Unprecedented: Polynesia aboard Le Jacques Cartier

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26 June 2025

Discover French Polynesia with a new travel experience aboard Le Jacques Cartier from winter 2026-2027. This approach is designed for travellers seeking exclusive experiences focused on exploration. Le Jacques Cartier offers a different but complementary experience, sharing the same values as the m/s Paul Gauguin, while always respecting the regions visited and those who live there.Discover French Polynesia with a new travel experience aboard Le Jacques Cartier from winter 2026-2027. This approach is designed for travellers seeking exclusive experiences focused on exploration. Le Jacques Cartier offers a different but complementary experience, sharing the same values as the m/s Paul Gauguin, while always respecting the regions visited and those who live there.
Le Jacques Cartier

a vessel designed for tropical exploration

Le Jacques Cartier, the latest addition to the PONANT EXPLORERS series, is an elegant ship with an ultramarine blue hull and 88 staterooms with balconies. Thanks to its small capacity and shallow draught, it can access Polynesian islets and lagoons that are inaccessible to other ships. Open to the outside, it offers a modular marina for a range of water activities such as swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Discover Polynesia

Departures winter 2026-2027

Departures for Polynesia in winter 2026-2027 offer a unique opportunity to discover unspoilt nature and a fascinating culture.

Le Jacques Cartier will set sail for the wildest and most remote archipelagos of Polynesia, islands lost in the Pacific (Pitcairn, Gambier, Australes) which sometimes have only about fifty inhabitants! Good to know: all activities on the islands visited are designed in collaboration with local communities. Scuba diving is available on all departures, with a PONANT EXPLORATIONS instructor on board. The itineraries (unique and unmissable) are programmed to be linked together.

The m/s Paul Gauguin

The reference in the South Pacific

For more than 25 years, the m/s Paul Gauguin has been sailing the waters of Polynesia with 330 guests, offering authenticity and cultural immersion. Added to the PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP fleet in 2019 and recently renovated, it offers a relaxed and international atmosphere. On board, the Gauguines and Gauguins Polynesian hosts share the local culture through shows and workshops, for a convivial experience in the heart of the South Pacific.