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US DOLLARS ($)

+44 207 384 2332 Plan Your Trip

+44 207 384 2332 Plan your trip

Luxury Expedition Ship

Le Commandant Charcot

HIGHLIGHTS
GALLERY
FEATURES
GOOD TO KNOW
ENQUIRE
DESTINATIONS

Highlights

Voyages: Le Commandant Charcot is purpose-built for polar exploration, combining an icebreaking hull with hybrid LNG-electric propulsion to navigate some of the world’s most extreme Arctic and Antarctic environments. It also offers rare access to the Geographic North Pole, visited by very few people.
Suites and Staterooms: The ship offers elegantly designed suites and staterooms, with private balconies. The ship has a contemporary French design with warm, refined interiors and expansive sea views throughout.
Panoramic Observation Spaces: Expansive indoor and outdoor observation areas provide uninterrupted views of ice landscapes, wildlife, and remote horizons, creating ideal conditions for photography and quiet contemplation at sea.
Advanced Sustainability: Powered by liquefied natural gas alongside electric propulsion systems, the vessel is designed to reduce emissions and minimise environmental impact while operating in fragile polar ecosystems.
Expert-Led Expeditions: Voyages are enriched by a team of expedition experts, including naturalists and scientists, who guide Zodiac outings, shore landings, and onboard lectures focused on polar wildlife, geology, and exploration history.
Wellness and Onboard Comfort: Guests can enjoy a range of facilities including a spa, fitness space, panoramic lounge areas, and refined dining venues showcasing French-inspired cuisine, designed for comfort between expedition days.

Features

Constructed: Built in 2021 in Søviknes, Norway, Le Commandant Charcot is a next-generation luxury icebreaker designed for polar exploration and hybrid-electric cruising.
Capacity: Accommodates up to 245 guests, offering spacious all-suite accommodation with balconies in many categories.
Guides: The expedition team includes highly specialised naturalists and field experts such as marine biologists, ornithologists, geologists and historians, selected according to each voyage’s polar itinerary.
Crew: Staffed by approximately 215 crew members, ensuring a high level of service alongside expedition operations and safety.
Speed: A maximum and average cruising speed of 15 knots in open water. When actively navigating through sea ice, her speed typically ranges from 7 to 10 knots
Ice Class: Rated PC2, one of the highest polar ice classifications for a passenger vessel, enabling navigation in some of the most demanding ice conditions.
Size: 150 metres in length and 28 metres in beam.
Restaurants: Features a main restaurant, an outdoor grill, and a panoramic lounge bar, offering varied dining settings with expedition-focused service.

Gallery

Country Highlights

Geographic North Pole

Arctic, Le Commandant Charcot, Polar Expedition Ship

July to September

Board Le Commandant Charcot in Longyearbyen and sail through the spectacular landscapes of Spitsbergen towards the Geographic North Pole. Travel through drifting pack ice, passing towering glaciers, deep fjords and rugged mountains. Along the way, look out for polar bears, seals, whales and seabirds.

Weather and ice conditions permitting, enjoy Zodiac excursions, landings on the sea ice, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and even a polar plunge. Following natural channels through the pack ice, continue to the Geographic North Pole, where all lines of longitude meet. Surrounded by drifting sea ice, this is one of the world’s most remote and extraordinary places.

Polar Odyssey between Northeast Greenland & Spitsbergen

September to October

Begin with a culinary journey featuring tastings, memorable dinners and live demonstrations. Start in Reykjavík, with time to explore key landmarks or the geothermal landscapes of the Reykjanes Peninsula. Then set sail into the Arctic, moving north through shifting pack ice towards East Greenland and Scoresby Sound. Along the way, see vast fjords, glaciers and rugged mountains, with chances to spot Arctic wildlife. Where conditions allow, explore by Zodiac or step onto the sea ice.

Visit Ittoqqortoormiit, one of Greenland’s most remote settlements, before continuing into Scoresby Sound, the world’s largest fjord system, where icebergs drift through deep waters and cliffs rise from the coast. Travel on into Northeast Greenland National Park, a vast protected wilderness shaped by ice and weather, before crossing back through pack ice towards Svalbard. The voyage ends along the north-west coast of Spitsbergen, with glaciers and fjords leading to disembarkation in Longyearbyen and onward travel to Tromsø.

Beyond the Antarctic Circle - In the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Antarctica, Le Commandant Charcot, Polar Expedition Ship

December to January

Follow in the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s polar expeditions to the Bellingshausen Sea. The journey begins in Ushuaia, set beneath the Andes on the edge of Tierra del Fuego, before heading into the Southern Ocean. Cross the Drake Passage, where albatrosses, petrels and other seabirds accompany the ship south. After crossing the Antarctic Circle, the landscape opens into sea ice, icebergs and a quiet polar environment.

Exploration continues along the Antarctic Peninsula and into Marguerite Bay, The Gullet, Charcot Island and the Bellingshausen Sea. These remote regions offer encounters with emperor and Adélie penguins, seals, whales and seabirds. In Marguerite Bay and around Pourquoi Pas Island, glaciers and ice cliffs form a striking backdrop for Zodiac excursions and landings. Further along the peninsula, daily exploration follows ice and weather conditions, revealing glacier-lined bays, volcanic coastlines, research stations and sculptural icebergs. Humpback whales, orcas, minke whales, elephant seals and penguin colonies are commonly seen.

Unexplored Western Antarctica between Two Continents

January to February

An extraordinary Antarctic expedition exploring the Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land and the Ross Sea, combining remote polar landscapes, wildlife encounters and historic exploration routes. Begin in Ushuaia, crossing the Drake Passage into Antarctica, where seabirds follow the ship south. Beyond the Antarctic Circle, explore ice-filled waters around the Antarctic Peninsula, including The Gullet and Marguerite Bay, with Zodiac excursions where conditions allow.

Continue west into the remote wilderness of Marie Byrd Land, then cross the International Date Line into the Ross Sea, known for its rich marine life, historic huts and vast ice shelves. End at the volcanic Balleny Islands, home to penguin colonies and frequent whale sightings, before sailing on to Hobart, Tasmania.

Northeast Greenland's unexplored sea ice

Polar Bears, Arctic, Ponant Explorations

June

Explore the remote coast of Greenland, where dramatic fjords, mountains and drifting pack ice meet Inuit culture and High Arctic wildlife. Start in Reykjavík before sailing west to Greenland. Explore the Ammassalik region, with snow-covered peaks, deep fjords and icebergs, then continue along the remote Blosseville Coast, where shifting sea ice supports polar bears, seals, whales and seabirds. Zodiac excursions and landings may be possible depending on conditions.

Visit the Ittoqqortoormiit region, offering insight into life in one of Greenland’s most remote communities, before exploring nearby fjords in search of walrus, narwhal, musk oxen and polar bears. The journey returns along the Blosseville Coast to Reykjavík.

In the ice of the Arctic, from Svalbard to Greenland

June to July

this voyage features polar explorer Sunniva Sorby, whose decades of Arctic experience include a Greenland Icecap crossing and a 19-month overwintering at 78°N.

Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, one of the few vessels capable of deep Arctic ice navigation, sail between Svalbard and north-east Greenland from late spring. The route passes basalt cliffs, glaciers, fjords, ice sheets and drifting sea ice, with chances to explore by Zodiac, kayak or on foot where conditions allow. Encounters with Arctic wildlife unfold across these remote landscapes, offering a rare perspective on a region shaped by ice and time. The journey follows in the footsteps of Charcot, Victor and Blosseville, combining exploration with expert insight into the High Arctic environment.

Country Highlights

Our tailor-made journeys include

A dedicated Destination Expert who will curate your itinerary from scratch, tailoring it to your preferences + interests
Private + extraordinary under-the-radar experiences
Access to the very best guides + experts to bring the destination to life
Private international airport transfers in destination
The MyCazLoyd app to view your itinerary offline anywhere, anytime
24/7 support whilst travelling
ATOL protection to give you total peace of mind

Good to know

What are the cabin options on Le Commandant Charcot?

Le Commandant Charcot offers an all-suite accommodation concept, with a range of categories that vary primarily by size, layout, and level of space:

Prestige Staterooms: These entry-level suites are generously sized and include a private balcony, a comfortable seating area, and large windows. They provide a light-filled base for time spent onboard, with all the expected contemporary amenities.

Deluxe Suites: These suites offer additional interior space and a more expansive layout than the Prestige Staterooms, along with a private balcony and a comfortable living area designed for extended stays in polar regions.

Prestige Suites: Larger again in scale, these suites provide increased living space, a more generous bathroom, and a wider balcony. They are designed to enhance comfort while maintaining a clean, contemporary style throughout.

Duplex Suites: These are arranged over two levels, offering a split layout that separates living and sleeping areas. They are among the most distinctive accommodation types onboard, providing a greater sense of space and privacy.

Owner’s Suite: The most spacious category onboard, offering the largest overall footprint, a separate living area, and an extended private terrace, designed for those seeking the highest level of comfort and space at sea.

Are children welcome?

Le Commandant Charcot welcomes younger guests, though participation is subject to age guidelines and the nature of each expedition.

Children are generally accepted from around 8 years old, although this may vary depending on the specific voyage, itinerary, and prevailing operational conditions.

As a purpose-built polar expedition vessel, the ship is not designed as a dedicated family cruise experience and does not feature children’s facilities or organised youth programmes onboard.

Given the remote destinations, Zodiac excursions, and time spent in cold-weather environments, voyages are best suited to older children who are comfortable with active expedition travel and extended periods at sea.

Sustainable travel

Le Commandant Charcot is widely regarded as one of the most advanced environmentally conscious vessels operating in polar regions, designed specifically to reduce impact in some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems.

The ship is powered by a hybrid propulsion system combining liquefied natural gas (LNG) with electric batteries. This dual-energy setup significantly reduces emissions compared with conventional marine fuel, particularly in terms of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulates. The battery system also allows for quieter, low-emission operation in sensitive areas, which helps limit disturbance to wildlife.

Its design incorporates a strengthened polar hull with an ice-class rating that enables navigation without the need for an escort icebreaker in certain conditions, helping to reduce additional fuel use and associated emissions during polar operations.

Onboard systems are engineered to improve energy efficiency throughout the voyage, including heat recovery and optimised power management. Waste handling is also carefully controlled, with strict onboard treatment and recycling protocols to reduce discharge into the marine environment.

Beyond the vessel itself, expedition operations are planned with environmental considerations in mind, including controlled landings, strict wildlife distance protocols, and small-group shore visits designed to limit pressure on delicate polar habitats.

Overall, the ship represents a move towards lower-impact polar exploration, balancing access to remote regions with a more considered approach to emissions and ecosystem protection.

Giving back

Le Commandant Charcot contributes to environmental protection and local engagement mainly through its operating model rather than through large-scale community programmes, reflecting the remote and sensitive regions it visits.

From an environmental perspective, the vessel is designed to minimise its footprint in polar waters through its hybrid LNG–electric propulsion system, reduced underwater noise in battery mode, and strict onboard waste treatment processes. Expedition operations are also tightly managed, with small Zodiac groups, controlled landing procedures, and clear wildlife-distance rules to limit disturbance in fragile ecosystems.

The ship’s itineraries are planned in line with regulated polar access frameworks, meaning landings and routes are carefully coordinated to avoid sensitive habitats and to comply with conservation requirements in the Arctic and Antarctic. Scientific collaboration is also a feature of some voyages, with opportunities for onboard researchers and expedition teams to collect observations that can contribute to broader understanding of polar environments.

In terms of community engagement, interactions are more limited due to the remoteness of destinations. Where landings take place in Arctic regions, visits are conducted respectfully and in small groups, often with local guides or partners where available, helping to support local knowledge exchange rather than large-scale tourism infrastructure.

Citizen science

On selected expeditions, guests may be invited to take part in light scientific observation activities alongside the expedition team. These can include recording wildlife sightings, helping to document sea ice conditions, or contributing observations that support broader environmental research initiatives in polar regions.

These activities are usually guided by onboard naturalists and expedition scientists, and they are designed to be simple, structured, and accessible rather than technical field research. The data collected may, in some cases, be shared with scientific partners or research programmes focused on polar ecosystems

Why we love the Le Commandant Charcot

A major draw of Le Commandant Charcot is the sense of access to extreme environments with relative ease. Le Commandant Charcot is particularly special as it is one of the only ships capable of reaching the Geographical North Pole, and there isn’t a more comfortable way to reach the Earth’s landless axis. The interior and the suites are absolutely beautifully designed and have all of the amenities you may need. The cuisine is also exceptional.