One of the world’s most exotic holiday resorts is Glass Igloo Village Kakslauttanen in Finnish Lapland. I stayed there for one night hoping to see the Aurora Borealis. This season there is a very high possibility of seeing the Northern Lights because the activity level of the sun is at a record-breaking high. Scientists say that this season might be the best for a decade.
Glass Igloo Village Kakslauttanen is located in Lapland, and flying is the easiest way to get there. There is an airport in Ivalo, which you can reach by air from Helsinki, with a short bus connection to local hotels and resorts. There are traditional log cottages at Kakslauttanen, but the main reason to go there is a visit to the glass igloo village in the forest.
The experience was exceptional; I can only compare a night in an igloo to staying in a luxury tent. The igloo is smallish and tent-like in dimensions; the door is low for an adult and only part of the space inside the igloo is high enough for you to stand upright. The walls and roof are almost totally made of glass; only the toilet walls are opaque. In wintertime the darkness comes early and when the lights are on, it’s pretty easy to see inside the igloos. Luckily, it is possible to cover the lower part of the wall with curtains. Because of the smallish size there is no shower in an igloo but there are two saunas nearby that are free to use; one for women and one for men.
So turn the lights off, lie down in bed and look up at the sky. If there are no clouds, the amazing starry sky is right there above you. And if you are very lucky, the Northern Lights appear. The Northern Lights are unpredictable but always stunning. When colours dance across the sky it’s easy to believe all the old sagas about fertility. I was unfortunate; just one night before I arrived there were mighty Northern Lights, but when I arrived it was time for snow. Snowfall in a quiet Finnish forest is a magical thing itself, so I wasn’t too disappointed.
Glass Igloo Village Kakslauttanen is definitely a bucket list item, and if you are lucky you can check the Northern Lights from your bucket list at the same time.