PONANT Announces Winter Departures

Le Ponant (Ponant)

(PRESS RELEASE)_Le Ponant, the company’s iconic three-mast sailing yacht, launches a new itinerary, ‘The Seychelles under the trade winds,’ with 11 departures in the Winter 2022-2023 season. Following a complete refit led by Jean-Philippe Nuel Studio, Le Ponant now accommodates just 16 staterooms, offering an intimate sailing adventure in the Seychelles archipelago.
 
Sailing roundtrip from Mahé, the nine-night itinerary explores a new island each day including two new ports of call for PONANT – the African Banks north of the Amirante Islands and Thérèse Island. Fringed by white sandy beaches, these uninhabited islands will be exclusive hosts to PONANT guests for the day. Venturing as close as possible to the fauna and flora of the Seychelles, an expedition leader, three naturalist guides, and a free diver instructor will be on ship to lead excursions, conferences, and discussions on the region’s biodiversity. Highlighted activities include scuba diving, free diving initiation, yoga at sunrise and sunset led by a yoga expert, meditation, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and outings in glass-bottomed kayaks. As a prelude to the Seychelles, guests also have the option to book a one-night pre-cruise program – sleeping under the stars in an eco-lodge nestled into the dunes on the Arabian Peninsula desert. Rates start from $10,890 per person. The itineraries depart from November 22, 2022 – February 20, 2023. For more information, please find the full itinerary listed here.
 
Le Ponant
Having been completely renovated with a sleek sophisticated design by the Jean-Philippe Nuel Studio, the end result is an intimate setting with only 16 staterooms for a maximum of 32 guests. Le Ponant, a symbol of PONANT’s ongoing commitment to responsible tourism since the beginning, is now fitted with the latest technological innovations to reduce her impact on the region. Le Ponant, which will navigate under sail as often as possible, includes other improvements such as a dockside connection, an innovative system of SCR filters to eliminate fine particles and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90%, waste sorting, and a state-of-the-art water treatment system. No detail has been overlooked to preserve and honor the local heritage and community.

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