le Soléal 

Feudal castles, Buddhist temples, and traditional teahouses are among the delights of this seven-night sailing along Japan’s northern coast, starting in the charming town of Maizuru. The cultural emphasis is evident from the first port of call, Sakaiminato, where options include touring a 17^th-century castle built entirely of pine, learning the ancient craft of making paper, visiting a landscape garden renowned for its fragrant peonies, and marveling at modern Japanese paintings at the Adachi Museum. The islands of Sado and Honshu will bring Japan’s stunning natural landscapes into focus, from the rugged cliffs of the Senkakuwan Ageshima Yuen Park to the sacred mountains known as the Dewa Sanzan. 

Departure on May 21, 2024 / 7 nights, 8 days 

From $7,580 per person 

New: Cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage, Le Soléal 

Departing from Vancouver, this eight-night journey will bring guests into the heart of Alaska’s staggering landscapes, from its dramatic fjords and mighty glaciers to its thundering waterfalls and primal forests. A geologist and natural history filmmaker (July 5 departure) will serve as your experts as Le Soléal makes her way through the Johnstone Strait and along the Inside Passage, with plenty of wildlife sightings along the way: orcas, humpback whales, brown bears, sea otters, bald eagles, and much more. 

Departures on July 5 and July 20, 2024 / 8 nights, 9 days 

From $6,330 per person 

New: Ancient Wonders and Culinary Delights: Cruising Southern Italy and Sicily, Le Bougainville 

The Mediterranean diet—with its fresh seafood, herbaceous olive oils, and abundant wine—is one of the focal points of this cruise from Malta to Sicily and up along the west coast of Southern Italy. The 7-night journey will include wine tastings at Sicilian wineries; sampling bergamot, the typical citrus fruit from Calabria; and eating your way through the street foods of Naples and Rome. The historical element is just as much of a focus, with stops to discover ancient Roman and Greek monuments in Syracuse, Taormina, Paestum, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Rome. 

Departure on September 8, 2024 / 7 nights, 8 days 

From $6,610 per person 

For more info, click Here.  

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