The Great Polar Route

DAY 1 | Reykjavik-Hvalfjord-Alftanes (Iceland)

Embarkation in Reykjavik. Evening navigation towards Hvalfjord, famous for its whales and its role during World War II; then to the Alftanes region where the Pourquoi Pas? commanded by Captain Charcot sank in 1936.

DAY 2 | Icelandic Cape Horn-North Coast

Sailing off the coast of the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve with its impressive bird cliffs.

DAY 3 and 4 | In the ice of Greenland

Heading towards Jan Mayen Island, through waters rich in whales. Ice floes and giant icebergs, the rugged coasts of East Greenland and Scoresby Sund.

DAY 5 | Jan Mayen Island (Norway)

The volcano Beerenberg (2277 m altitude) and its glaciers come into view. Remnants of the old whalers who shaped the history of these places. Large bird colonies contribute to the reputation of this spectacular volcanic island. Visit to the Norwegian station on this North Atlantic island.

DAY 6 | At sea, North Atlantic

Crossing the North Atlantic in search of whales.

DAY 7-9 | Horsund, Storfjord (Spitsbergen)

Arrival in Southern Spitsbergen and navigation in Storfjord and along the East Coast (ice floes, polar bear sightings). Hundreds of seals dot the fragmented ice that fills the fjord. Southern Spitsbergen is renowned for its polar bears. The spectacular landscapes of peaks and glaciers in Horsund. Numerous ice fronts extending for kilometers into the sea, fjord ice floes, trappers’ huts, rich polar history from whalers to scientific stations, polar bears (?), seals, reindeer, white whales (?), and bird colonies.

DAY 10 | Bellsund, Spitsbergen

Research Glacier, its fauna, and icebergs. Named in honor of the French research vessel.

DAY 11 | Croix Bay (depending on our navigation south of Spitsbergen)

July 14 Glacier, its bay with reindeer, foxes, birds, and seals. Lilliehook Glacier, a 7-kilometer-long ice front. Navigation along the coast of the 7 glaciers, past fjords cutting through Prince Albert I Land.

DAY 12 | Longyearbyen-Paris

Disembarkation in the morning in the capital of Spitsbergen. Return flight to Paris. Arrival in Paris in the late afternoon or the following day (hotel night in Oslo included).

©Grands Espaces picturess

L’OCEAN NOVA

The quintessential polar vessel

✔ Only 70 to 75 passengers

✔ Unparalleled polar experience in the Arctic and Antarctic

✔ 8 Zodiacs on board and nine French-speaking lecture guides for a true university of the Far North

✔ A panoramic lounge and conference room that enhances the ship’s reputation

With a length of 73 meters and a width of 11 meters, a draft of 4 meters, and an ice class of A1-B1, this robust polar vessel is served by a crew of 38 men. It offers remarkable comfort, combining efficiency and elegance, with the exceptional expertise of Grands Espaces providing the hallmark of exploration cruises for 72 privileged passengers. It features a spacious deck for easy access to Zodiacs.

The ship exceeds environmental regulations with superior equipment, reducing its ecological footprint: state-of-the-art smoke filters, onboard waste treatments, propulsion using only low-sulfur fuel which is less polluting, and engines enabling minimal fuel consumption per passenger. This consumption also results in full carbon offsetting, making the vessel carbon neutral.