Along the Andes Cordillera

Talcahuano, Chile’s largest fishing port, neighbors the overflowing energy of Concepción, where music resonates on every street corner. Renowned for its cultural and artistic life, it is nicknamed “the gateway to the south”. With its 215,000 inhabitants, Concepción is a relatively prosperous city in Chile and the country’s largest town south of Santiago. Very beautiful little traditional fishing villages scattered along the coast add to the charm of this part of the Chilean coastline.

During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This day without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, to do some shopping in the boutique, or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest, and entertainment.

On Chile'sﾠNorte Chico (Little North) is the port of Coquimbo where peace and harmony reign, sheltered in the inlet of the La Herradura Bay. This charming seaside town is mere minutes away from La Serena. Set off to discover this site along the Pacific Ocean and its spectacular sandy beaches. Founded in 1544, this old town has retained its beautiful colonial architecture that bears traces of Spanish and neoclassical influences. Venture deeper inland to the Elqui Valley, one of the country's largest and most spectacular. This valley was the birthplace of Gabriela Mistral, the renowned poet, and is also where Chile's famous pisco is made.

During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This day without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, to do some shopping in the boutique, or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest, and entertainment.

A coastal town in the north of Chile, the capital of the Tarapacà region, Iquique enjoys a unique location between the Pacific and the cliffs of the Cordillera de la Costa. Although the bustle of its harbor makes this a modern city, it also has many admirable relics from Chile’s past. You’ll love to stroll in the old center, which is one of many preserved structures, such as the old aristocratic district of Paseo Baquedano or the neoclassical style municipal theatre.

Located at the gateway to the Atacama desert, Arica, the Northernmost town in Chile, owes its reputation to the richness and beauty of its landscapes: long white sandy beaches edging the Pacific, millennial geoglyphs, arid valleys of the cordillera foothills, fertile altiplano and dormant volcanoes are just some of the sites that the “City of Eternal Spring” has in store for you. Let yourself be swept back in time and discover the culture, traditions, and mummies of the Chinchorro people, this Indian civilization, some 7,000 years old, which was the first in the world to develop mummification techniques.

On the southern coast of Peru, the port of Matarani is the doorway into the Arequipa region, one of the most prosperous in the country. From the city, you can get to the famous city of Arequipa, overlooked by three majestic volcanoes, the Misti, the Chacani, and the Pichu Pichu. Apart from the Andean mountains, the Matarini region also houses impressive landscapes of desert, scattered with green oasis.

During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This day without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, to do some shopping in the boutique, or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest, and entertainment.

/> In the south of Peru, discover the small port town of Pisco, named in reference to the Quechua word Pisscu, meaning “bird”. The region is indeed renowned for its wide variety of birdlife that you can observe in the Ballestas Islands. In addition to this exceptionally well-preserved nature, the province also boasts major historical treasures such as the archaeological site of Tambo Colorado, a vestige of the Inca civilization, the Nazca Lines, very precise traces representing geometric figures on the arid earth of the Peruvian plain, or the Candelabra, a mysterious hieroglyph sculpted into the rock by the Paracas, a pre-Inca civilization.

As the country's primary fishing and trading port, Callao is the maritime gateway to Peru. From the town center, journey on to the capital, Lima, and wander around the Plaza Mayor (formerly Plaza de Armas), crowned with its gorgeous bronze fountain. Embellished with neo-colonial buildings such as the Government Palace or the Cathedral of Lima, the esplanade is a symbol of the city's founding by conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535. Two streets away is the Monastery of San Francisco, one of the city's best-preserved colonial structures. Further south, don't miss the superb cloisters and patios of the Casona San Marcos.