Polar Expedition 
Superior Stateroom
25% Ponant Bonus
21 m²
3
- New
Scottish archipelagos and the Faroe Islands: Nordic heritage and island identities
Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow, Scotland
Dates:
18/05/2024
to
27/05/2024
days
nights on board
PONANT proposes a 10-day expedition cruise aboard Le Boréal exploring the captivating landscapes and extraordinary historical heritage of the archipelagos of Scotland and the Faroe Islands, lands with Celtic and Viking influences.
Leaving from Glasgow, you will reach Oban, capital of the county of Argyll, considered the cradle of Scotland, and its spectacular coastlines to the west of the Highlands.
You will then sail towards Loch Ewe in the Northwest Highlands, a sea loch that is home to a remarkable subtropical Eden; next, you will reach Handa Island and its huge sandstone cliffs, where many colonies of seabirds come to nest.
You will then head for the Orkney archipelago and its windswept moorland landscape. Stromness, a small fishing port with stone houses, reveals a rich history of Vikings, merchants and sailors.
In the middle of the North Sea, the Scottish archipelago of the Shetlands is rich in unsuspected treasures on its raw territories with jagged coastlines. From Scalloway, the stone structures at Jarlshof are a vibrant testimony to the first settlements while the cliff at Sumburgh Head offers fantastic views of the seabirds. On the more remote island of Foula, man has had to deal with the elements.
Your ship will then sail north towards the the Faroe Islands, Denmark’s northernmost autonomous territory. In this isolated archipelago, you will immerse yourself in a wild and spectacular natural environment. In Suduroy, the rolling plains populated by sheep shape the scenery punctuated by sheer summits, mountain lakes and jagged cliffs looking out to the islands, offering outstanding terrestrial and maritime panoramas. Eysturoy reveals itself through the life of the archipelago’s inhabitants, between remote villages, green roofs, a traditional black wooden church, and local customs. You will also enjoy sailing around cliffs that are home to bird colonies. Here, Viking legends and Nordic cosmogony are never far away.
In the Hebrides, St Kilda is a small volcanic archipelago with incredibly beautiful scenery, where the sheer cliffs rub shoulders with vast and verdant relief. The main island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; uninhabited since 1930, it has remnants of very old dwellings.
The last stage of your journey will take you to Tobermory, a charming fishing port with multicoloured houses and with a distillery that produces a renowned single malt , before you arrive in Glasgow, your disembarkation port.
Ref : BO180524
Your itinerary
An all-new expedition cruise discovering the subarctic archipelagos of Scotland and the Faroe Islands, remote territories of volcanic origin, renowned for their dramatic scenery and their singular identities,...
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Your trip in detail
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LE CHAMPLAIN
24/07/2023 to the 02/08/2023
LE BORÉAL
LE PAUL GAUGUIN
- New
- Last staterooms
LE PONANT
- New
- Last staterooms
LE PONANT
*Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability, and subject to change at any time. The category of stateroom to which this price applies may no longer be available.
Services provided
- 24h room service
- Inclusive Internet access Wi-Fi (availability dependent on navigation and latitude)
- Individually-controlled air conditioning
- Dressing room with shelves and closet
- Dressing table and hairdryer
- Dyptique Paris top-of-the-line bath products
- Minibar included
- Nespresso coffee maker and boiler
- Electronic safe
- Direct line telephone
- Bose Bluetooth speaker
- Flat screen TV, international channels (availability dependent on navigation) and videos on demand
- 110V American (two flat pins)/220V European (round sockets with two round pins)
- Three ADA staterooms
Select your stateroom category
Expedition programmes include activities such as zodiac outings and landings (sometimes with "wet landing"), moderate walks to more active hikes, all accompanied by your expedition team of naturalist guides.
Ports of call, visited sites, outings and landings will depend on weather conditions, position of ice, winds and the state of the sea. These can force a change of plans at any time. The Captain and the Expedition Leader may at any time cancel or stop any activity, or even modify the itinerary. The final itinerary will be confirmed by the Captain, who will take into account the touristic quality of the sites and above all, the safety of the passengers. His decision will be based on advice from experts and authorities.
Travelling to polar/isolated regions is an exhilarating experience in remote areas: please remember that you are far from modern hospitals with full medical facilities, thus evacuation is extremely expensive. Without adequate medical coverage, all expenses will have to be immediately paid with your personal funds. We urge you to subscribe to full coverage insurance, choose your insurance company very carefully, be extremely vigilant and ensure your insurance is fully comprehensive, especially if you are insured by your credit card. PONANT offers an insurance contract with extensive guarantees, please contact us for more information.
Clothing tips:
- A waterproof rain jacket
- Waterproofed shoes or comfortable resistant walking shoes
- Comfortable trousers: waterproof trousers, hicking tracksuit
- Waterproof and windproof over-trousers – MANDATORY
- Pullover, sweat-shirt or fleece jacket
- A warm hat, woollen ear muffs or fleece ear muffs, fleece or woollen neck warmer (avoid scarves that do not stay in place)- recommended
- Walking socks
Accessories:
- Small waterproof backpack (to protect your camera from water)
- Binoculars (strongly recommended for wildlife viewing)
- Highly protective sunglasses
- Walking poles (highly recommended)
Ideal clothes for life on board:
During the days spent on board, you are advised to wear comfortable clothes or casual outfits. The entire ship is air-conditioned, so a light sweater, a light jacket or a shawl may be necessary. When moving about in the public areas of the ship and the decks, light but comfortable shoes are recommended.
Informal evening:
In the evening, you are advised to wear smart-casual attire, especially when dining in our restaurants where wearing shorts and tee-shirts is not allowed.
For women:
- Simple dress
- Skirt or trousers
- Blouse
- Polo
For men:
- Pleated trousers or chinos
- Sports jacket
- Shirt
- Polo
Officer’s evening:
For all cruises longer than 8 nights, an Officer’s Evening with a white dress code may be organized. Therefore, we encourage you to bring a stylish white outfit for the occasion (otherwise black and white).
Gala evening:
During the cruise, two gala evenings will be organised on board. Thus, we recommend that you bring one or two formal outfits.
For women:
- Cocktail attire
- Evening dress (if you wish to)
For men:
- Dark suit
- Tie recommended, possibly bow tie (if you wish to)
SHOP:
A small shop is available on board offering a wide range of outfits, jewellery, leather goods and many accessories.
A laundry service (washing/ironing) is available on board, but unfortunately there are no dry cleaning services. For safety reasons, your cabin is not equipped with an iron.
PONANT activities
Highlights
- An all-new expedition cruise discovering the subarctic archipelagos of Scotland and the Faroe Islands, remote territories of volcanic origin, renowned for their dramatic scenery and their singular identities, between Celtic and Viking heritage.
- Outings and shore visits with an experienced team of naturalist-guides.
- Hiking opportunities.
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Heart of Neolithic Orkney (Skara Brae and Brodgar Circle), Saint Kilda.
- Five new port of calls: Oban, Loch Ewe, Scalloway, Foula, Saint Kilda.
- At Loch Ewe, the visit of the Inverewe Garden, a remarkable collection of shrubs and exotic plants.
- Discovering archaeological sites dating back to the Neolithic period, striking testimonies to the ancient settlements of these archipelagos.
- An all-new cruise around Handa Island and its bird cliffs.
- Exploration of the Faroe Islands, the northernmost autonomous territory of Denmark, from stunning natural landscapes and traditional Faroese villages.
- Scenery: volcanic islands, jagged coastlines, lochs, heather moorlands, peat fields, sandstone cliffs, lush valleys.
- Wildlife : gannet, crested cormorant, fulmar, eider, puffin, golden eagle, red squirrel, red deer, seal, otter, sheep.
Ports of Call & Excursions
18 May 2024 - Glasgow, Scotland
Embarkation 18/05/2024 from 16:00 to 17:00
Departure 18/05/2024 at 18:00
In the heart of the Clyde Valley, the bustling city of Glasgow contrasts starkly with the wild beauty of the surrounding countryside. Scotland's biggest city overflows with landmarks from its extensive artistic heritage and outstanding architectural tradition. The city's chequerboard layout makes walking through the major pedestrian thoroughfares easy: go with the flow and let the lively street atmosphere take you past the many Victorian monuments. Don't miss the collections on display in the numerous museums and art galleries. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is an outstanding example.
19 May 2024 - Oban, Scotland
Arrival 19/05/2024
Departure 19/05/2024
Oban is on the west coast of Scotland, opposite the Isle of Mull. It is the capital of the county of Argyll, a rural region of the Highlands considered to be the cradle of Scotland. Coming from Ireland, the Gaels settled here, bringing their language and culture. From “the Little Bay”, its name in Scottish Gaelic, you will arrive in Kilmartin Glen, the site renowned for having the largest concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in Scotland. Among this spectacular site’s 350 ancient monuments, you will discover standing stones, alignments of cairns and stone circles. Glen Coe Valley will then reveal its dramatic landscapes, shaped by volcanic activity. This valley, one of the wildest in Scotland, has been used as a location for the series Outlander. The discovery of the region will end with a visit to a whisky distillery, a unique opportunity to taste an exceptional product.
20 May 2024 - Loch Ewe
Arrival 20/05/2024
Departure 20/05/2024
Loch Ewe, located in the Northwest Highlands, is a sea loch surrounded by mountains, looking out onto the North Atlantic. It was an assembly point for maritime trade in the past and military ships used to gather there during the Second World War to organise safe convoys to the Arctic. On its shores, the loch shelters a remarkable botanic garden, Inverewe Garden, whose many hundreds of tropical plants and species prosper thanks to the Gulf Stream. Protected from the violent winds by endemic pine trees, the garden, which was created in 1862 by landowner Osgood Mackenzie and his daughter Mairi Sawyer, will unveil unsuspected colours, shapes and perfumes. It is now managed by the National Trust for Scotland. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to glimpse some of Scotland’s wild animals: red squirrels, red deer, otters, seals or golden eagles.
20 May 2024 - Sailing along Handa Island
Arrival 20/05/2024
Departure 20/05/2024
To the far north-west of Scotland, Handa is a small wild island, very close to the Highlands, that you will discover by sailing along its magnificent cliffs of Torridonian sandstone (a grey or dark red Precambrian rock), which are some of the oldest in the British Isles. Each summer, they shelter large colonies of seabirds for the breeding season, such as razorbills, puffins, great skuas and Great Britain’s largest population of common murres. You will perhaps have the possibility of observing marine mammals living in the fish-rich waters surrounding Handa.
21 May 2024 - Stromness, Orkney
Arrival 21/05/2024
Departure 21/05/2024
The stone houses stand proudly facing the sea in the charming town of Stromness, the second most populous town in Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Long ago called Hamnavoe – meaning “safe harbour” – because of the safety it provided to Viking travellers, sailors and merchants sailing around Great Britain, the town has retained its gentle way of life. Strolling along its picturesque streets will immerse you in the history of the fishermen and whale hunters, but also allow you to discover a lively town with a living culture.
22 May 2024 - Scalloway, Shetland Islands
Arrival 22/05/2024
Departure 22/05/2024
On the Atlantic seaboard of the Mainland, Scalloway is a fishing port and the former capital of the Shetland archipelago, a wild territory with windswept jagged coastlines, located off the coast of Northern Scotland. In the 16th century, the Earl of Orkney, Patrick Stewart, had his residence forcibly built there, a castle whose ruins are still visible and which came to symbolise “Black Patie’s” oppressive rule over the Shetlander people. At the far south of the island, the internationally renowned archaeological site of Jarlshof reveals a striking historical snapshot of settlement in the Scottish Far North, from the Iron Age to the Pictish and Viking periods. You will then discover Sumburgh Head, a rocky outcrop topped by a lighthouse; this site is the kingdom of Atlantic puffins and gannets, and is unmissable for birdwatchers!
22 May 2024 - Foula, Shetland Islands
Arrival 22/05/2024
Departure 22/05/2024
Foula, lying some twenty nautical miles west of the Shetlands, is the archipelago’s most remote island as well as one of the most remote inhabited British islands: it only has thirty inhabitants, who still observe the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. The island rock measures 12.5 km2 (4.8 square miles) and is characterised by its high cliffs, the largest of which reach 365 m (almost 1,200 feet). Inland, there are farms in the heart of huge expanses of moors and peat bogs where flocks of sheep and herds of ponies live in total freedom. The Vikings were the first explorers to come here and they named it Fugløy or “bird island”. You will be able to explore these green windswept landscapes, to the cliffs of Hiora Wick and Gaada Stack, home to nesting colonies of seabirds, including fulmars, Atlantic puffins and eiders.
23 May 2024 - Eysturoy Island, Faroe Islands
Arrival 23/05/2024
Departure 23/05/2024
Your stop on Eysturoy Island (“East Island” in Danish) will be an opportunity to immerse yourself in a traditional village of the Faroe Islands. The locals only welcome a few dozen visitors each year, so this is a rare privilege. In the company of your naturalist guides and local guides, you will discover the village, where certain houses have a typical Scandinavian roof, made from birch bark covered with sod. Here, you will enjoy a traditional coffee. Our more athletic guests will be able to hike along the trails that connected the island’s villages when people got around on foot. These trails are marked with cairns due to the frequent presence of fog.
24 May 2024 - Suduroy Island, Faroe Islands
Arrival 24/05/2024
Departure 24/05/2024
Suduroy Island, literally “South Island”, has one of the smallest populations in the Faroe Islands. It has sheer cliffs along its western face. The island is an important breeding ground for seabirds, including northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, Atlantic puffins, and guillemots. Your expedition team will guide you as you discover the island, its authentic villages with black, tarred-wood churches typical of the Faroe Islands, and its hiking trails lined with peat fields and stone sheepfolds. Sheep are indeed omnipresent throughout the Faroe Islands — in fact, there are more sheep than humans —, and they add to the charm of these wild landscapes.
25 May 2024 - Saint Kilda, Hebrides
Arrival 25/05/2024
Departure 25/05/2024
St Kilda is an archipelago of seven volcanic islands, located 35 nautical miles west of the Outer Hebrides. They are the most remote of the British Isles. It is the only site in the United Kingdom to hold joint UNESCO World Heritage Site status for both its natural and cultural qualities. St Kilda has been managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1957. According to the vestiges discovered there, the first travellers to the island appear to date back to the Bronze Age. For 2,000 years, a small community of inhabitants survived there, economically self-sufficient, until the last ones left in 1930. The village was organised around blackhouses, typical of the Hebrides, cultivable plots and cleitean, dry stone foodstuff storage huts, scattered across the archipelago. The endemic Soay sheep live wild, while the archipelago’s impressive cliffs shelter colonies of Atlantic puffins and gannets.
26 May 2024 - Tobermory, Isle of Mull
Arrival 26/05/2024
Departure 26/05/2024
Located at the northernmost tip of the lovely Isle of Mull, Tobermory has to be one of the most beautiful natural seaports on Scotland’s West Coast. Founded in 1788, this ancient fishing village has been converted to a leisure port highly appreciated today for its surroundings and the quiet charm it exudes. You will definitely be won over by the row of many-storied houses on the hillside, illuminating the harbour with their vibrant colours. Although the real spectacle is outdoors, no less interesting are the Mull Museum dedicated the local history and the exhibitions at the An Tobar art gallery.
27 May 2024 - Glasgow, Scotland
Arrival 27/05/2024 early morning
Disembarkation 27/05/2024 at 08:00
In the heart of the Clyde Valley, the bustling city of Glasgow contrasts starkly with the wild beauty of the surrounding countryside. Scotland's biggest city overflows with landmarks from its extensive artistic heritage and outstanding architectural tradition. The city's chequerboard layout makes walking through the major pedestrian thoroughfares easy: go with the flow and let the lively street atmosphere take you past the many Victorian monuments. Don't miss the collections on display in the numerous museums and art galleries. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is an outstanding example.
Le Boréal
Le Boréal, like its Sisterships L’Austral, Le Soléal and Le Lyrial, epitomises the unique feel and atmosphere of the ships of the PONANT fleet. Subtly combining luxury, intimacy and serene well-being, the ship has been designed to offer passengers both moments of conviviality and spaces conducive to peaceful tranquillity and a sense of escape and getting away from it all. Its exterior and interior lines testify to the ingeniousness and refinement with which the Sisterships have been designed.
Up to 264 Guests
132 staterooms & suites
145 crew members
Spa
2 restaurants
Decks
Polar Expedition
Realise your dream of adventure in the polar regions ! Discover the icy vastness and the fauna of Antarctica (humpback whales, seals, penguins and more) or the Arctic's fjords, glaciers and icebergs in shifting colours, not to mention the polar bears, the variety of wildlife and the special moments shared with the locals. Our team of naturalist guides share their knowledge with you during varied lectures about the fauna, the flora, the history of great explorations, geology and climatology. Thanks to its conscientiousness and to the responsible approach that is its hallmark, PONANT has been a leader and expert in cruises to these destinations for more than 20 years.