Paul Gauguin Cruises (Ponant's fully-owned subsidiary) announced its program of voyages for 2028, comprising 39 all-inclusive sailings of 7 to 14 nights now available for booking.
These itineraries extend through the Society Islands, the Tuamotus, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, and other reaches of the South Pacific. Early reservations were made available at fares beginning around US$2,880 per traveller, with bonus savings up to roughly 30% included.
The vessel for these expeditions, the m/s Paul Gauguin, was designed with a shallow draft, permitting access to atolls and smaller island anchorages that deeper-keeled ships cannot reach. Among the features of the schedule were multiple overnight stays, including two days in the sheltered coral atoll of Fakarava on selected departures, and dedicated engagements in Tahuata, the smallest inhabited island in the Marquesas.
Samuel Chamberlain, identified as CEO Americas of Ponant Explorations Group, described the 2028 program as suited to those desiring to forge deeper connections with local cultures, to explore the environment with respect and care, and to sense the region’s spiritual force, known locally as mana. He said that every port call, extended stay, and onboard programme had been carefully curated, drawing on nearly three decades of experience in these waters and established ties with indigenous communities. The range of voyage lengths was intended to accommodate varied schedules and interests.
The m/s Paul Gauguin carries up to 330 guests in an atmosphere that balances refinement with ease. A crew-to-guest ratio of approximately 1:1.5 supports attentive service, and more than seventy per cent of staterooms and suites include private balconies. Polynesian culture was placed at the heart of the ship’s onboard offerings, with music, storytelling, and other activities led by Les Gauguines, a troupe of Tahitian hosts resident aboard.
The 2028 programme opened with a 7-night journey among the Society Islands, featuring 3 overnight stays and visits to Tahiti, Huahine, Taha’a, Bora Bora, and Moorea. A variation on this theme, also 7 nights, emphasised sacred Raiatea, the lush landscapes of Huahine, and a night beneath the peaks of Bora Bora.
Longer sailings expanded the scope to include the Tuamotus, with 10-night and eleven-night options that embraced the lagoons of Fakarava and Rangiroa alongside the botanical and cultural riches of the Society Islands. An 11-night itinerary combined the societies with the Cook Islands, touching Rarotonga and Aitutaki before returning to the more familiar waters of Bora Bora and Moorea.
The longest of the published voyages, a 14-night passage, wove together the Marquesas, Tuamotus, and Society Islands. It afforded extended time ashore and afloat to savour white-sand beaches, shaded coves, and both leisurely and active pursuits above and below the waves. One variant of this route substituted a call at Tahuata in place of Ua Pou.