The Great Corsican Loop
* Subject to availability.
Staterooms & Suites
There are no staterooms available for booking. Please contact our cruise advisors.
Port of call & excursions

Nice
Embarkation 22/08/2016 from 17H00 to 18H00 . Departure 22/08/2016 at 19H00 .Capital of the Cote d’Azur, Nice is neighboured by the Baie des Anges. You will probably want to explore the Promenade des Anglais, where you can sit on one of the famous blue chairs laid out opposite the shoreline. Don’t forget to explore the Château hill. This is the entrance to the old city, with its bustling markets and regional products along the main street, the Cours Saleya. If you want to plunge into Nice’s diverse cultural heritage, visit the Lascaris palace with its baroque decorations. The museums dedicated to painters Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall are an absolute must.

23 August 2016 – Girolata / Scandola (Corsica)
Arrival 23/08/2016 mid morning. Departure 23/08/2016 evening.At the far end of a turquoise gulf on the north-west coast of Corsica, the charming little port of Girolata can only be reached by sea or via a hiking path. You can admire the little white 16th century fort, a vestige of Genoese presence in Corsica, before sauntering in the shade through the smattering of little streets. To the north, the Scandola Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, offers its vast, remarkable scenery full of protected fauna and flora: falcons, seals and dolphins living free and wild. Wonder of wonders: the spectacular red granite cliffs surging from the waters below.

24 August 2016 – Porto Cervo
Arrival 24/08/2016 early morning. Departure 24/08/2016 evening.Porto Cervo is a small and very popular seaside village on the Emerald Coast of Sardinia. Built in the 1960s at Aga Khan’s behest, it now plays host to the world’s biggest fortunes and most stunning yachts. A haven of peace and harmony lined with blooming gardens, this out-of-the-way paradise was built according to the traditional architecture of the region. When your ship drops anchor here, you will have a chance to discover the picturesque streets, beautiful fine-sand beaches and lively port. And the historical heritage here is unique: discover relics from the Bronze Age as you explore the Giants’ grave and the Nuraghe La Prisgiona, megalithic vestiges of the mysterious Nuragic civilisation.

25 August 2016 – Palombaggia (Corsica)
Arrival 25/08/2016 early morning. Departure 25/08/2016 mid afternoon.Located on the south-east side of the island, close to Porto-Vecchio, the seaside town of Palombaggia offers some of the most beautiful beaches in Corsica. White dunes, pink porphyry rocks, turquoise waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. In this dreamlike setting, everything invites you to rest and unwind. From the beaches you have a view of the Cerbicale archipelago, six rocky islands with jagged silhouettes hewn out by winds that, together, form a natural reserve. In the hinterlands, Alta Rocca proposes many possibilities for walks through generous pinewoods.

25 August 2016 – Navigation Strait of Bonifacio
Arrival 25/08/2016. Departure 25/08/2016.The Strait of Bonifacio is the stretch of water separating Corsica from Sardinia. Always windy with strong currents, this strait is well known to sailors who are wary of the many reefs that have caused the deaths of so many of their kind, as the moving memorial to the frigate La Sémillante illustrates. To the east lies the Lavezzi Islands, with their airs of a tropical paradise, as large pink granite rocks emerge from a transparent turquoise sea. The area of the Bonifacio Strait has been classified as a nature reserve since 1999 because of its terrestrial and maritime ecological richness.

25 August 2016 – Bonifacio
Arrival 25/08/2016 evening. Departure 25/08/2016.
26 August 2016 – Bonifacio
Arrival 26/08/2016. Departure 26/08/2016 late afternoon.The spectacular town of Bonifacio located on the very tip of southern Corsica, clings to a narrow promontory of white rock overhanging the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. You can admire its limestone cliffs hewn out by the wind, before setting off on a cultural tour of its cultural treasures. From the little paved streets in the ancient Haute Ville, to the promenade on the open-air medieval chemin de ronde, this stunning town will take you on a journey back in time. Frequented or secluded, there are numerous beaches to choose from, all in keeping with the high standards of the “Île de Beauté”.

27 August 2016 – Roccapina (Corsica)
Arrival 27/08/2016 early morning. Departure 27/08/2016 late afternoon.Located in the south-west of Corsica the wild rocky Roccapina headlands covered in pine forest are a conservation area. The headlands embrace two bays of turquoise blue water and powder-soft sandy beaches. You may not see many people but traces of the region’s Genovese past are visible, including a 17th century tower. However, the main attraction is provided by Nature in the form of dramatic rocky peaks sculpted by the wind into the shape of animals and humans. On the top of a rocky outcrop one of the most famous formations strongly resembles a lion lying down, its head up surveying the coast.

28 August 2016 – Ile Rousse (Corsica)
Arrival 28/08/2016 early morning. Departure 28/08/2016 evening.Overlooking a wide crystalline bay to the north of Corsica, the port of Ile-Rousse offers the charm of an historical town in the heart of spectacular natural surroundings. You will be able to admire the white facades of the famous Paoli square, the busy hub of the old town centre, where restaurants lay out their terraces in the shade of plane trees. Make sure you take a look at the statue of Pasquale Paoli, known as “Babbu”, father of Corsica. Amateurs of fine sandy beaches will find fulfilment at Napoleon beach, located near the centre, or the calmer Caruchettu beach. There are a plethora of hiking paths from which to choose.

Nice
Disembarkation 29/08/2016 at 08H00 .Capital of the Cote d’Azur, Nice is neighboured by the Baie des Anges. You will probably want to explore the Promenade des Anglais, where you can sit on one of the famous blue chairs laid out opposite the shoreline. Don’t forget to explore the Château hill. This is the entrance to the old city, with its bustling markets and regional products along the main street, the Cours Saleya. If you want to plunge into Nice’s diverse cultural heritage, visit the Lascaris palace with its baroque decorations. The museums dedicated to painters Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall are an absolute must.
Formalities
The information below is current but subject to change at any time without advance notice from government authorities. Please consult your respective government agencies for visa and health information.
Passport valid for at least six (6) months beyond the completion of your trip. Passport must contain at least two completely clear, blank, unused visa pages for each visa required, not including any amendment pages. Visa pages with stains or ink from other pages in the passport are not usable. Guests who deviate from the scheduled embarkation or disembarkation port should research the foreign entry requirements for the port country. Due to government regulations, regrettably, PONANT will have to deny boarding to any guest who fails to obtain the appropriate travel documentation for this trip.
In order to participate in diving sessions, guests must have with them a medical certificate less than 1 year old and their up to date dive book.
Diving in Mediterranean
Diving in Mediterranean
All scuba diving outings are accompanied by a qualified instructor, Patrick Brissac, who is there to ensure safety and that all goes smoothly. A local instructor may accompany dives to some sites, for example those in nature reserves.
Duration of dives:
As a guideline, diving excursions take around 2 to 3 hours including the time it takes to get to the site and the dive itself. The duration may vary depending on the sites, the divers’ level, weather conditions and number of participants.
- For certified divers: The duration of the dives varies between 35 and 60 minutes depending on the site, the diver’s experience and consumption of air.
- For beginners: The duration varies between 20 and 25 minutes.
Mediterranean fauna and flora
The fauna and flora in the Mediterranean is very varied. During the different dives, divers may see a wide variety of both benthic and pelagic species as well as marine wildlife endemic to the area. However, we cannot guarantee that you will see all these species
Equipment supplied :
- Wet suits
- Buoyancy control devices
- Fins
- Masks
- Snorkels
- Regulators with octopus and pressure gauges
- Dive computers for certified divers
Rates :
Price per person
- Dive : €65
- 6 dives package : €350
- Introductory dive : €75
The package includes :
- One dive per day except in Porto Cervo
- Two dives during the day in Ile Rousse
- Diving equipment loan
- Supervision by professional