An escapade in the heart of Melanesia

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Voyage Code: PONANTEX210826

16 nights

Le Jacques Cartier

21 Aug '26

Cruise overview

Leaving from Darwin, PONANT invites you to embark on board Le Jacques Cartier for a 17-day journey featuring idyllic landscapes, lush nature and ancestral civilisations with secular traditions. Set off to discover the ancestral lands of Australia and four Melanesian treasures: Papua New Guinea, the Vanuatu archipelago, the Solomons and the Fiji islands.

On cosmopolitan Thursday Island, in the far north of the Australian territory, make the most of a visit to discover the history of this part of the Pacific during the Second World War. The Jacques-Cartier will set sail for Papua New Guinea, a fascinating land that is home to no fewer than 700 ethnic groups within a highly diverse yet mainly unexplored, ecosystem.

Setting sail for the Salomon Islands! You will stop over in Honiara on the large island of Guadalcanal, where exoticism and beauty go hand in hand, from paradisiacal waterfalls to lush green hills.

Then, the Jacques Cartier sails towards heavenly lands, where white sandy beaches encircle luxuriant forests with unique ecosystems, and legends and myths remain engraved in memories and traditions… In Port-Vila, capital of Vanuatu, you will relish the unforgettable sight of magnificent bays, a colonial heritage, paradise beaches and enchanting waterfalls. In Espiritu Santo, the archipelago’s main island, you are sure to be captivated by the unspoilt seabed surrounding this luxuriant islet.

Your journey will end in Lautoka in Fiji, famous for its sugar cane crops.

Darwin, Northern Territory

Thursday Island, Queensland

Port Moresby

Alotau

Honiara, Guadalcanal Island

Luganville

Port Vila

Lautoka

Itinerary

Day 1

Darwin, Northern Territory

Darwin is Australia’s most colorful, and exotic, capital city. Surrounded on three sides by the turquoise waters of the Timor Sea, the streets are lined with tropical flowers and trees. Warm and dry in winter, hot and steamy in summer, it’s a relaxed and casual place, as well as a beguiling blend of tropical frontier outpost and Outback hardiness. Thanks to its close proximity to Southeast Asia and its multicultural population it also seems more like Asia than the rest of Australia. Darwin is a city that has always had to fight for its survival. The seductiveness of contemporary Darwin lifestyles belies a history of failed attempts that date from 1824 when Europeans attempted to establish an enclave in this harsh, unyielding climate. The original 1869 settlement, called Palmerston, was built on a parcel of mangrove wetlands and scrub forest that had changed little in 15 million years. It was not until 1911, after it had already weathered the disastrous cyclones of 1878, 1882, and 1897, that the town was named after the scientist who had visited Australia’s shores aboard the Beagle in 1839. During World War II it was bombed more than 60 times, as the harbor full of warships was a prime target for the Japanese war planes. Then, on the night of Christmas Eve 1974, the city was almost completely destroyed by Cyclone Tracy, Australia’s greatest natural disaster. It’s a tribute to those who stayed and to those who have come to live here after Tracy that the rebuilt city now thrives as an administrative and commercial center for northern Australia. Old Darwin has been replaced by something of an edifice complex—such buildings as Parliament House and the Supreme Court all seem very grand for such a small city, especially one that prides itself on its casual, outdoor-centric lifestyle. Today Darwin is the best place from which to explore Australia’s Top End, with its wonders of Kakadu and the Kimberley region.

Day 2

at-sea At sea

Day 3

at-sea At sea

Day 4

Thursday Island, Queensland

Day 5

at-sea At sea

Day 6

Port Moresby

Day 7

Alotau

Day 8

at-sea At sea

Day 9

at-sea At sea

Day 10

Honiara, Guadalcanal Island

Day 11

at-sea At sea

Day 12

at-sea At sea

Day 13

Luganville

Day 14

Port Vila

Day 15

at-sea At sea

Day 16

at-sea At sea

Day 17

Lautoka

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Deluxe Stateroom

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Elegant and light-filled, the Deluxe Stateroom features a private balcony, queen-size bed, ensuite bathroom and refined contemporary décor, offering a comfortable and stylish retreat after days of exploration.