The Geographic North Pole and the east coast of Greenland

Cruise overview

In collaboration with The Explorers Club, this unique voyage will feature Kate Wawatai, a pioneering explorer who is the only female submersible pilot operating at depths beyond 10,000 meters. In addition to her experience as a deep-sea submersible pilot, Kate is a storyteller, bringing unique insights into science, culture, and exploration at the planet’s extremes. An Explorers Club Science Grantee will also be aboard Le Commandant Charcot, utilizing its dedicated laboratories and offering firsthand insights of ongoing research.

With featured guest Cindy Miller Hopkins, American Photo Ambassador.

Push the boundaries of navigation and set sail for 90 degrees North! During this exceptional polar exploration, you will go in search of the mythical Geographic North Pole. Head slowly up through the desert landscapes of the constantly changing ice floe. Your odyssey will continue as you travel down along Greenland, amidst the ice of the Transpolar Drift. Between majestic fjords and encounters with the Inuit culture, the region of Ittoqqortoormiit is rich in rare treasures holding inestimable value. This region near the auroral circle could offer you a choice position in a period that is ideal for observing the Northern Lights. Another Arctic marvel.

As you progress through this polar landscape, Nordaustlandet (North East Land) will display Europe’s largest ice cap and some of its most majestic fjords. Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the only cruise ship able to rise to this challenge, you will make your way towards the North Pole, which is inaccessible to traditional ships. A slow and humble journey awaits you in the heart of a silent world frozen by the extreme cold. You will sail among different states and forms of ice and will be able to admire, from the reassuring cocoon of the ship, the endless show of the light as it reflects on the opalescent landscapes. Following in the wake of Frederick Cook, Robert Edwin Peary or Roald Amundsen, who were among the many to fight to achieve this elusive goal, you will be part of the few chosen ones to dare the adventure, 700 km (435 miles) from any land. And in their footsteps, you will attempt to reach the Holy Grail of all polar explorers: the North Pole!

Sailing back down from the Pole, your odyssey will follow the ice floes along Greenland. You will reach the region of Ittoqqortoormiit, on the East coast. You will discover the village customs during privileged exchanges mixed with joyful and authentic moments. Inuit hospitality is no myth, it is given in the warmth of a look or an exchanged smile. There, if solar activity and the weather conditions are favourable, Le Commandant Charcot will offer you the optimal conditions for observing the Northern Lights, these luminous curtains of colours dancing in the black night.

During the last part of your cruise, Le Commandant Charcot will take you along the Blosseville Coast, named after the French captain who saw it for the first time in 1833. Here, the ice sheet meets the sea. 

Amidst these extreme and isolated panoramas, the polar adventure reserves unsuspected emotions for the humble and patient explorer, one who is conscious of their privilege.

Find out more about the world of Le Commandant Charcot here!

We are privileged guests in these extreme lands where we are at the mercy of weather and ice conditions. Our navigation, mainly in the fjords, will be determined by the type of ice we come across; as the fast ice must be preserved, we will take this into account from day to day in our itineraries. The sailing programme, outings, activities and observation of fauna cannot be guaranteed and are subject to weather and ice conditions. The experiences are unique and vary from day to day and for each departure. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while respecting safety instructions and regulations imposed by the AECO.