Le Commandant Charcot

No Single Supplement on Selected Cabins

The supplement for single usage of a double cabin is waived, according to availability and staterooms categories.

Santiago Ramírez Said is a Colombian/Lebanese biologist,  educator, and National Geographic Explorer working on interdisciplinary initiatives to address socio-environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, Sargassum accumulation, deforestation, gender/sexual identity discrimination, and the refugee crisis.

Santiago has worked as an Expedition Expert for National Geographic Expeditions since 2022, participating in Expeditions between Central and South America. He is particularly fond of macrophotography, ultraviolet light photography, and drone flying but also enjoys photographing birds and monkeys. Ramirez loves teaching about ecology, nature conservation, climate change, and botany through storytelling and enjoys sharing about his work with Indigenous Peoples and Refugees, highlighting the importance of their knowledge and support for a better future.

Spoken languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese (fluent)

Jonathan Shackleton lives in Mullagh in County Cavan, Ireland, where his family runs an organic farm and a forest. A cousin of the famous Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Jonathan is the historian for the family which traces its ancestry back to Abraham Shackleton, founder of a famous Quaker school in Baltimore, County Kildare, established in 1726.

Jonathan is passionate about Antarctica and its exploration and has taken part in numerous expeditions over the last 25 years. As a historian, guide, photographer and Zodiac driver he has accompanied 44 groups in the Antarctic, including a memorable private voyage in 2016 with famous guests including Tom Hanks, Michael Palin and Jools Holland.

As well as the expeditions, Jonathan has been actively involved in a range of activities related to Shackleton and Antarctica, contributing to films, TV documentaries, interviews, exhibitions and global conferences.

He is also an accomplished author and academic. He is co-author of Shackleton – An Irishman in Antarctica with John MacKenna, highlighting Ernest Shackleton’s legacy and family history. His academic contributions range from publications like Nimrod – The Journal of the Ernest Shackleton Autumn School to The Antarctic Crossing.

Owing to his indepth knowledge, experience and unwavering dedication, Jonathan Shackleton continues to inspire exploration and conservation efforts, creating an enduring legacy for the world of Antarctic exploration.

Language spoken: English

Join Photo Ambassador and full-time professional travel and wildlife photographer with 25 years’ experience and over six thousand publications to her credit Cindy Miller Hopkins aboard L’Austral.

Her images can be seen on the pages of thousands of textbooks, travel brochures, calendars, fine art prints, consumer products, U.S. and international magazines, and newspapers. Her freelance, assignment and workshop career has taken her to all seven continents and to over 150 countries. Her 2018 shot of 5-species of penguins in one frame is thought to be the only one like it in the world and is currently the lead image in a campaign to fully protect South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Along with her stock photography business, Cindy teaches digital photography classes, works as a professional photographer & guest lecturer on expedition ships and leads photo safaris around the world. She is past president of the NANPA (North American Photography Association) Foundation Board and is an active Foundation Board member for over 20 years.

On average, Cindy is out of the country over 200 days a year. When not traveling, she lives at home with her husband in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.

Nicolas Vincent is an underwater engineer and specialist in underwater robotics. With 30 years experience, he is now the Operations Director of Deep Ocean Search Ltd and leads all the unusual special underwater projects in ultra deep waters. Nicolas and his team have been involved in many famous projects from the discovery of Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s plane to the ship Endurance.

They have also covered since 2001 all the aerial incidents in deep water, but also, located famous wrecks like the AJA San Juan and Minerve submarines. They also hold some world records, such as the world’s deepest rescue at 5,200m of the SS City of Cairo, where 100T of silver coins belonging to the British government were recovered, and the discovery of the USS Samuel B Roberts at a depth of 6,800m on board the submarine Victor Vescovo, Limiting Factor.

For Endurance22, he is the Subsea Project Manager for the expedition. It took him three years of preparation to invent and deploy the technological and operational solutions to reach the iconic Endurance wreck.

Donna is an Australian ultra-marathon runner, pain scientist and physiotherapist.

In 2024, she set a World Record for the longest run in a polar region – running 1402km (871 miles) in Antarctica, the coldest, windiest and driest desert on earth.

Donna ran 50 kms (31 miles) per day for 28 days, enduring temperatures of -20°C (-4° F), winds of up to 80 km/hr (50 miles/hr) and poor visibility. To prepare for the attempt, she ran in a refrigerated shipping container, industrial wind tunnel and along sandy beaches for up to 6 hours at a time.

Donna and the Run Antarctica team used the World Record run to raise awareness about the important and ongoing need to educate and empower females to be active and involved in sport. The campaign reached 950 million people worldwide with over 1000 media publications and has led to the establishment of a not-for-profit organization, EmpowerHer Sport.

Donna is currently based at Monash University in her position as an Associate Professor and pain scientist. Donna has worked in the field of pain for over 25 years, publishing 150 publications, securing national competitive funding across 2 decades and serving on international editorial and grant committees.

Donna is fascinated with understanding pain – how it works and how we can effectively treat it. She has a particular interest in investigating a holistic approach, including harnessing mental strategies, to manage pain and optimize wellbeing.

Donna lives with her family in Melbourne, Australia and they love spending time together playing, coaching and watching sport.

Join Photo Ambassador, award-winning photographer, film maker and guide with a passion for the remote regions of our planet, Ian Dawson aboard Le Commandant Charcot.

A fine art graduate, he has spent his career in the national media, both as a photojournalist and picture editor. He has covered everything from conflict, travel, the Royal Family and celebrities of stage and screen and many other commissions.

He has been active within Scottish Mountain Rescue for over 20 years as a medic with responsibility for training. He was recognized for his work in this field having been awarded both The Queen’s Diamond & Platinum Jubilee Medals.

Ian is a member of the Guild of Picture Editors, the British Association of Ski Patrollers, the Royal Photographic Society and the UK Mountain Leader Board. His photographic work is represented by Getty Images.

When not sharing his love of wild places, Ian lives with his family in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Scotland.