Napoleon Bonaparte : history and heritage

About this Cruise

With the exceptional presence of Franck Ferrand and Thierry Lentz.

More than two centuries after his death, there is still a key figure, a myth to which we constantly return. Political genius, feared war leader or despot? Napoleon Bonaparte continues to raise questions, to appeal and to fascinate, well beyond French and European borders. On the occasion of the bicentenary of his death, whose commemorations were celebrated in May 2021, PONANT invites you on an exceptional 20-night cruise following in the footsteps of the first French emperor.

Aboard Le Lyrial, leaving from Dakar, the bustling Senegalese capital, you will sail south on the maritime route taken by HMS Northumberland, the ship that escorted Napoleon to Saint Helena, in 1815. You will then head towards your first port of call: Ascension Island. On this desert island, the British created a garrison to counter any hope of escape by the Emperor.  Today the island is a veritable sanctuary for birds, marine mammals and green turtles.

You will then call at the mythical and emblematic island of Saint Helena. Although this British territory, the site of his last exile, houses his tomb, it remains above all the place where Napoleon dictated his memoirs and sealed his legend. Offering an intimate and moving testimony of his last moments on the island, the Longwood Residence and the Emperor’s furniture have been preciously maintained and preserved by the French authorities and the Fondation Napoléon. During your visit, you will travel through history in a luxuriant and bucolic setting, far from the sombre image of the island.

After a few days at sea, punctuated by several conferences on-board about the life of “the little corporal”, Le Lyrial will set sail for the Brazilian coastline. Following ports of call at intoxicating Rio de Janeiro and authentic Paraty, this marvellous trip will end in Santos, one of the first Portuguese colonies to be established in the New World, famous for its picturesque historical centre.