Ponant unveils Asia cruise programme...

Itineraries feature 11 new ports of call

Ponant has released 10 sailings for summer 2024, featuring 11 new ports of call across Asia.

The French line’s programme includes two new itineraries: the 13-day Odyssey in the heart of Japan’s subtropical islands and the eight-day Kyushu’s secret islands and ancestral heritage.

Prices for the 13-day expedition sailing departing from Naha, Japan, on 4 March 2024 on Le Jacques-Cartier (pictured) start from US$9,145.

Passengers can visit nature sites and villages on islands like Okinawa Yaeyama and Sakishima in the Ryukyu archipelago during the voyage, which a team of naturalist guides will join.

The lead-in price for the eight-day voyage from Kagoshima to Fukuoka, both Japan, on Le Jacques-Cartier is US$5,588. There are two departures for this sailing on 20 April and 27 April 2024.

The line’s Le Soleal vessel will also operate sailings in the programme. Prices for the Cultural and Natural Treasures of Japan by Sea sailing departing from Maizuru, Japan, on 21 May 2024, start from US$6,584.

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Ryo Ijichi, Ponant’s Japanese expedition leader, said: “Thanks to its small ships, Ponant can create the conditions for guests to approach protected ecosystems with the greatest respect for the places and cultures. It is a new order in terms of exploration, experience and Japanese tourism.

“Some ports of call, like the Ryukyu Islands for example, where small fishing villages have been spared the country’s hyper-modernisation, are like time capsules, right off the beaten track.”