PONANT Explorations has announced two new cruises in French Polynesia aboard Le Jacques Cartier next year.
The 15-day journeys will be available between Oct 2026 and Jan 2027, across 13 departures.
Le Jacques Cartier will set sail for some of the most remote and untouched archipelagos of Polynesia, such as the Pitcairn Islands, Gambier Islands and the Austral Islands, some with as few as 50 inhabitants.
One of the new itineraries will be ‘Secret Polynesia from the Society to the Austral Islands’, which will visit the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Gambiers, and the Australs.
The other sailing, ‘From French Polynesia to Pitcairn Island’, will visit the Tuamotus, the Gambiers, and Pitcairn Island, as well as tiny atolls and destinations such as Mataiva, Anaa, Hikueru, Rikitea, and Aukena.
Both itineraries will round trip from Papeete, and are designed to be combined, allowing for back-to-backs.
Scuba diving is available on all itineraries, with a certified Ponant instructor on board.
Guests can also embark on the ‘Polynesian Bliss: Marquesas, Tuamotu and Society Islands’ sailing, while another itinerary, the ‘Marquesas, Tuamotu and Society Islands’ voyage, is one of the landmark journeys of Ponant sister brand Paul Gauguin Cruises.
Ponant explained its new Le Jacques Cartier (pictured) cruises are designed to be complimentary to those offered by Paul Gauguin.
The cruise line, which is named after the 19th-century painter and sculptor, has exclusively cruised in French Polynesia since its inception in 2010. MS
