Following the successful restart of PONANT’s Kimberley expedition season in April 2022, PONANT has welcomed the arrival of small expedition ship Le Soléal into Darwin, in the Northern Territory.

Imagine cruising the Kimberleys in a three-masted luxury yacht with only 32 other guests. It’ll be possible from April next year when PONANT debuts its iconic sailing yacht Le Ponant that’ll be based in the Asia Pacific region for six months of the year.

Coral Expeditions has commenced its first Western Australian voyages of the 2022 season with dual departures to the Kimberley from Fremantle and Broome. Coral Adventurer set sail from Fremantle on a 12-night exploration of the Abrolhos and Coral Coast, while Coral Geographer departed Broome on a 10-night Kimberley voyage on Wednesday [23 March 2022].

PONANT has opened the books for its 2023 Kimberley Expedition season which features 14 departures on dual ships in the region, Le Lapérouse or Le Soléal.

The open and shut domestic border situation in Australia has claimed yet another cruise line, with New Zealand’s Island Escape Cruises shelvings its Kimberley season for 2021.

Coral Expeditions has shelved port calls at Darwin for the Immediate future from its Australian program in response to new legislation on expedition cruising in the Northern Territory that was revealed late last week.

New Zealand-based small-ship operator Island Escape Cruises has received authorisation from Australian regulators to operate its planned Great Barrier Reef and Kimberley coastline itineraries in 2021.

Scenic has confirmed plans to deploy its six-star, ultra-luxury yacht to Australian waters for the first time in mid-2021.

Aurora Expeditions is about to launch an Australian domestic program for 2021 with voyages to Tasmania and Western Australia’s Coral Coast and the Kimberley.

Ponant has reported an enthusiastic response to its inaugural live online education program, with more than 1,000 travel advisors and consumers from across Australia and New Zealand participating in last week’s broadcast that was focused on the “Kimberley’s Big 5”.

Ponant’s resumption of cruising this month and next is set to include inaugural voyages for the recently launched Le Bellot. The ultra-luxury small ship cruise line is proposing a series of all-new expedition cruises circumnavigating Iceland, operating round trip from Reykjavik.

Effective 4 July 2020, True North has un-paused its COVID-19 enforced temporary cruise suspension with a reworked sailing schedule for the remainder of the calendar year.