Join PONANT on Smithsonian Journeys with itineraries that dive into foreign cultures, history, cuisine, language, and more.
PONANT and Smithsonian Journeys, the travel program of the Smithsonian Institution, have formed a unique alliance to offer themed sailings featuring experiences that embrace local cultures and dive deeper into a destination’s history, cuisine, language, environment, and wildlife.
Smithsonian Journeys bring you enriched voyages to inspiring destinations around the world, with a collection of unique cruises focused on culture, history, and the natural world.
Itineraries
Retrace the history of lost cities and ruined empires in ancient Greece; watch beluga whales breach at a special Icelandic sanctuary; marvel at the rich inheritance left to us in the form of glaciers and ice floes in Antarctica and the Arctic; sail to Australia's Kimberly to witness a solar eclipse, or visit the Arabian Peninsula with time to explore in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Unexpected discoveries can also be found closer to home, in the serene Great Lakes, lush Costa Rica and Panama, or the pristine Caribbean Sea.
Enlightened Conversations
On each departure, Smithsonian Journeys Experts will host a series of enlightened conversations onboard. These passionate professionals – chosen for their expertise and ability to inspire – will explore the core themes of the Smithsonian and destinations with fellow travelers. Picture visiting Santiago de Compostela on Easter Sunday with a European historian. Or traveling even further back in time as you stand on the ancient basalt rock of an Icelandic fjord with a geologist. Or touring the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute with an ecologist studying the very same Panamanian rainforest that you will hike the next day.
About Smithsonian Journeys
From the Smithsonian was born an idea to bring the world’s cultures and natural sciences alive in experience-rich travel. Inspired by the Smithsonian mission, the “increase and diffusion of knowledge,” Smithsonian Journeys fosters the power that comes through travel—unlocking knowledge and cultural awareness—to better understand the world.
When you join this community of curious travelers, you will engage with the world through the Smithsonian lens, enjoying a memorable, immersive, and transformative experience. And, importantly, your participation benefits the work of the Smithsonian, helping to make the world a better place by preserving and celebrating what we cherish from our common past, present, and future.
About PONANT
In the beginning, there was a love of the sea and a passion for travel. The dream of adventure and a taste for sophistication. The desire to travel the world and spread the French way of life around the world. There was a wish to construct innovative and luxurious ships, with small capacity where others chose to build giants of the sea. PONANT still finds the perfect balance between all of these factors today and shares them with their passengers. Building on years of experience, the company offers luxury cruises on a modern fleet with ships built for an intimate environment.
PONANT Inclusive Experience
In addition to the usual elements of the PONANT experience, the listed price for these voyages includes transfers to and from the ship, talks and discussions aboard ship by world-class experts, and a shore excursion or activity in each port of call that immerses guests in the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of each destination, and helps provide a deeper understanding of the places we explore.
Images provided by Ponant. Header image, photographed by Nick Rains. Body 1 photographed by Laure PATRICOT. Body 2 photographed by Morgane Monneret. Body 3 photographed by bandeau droite. Body 4 photographed by Recardé. Body 5 photographed by Oliver Blaud.
