PONANT brings a first-of-its-kind journey to travelers, paving the way for winter exploration cruises in the Great North. January to February 2025, the cruise line will offer four voyages through Canada’s St. Lawrence River during Boreal winter, a first for a cruise ship, on Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first icebreaker and hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by liquified natural gas.

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Le Commandant Charcot boasts Polar Class 2 ice rating, allowing it to break through ice up to 8 feet thick and explore destinations otherwise inaccessible during the winter months. Its 13-day St. Lawrence River journeys through Boreal winter will combine sub-zero adventures like kayaking, ice fishing, dog sledding, skijoring, visits to Indigenous communities, rare wildlife sightings and northern lights viewing.

On the Jan. 17 and Feb. 10 departures, the ship departs Saint Pierre Island off the Atlantic Coast before heading west to Sydney, Nova Scotia; the Magdalen Islands; Gaspé; Sept-îles; the borough of La Baie; and Quebec City. The trip makes the return journey from Quebec City on the Jan. 29 and Feb. 22 departures.

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British photographer Sue Flood and Ian Dawson join the expeditions, sharing stories and guiding guests as they snap photographs of landscapes and wildlife.