PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP is broadening its collaboration with The Explorers Club to include Paul Gauguin Cruises and Aqua Expeditions, starting in late 2026. This expansion will bring expert-led voyages, a hallmark of PONANT EXPLORATIONS since 2024, to the Group’s entire portfolio.
“Education and exploration go hand in hand in the pursuit to understand more about our world when we travel. We’re proud to expand our partnership with such an esteemed institution that allows our guests to discover the world on a deeper, more tangible level,” said PONANT EXPLORATION GROUP’s CEO of the Americas, Samuel Chamberlain, in a press statement. “While all our brands are bound by these shared values, each delivers a distinct experience through its own lens—accelerating a wider understanding to topics such as climatology, biodiversity conservation, and oceanography during a time when it’s more important than ever to advocate for awareness in the sciences.”
PONANT’s New Partnership
The Explorers Club, known for supporting field research, science and conservation for over 120 years, will provide scientists, filmmakers, authors and photographers to lead these specialized cruises. The partnership extension will begin in the winter 2026-2027 season, offering two departures for the m/s Paul Gauguin and four for Aqua Expeditions. PONANT EXPLORATIONS plans to feature more than 15 departure dates with The Explorers Club in 2026 and 2027.
Notable speakers for the 2027 season include New Zealand Mountaineer Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund Hillary, and American filmmaker, author and conservationist John Heminway.
Sample Departures
Here’s a look at a handful of itineraries sparked by this new partnership.
Paul Gauguin Cruises
- 11-night Society Islands & Tuamotus
- Departs: May 29, 2027
- Speaker: Jad Davenport, National Geographic photographer, filmmaker and author
- Highlights: Moorea, Fakarava’s UNESCO-listed Marine Biosphere Reserve, archaeological sites of Huahine and Raiatea
Aqua Expeditions
- 7-night Peruvian Amazon Expedition
- Departs: Nov. 7, 2026
- Speaker: Andrés Ruzo, geothermal scientist, conservationist, educator and TED speaker
- Highlights: Piranha fishing, nocturnal wildlife spotting, native Amazonian encounters, Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
PONANT EXPLORATIONS
- 10-night Inuit Spring of Ammassalik
- Departs: May 4, 2026
- Speakers: Amanda Lynch (Arctic climate and meteorology expert) and Charles Norchi (International law and Arctic authority)
- Highlights: Alpine peaks, ice sheets, fjords, glaciers, wildlife encounters, Inuit cultural immersion, dog sledding
Bookings for The Explorers Club voyages are now available through PONANT EXPLORATIONS and Paul Gauguin Cruises. Aqua Expeditions’ itineraries are exclusively bookable directly via Aqua Expeditions.
Where possible, these departures also seek to engage guests in citizen science opportunities, particularly on Le Commandant Charcot, where The Explorers Club Science Grantees travel aboard to conduct research projects throughout the sailing and in the ship’s purpose-built science laboratories.
