PONANT launches exclusive Inuit immersion voyages in Greenland
Luxury expedition line PONANT EXPLORATIONS and polar consultancy SEDNA will launch two immersive Arctic voyages in Greenland in 2027.
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PONANT EXPLORATIONS is expanding its high-end polar offering with two new Greenland departures in spring 2027, developed in partnership with polar consultancy SEDNA.
The voyages follow the success of the companies’ first Greenland immersion experiences in 2025 and will focus on connecting guests with Inuit communities through a series of locally-led cultural and wilderness experiences.
Guests will take part in activities including dog sledding, kayaking, ice fishing, ski touring with a pulka and overnight stays in traditional Inuit homes or bivouacs on pack ice. According to the release, the experiences have been designed and led by Greenlanders themselves.
The partnership between PONANT EXPLORATIONS and SEDNA is built around shared values including respect for local communities, environmental responsibility and low-impact exploration.
SEDNA co-founder and polar explorer Nicolas Dubreuil said the experiences were shaped directly by Inuit communities.
“These meetings and activities are the initiative of the Greenlanders, who are fully involved in sharing their way of life,” he said.
“And I’m delighted to see guests so deeply affected. They challenged themselves and discovered the true spirit of this wonderful people, masters of adaptation. Qujanaq! Thank you!”
Among the exclusive experiences planned for the 2027 departures are overnight stays in traditional Inuit tents at the sacred site of Nunanutaat following dog sled journeys across the polar wilderness.
Guests will also have the opportunity to stay in expedition tents at scientific camps on the pack ice alongside researchers studying marine biology, glaciology and climatology.
Both voyages will take place aboard Le Commandant Charcot, described as the world’s only luxury icebreaker capable of reaching Greenland’s High Arctic during spring conditions when conventional ships cannot access the region.
The first itinerary, Encounter with the Last Guardians of the North Pole, will operate from April 4 to April 16, 2027, while Beyond the Inhabited World will depart from April 16 to April 28, 2027.
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Opening in 2028, Amanolu is planned as a 52-key resort with 16 private residences in the Vaavu Atoll, including five-bedroom homes occupying individual islands.
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Aman has named its first Maldives destination Amanolu, setting the stage for a 2028 opening in the comparatively secluded Vaavu Atoll.
The name combines Aman—Sanskrit for peace—with “Olu”, inspired by the water lily. It is a fitting identity for a project intended to extend the brand’s restrained approach to luxury across a private-island setting.
Current plans describe a 52-key resort and 16 Aman Residences. The residential proposition is extraordinary even by Maldives standards: each five-bedroom home is expected to occupy its own private island, with a 25-metre swimming pool and private jetty.
The resort is also expected to devote an entire island to wellness. That physical separation could allow treatments, movement and restoration programs to operate away from the social energy of the main resort, although the exact facilities and practitioner program should be confirmed as the opening approaches.
Vaavu Atoll offers a different context from the archipelago’s more intensively developed resort regions. Its appeal rests on marine environment, privacy and the sensation of remoteness. Access, transfer times and seasonal conditions will therefore form an important part of the guest experience.
For prospective residence owners, the romance of a private island comes with a demanding operational model. Marine infrastructure, utilities, staffing, maintenance, insurance, management fees and resale provisions require close scrutiny. Ownership structure and local legal rights should be assessed with specialist advisers.
Amanolu also enters a competitive field. The Maldives already contains some of the world’s most ambitious resorts, so novelty cannot rest on an overwater villa alone. Aman’s opportunity is to translate its signature privacy, spatial calm and service into a destination where the physical landscape is already spectacular.
With opening still two years away, design, pricing, booking dates and residence availability may change. For now, Amanolu’s most compelling promise is radical separation: fewer keys, a dedicated wellness island and residences that turn the idea of a private island from marketing language into a literal address.
Fact box
Resort: Amanolu
Location: Vaavu Atoll, Maldives
Expected opening: 2028
Resort scale: 52 keys
Residences: 16 private homes
Residence concept: Five bedrooms, 25-metre pool and private jetty; each reportedly on its own island
Wellness: Dedicated island planned
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