In Greenland, behind the scenes of a unique human adventure
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25/06/2024
This spring, while the farthest reaches of Greenland were still covered in ice, the PONANT teams set out to meet the inhabitants of the small community of Kullorsuaq. This expedition to the heart of Inuit culture will become a reality in 2025 during an unprecedented cruise aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the world's only luxury icebreaker powered by liquefied natural gas. On the program: sailing through the ice amidst stunning scenery, immersive experiences in the polar environment and human encounters on the ice floe.
Immersed with 'The Last Guardians of the Pole'
Mars 2024, Kullorsuaq, northwest Greenland. One thousand kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Feels like temperature: -30°C. Snow covers the colourful houses of this small traditional Inuit village bordered by the ice floe. In the dim light of the polar day, the dogs wait patiently, the men of the community finish loading the sleds.
José Sarica, Director of the Expedition Experience, and Mathieu Tsingrilaras, second captain on the PONANT fleet, joined Nicolas Dubreuil in Greenland for an unprecedented reconnaissance expedition. The goal: to co-create new immersive experiences with those known as 'the last guardians of the pole' at the beginning of the Arctic spring.
Sustainable links
Engaging with the indigenous population to implement activities they wish to offer to guests is the objective of this survey. This has only been possible due to the mutual trust built over the years between the PONANT teams and the residents of Kullorsuaq, thanks to Nicolas Dubreuil, who lives there part of the year and who brought the first PONANT ships there over 10 years ago; his friendship ties with the Inuit community are an exclusive pass to the polar world.
More than a trip, a human adventure
This new, unique and exclusive PONANT itinerary immerses you in a grandiose universe, in which everyone quickly loses their bearings, and the notion of solidarity takes on its full meaning. An initiatory journey in the company of the last hunters of the pole... Their motivation is to share their daily lives, far from tourist clichés, and to make you discover what life is like in these vast white expanses. The secret of the masters of these places: humility – always acting in accordance with the surrounding nature, never against it.
José Sarica
"If there is one word to remember from this journey, it is 'Imaqa'. It is a concept that the Inuits express with a gesture that seems to mean 'maybe' or let yourself be guided, let nature take its course."
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Crédits photos et vidéo : ©PONANT / J. Fabro