Several years ago, I stumbled across the following photo of the Kakslauttanen Igloo Village. I was initially blown away by how beautiful the place looked, and I couldn’t believe that such a place existed.
I immediately promised myself that I would sleep there one day.
I mean, come on.. Seriously, have you seen this place?
Fast forward to now.
I arrived at the village after a long day of travelling from Toronto, to New York, to Helsinki, and finally all the way up past the Arctic Circle and into the Finnish wilderness. I was exhausted, hungry, and not exactly in the mood to explore.
But then, I saw the warm glowing lights in the distant wintry darkness, and suddenly felt refreshed.
As I arrived, I was greeted in the main lodge, and shown to my igloo. Heading back to the lodge, I had a delicious Finnish meal, and did a little catching up with the wifi.
When I finished eating I was lead, by head lamp, back through the snowy pathways, and into the woods.
My guide dropped me off, and I was alone.
I spent some time taking photos, and wandering around the outside of the igloo. It was absolutely silent as I stared out into the woods. The next twenty minutes were spent standing in the snow, staring up at the sky and just listening to all of the forest noises around me.
It was incredibly peaceful.
Eventually I found myself in my surprisingly comfy bed, laying under a large glass dome, and about to fall asleep.
I’d take the igloo over a hotel room, any night.
My little igloo was equipped with two beds, and its very own bathroom. It was actually quite spacious, especially with the added glass dome windows that make it feel even larger.
Not only was I not cold, but I immediately had to de-layer when I stepped inside. I also had everything charging because it had electricity, and the lights kept it nice and bright.
I spent some time laying in bed and listening to music.
After an hour or so, I decided it was time to sleep, and turned out the lights.
WOAH.
Suddenly, I could see the entire sky around me, which became brighter than the inside of the igloo. It was overcast and grey, but the brightness of the snow on the ground reflected any light available into the dome.
Tall, skinny pine trees rose up around me, in every direction, and little bits of snow rested on the bottoms of the panes beside me.
I couldn’t stop staring at the whole scene before me. It was one of those moments where I had to stop and remember that it was real life. It was incredibly beautiful.
Finally, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
At some point around 3:00 am, I happened to wake up for a brief moment. It was already light out. The sky was still overcast, but there was enough light coming through the clouds to create a dawn effect.
The sun had only fully retreated by 11:00 pm the night before, so I was a bit surprised. I know that Northern climates go through midnight sun in the summer, but I wasn’t expecting it to begin in April.
Later that morning I awoke feeling absolutely rejuvenated and ready to discover the rest of Finnish Lapland.
Despite the new found energy, I still didn’t want to leave my comfy little igloo bed.
It must have been 6:00 am, and large white snowflakes were falling all around me.
Everything was incredibly quiet, and there was no sound but the soft patter of fluff on my windows.
Finnish Breakfast at the hotel restaurant
I’m so happy that I finally had the chance to stay in the igloo village, and fulfill a longtime dream.
If you ever find yourself in Lapland, I highly suggest checking out the Kakslauttanen Igloo Village. In fact, I’d recommend a trip here for the igloos alone.
This trip was made possible by Visit Finland.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Wow! It looks so silent and peaceful! This igloos are great and so romantic. I´ll try it with my husband next year.Thanks for these great shots and thoughts.
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Wow! That looks incredible. Aside from being a little scary it looks peaceful, magical and relaxing.
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I wish I can experience spending the Night in an Igloo in Finnish Lapland. The photos was great. I am excited to experience all of this.
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Looks amazing! We almost featured this hotel in our latest “Tread Lightly” feature. http://www.vergemagazine.com/articles/ethical-traveller/eco-friendly-community-focused-travel.html
Was there anyone else staying at the hotel?
So fun…I’m not one to easily be jealous but I was of your Finnish adventure! Finland is high on my list for many reasons…the igloo towns look like fun, reindeer safaris (and eating them = awesome).
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These igloos are very cozy! I love the interior designs. You can sleep tightly with this hub for sure!
Thanks for sharing this beautiful place..
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Wow Kakslauttanen Igloo Village is amazing. Definitely on my bucket list to go and stay at. What was the nightly rate?
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Wow! the igloo very cozy. Hope I can visit the place and experience to live there.
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That looks amazing, but it’s just a little weird how the igloos are all lined out like houses in the suburbs. Still, would love to try it out
Finnish Lapland is so unique each season, you could visit several times a year and have a different experience each time. Summer offers unparalleled trekking in stunning national parks, under the brilliant midnight sun. Spring is an ideal tome for some late winter sports. And a Finnish Lapland holiday at Christmas is a dreamy way to meet Santa Claus in his magical winter wonderland.
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Looks like an incredible stay! It’s on our list — hope to get there some day! 🙂
I hope you get there, too :]
Hai… I’m from Indonesia and really happy when found this web… I wish someday I can go and travel around the world like u did…
by the way, may I know how much it cost for spending one night in that igloo’s?
thank u so much…
ps : please put Indonesia into ur bucket list, once u visit my country, I’m sure u gonna love it 😀
Hi Pratiwi, I’m sorry but I’m not entirely sure of the pricing on the igloos because they change at different times. It is best to email them for an exact price for when you are thinking of going.
Indonesia is definitely on my buckelist, top 10 in fact :]
Hi, is there shower facilities in the igloo itself? Or do you have to walk outside to get showered?
Also, i understand that there isn’t any restaurant nearby. How do you settle your meals?