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6 days - Gourmet food, boutique stays, Northern Lights and winter adventures
Be immersed in a tiny lakeside village, just outside of Äkäslompolo, deep in Finnish Lapland surrounded by the peaceful old forests of the Pallas-Ylläs Nature Park. Staying at a small boutique hotel, enjoy getting to know the locals and join in some exhilarating winter activities like husky & reindeer sledding, ice fishing and snowmobiling. Ski and snowmobile tracks go practically from the front door, you can relax in the outdoor smoke sauna & hot tub and sit down to home cooked locally sourced food each evening.
Then transfer to your glass igloo accommodation in the magical unspoilt nature of Finnish Lapland. Sleep under the Northern Lights, fingers crossed, in well-appointed glass igloos, complete with private kitchenettes, showers, and toilets. Dinner is a Lappish affair and is served daily in the glass-roofed restaurant.
Read further about staying at the Levi Glass Igloos here.
- Day 1
- Arrive Kittilä and transfer to your lakeside hotel
- Day 2
- Ice fishing safari with snowmobiles
- Day 3
- Reindeer Safari
- Day 4
- Husky safari before transferring to the Glass igloos
- Day 5
- Wake up in your glass igloo, take a deep breath and enjoy the wilderness
- Day 6
- Transfer to the airport
- Start/End Place
- Kittilä, Finland, Finland tours
- Country Visited
- Finland tours
- Duration
- 6 Days
- Suitability
- Easy independent holiday suitable for singles, couples & families
- Code
- 50DN0315
Details
Transportation
Local private transfers
Included
- 2 nights in a superior well appointed glass igloo with a private kitchenette, shower and toilet
- 3 nights in a boutique lakeside hotel
- 5 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners
- Return transfer between Kittilä airport, hotel and igloos
- Reindeer Safari
- Husky safari
- Snowmobile safari and Ice Fishing
- 24-hour emergency service
- Taxes and service fees
Not Included
Flights, meals other than specified, items of personal nature, beverages, additional activities such as Lainio Snow Village, horse riding, winter go carting, snowshoeing and ice laser tag.
Transfers into town are optional, paid locally so you have flexibility with your shopping plans.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Kittilä and transfer to your lakeside hotel
Transfer from Kittilä airport to your boutique hotel. After you have settled in, take a walk around the small village and make snow angels on the lake.
You can hire kick sledges, snowshoes, fatbikes and cross-country skis locally. Toboggans are freely available at the hotel.
Enjoy your first evening in Lapland. With no light pollution and no noise, you can truly feel the beauty of the Arctic night, admire the night sky and hopefully see the Northern Lights. Hear the silence of the wilderness and breathe in the cleanest air in Europe. Any clear night, grab a blanket and something warm to drink, sled or walk down to the lake and watch for the Northern Lights.
Meals
1 DinnerAccommodation
Day 2 - Ice fishing safari with snowmobiles
After a snowmobile drive to a frozen lake you get to experience the traditional way of winter fishing – through a hole in the ice. You may also see how fishing with a net is done. During the safari guide will serve you a soup lunch. If you will be lucky enough to catch your own fish, you can keep it if you wish, and maybe cook a delicious dinner after the safari! It will be a relaxing morning of learning the secrets of ice fishing.
In the afternoon, why not book a sauna, jacuzzi and outside smoke sauna (private use, additional cost).
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Dinner
Accommodation
Day 3 - Reindeer Safari
Step back in time, upon entering the gates of the reindeer farm you will go back to the old traditional methods of transportation up here in Lapland. The harnessed reindeer are waiting to take you on a 2,5km ride through the forest. You get to drive your own sleigh and when you get back you can feed and interact with the reindeer. After that you will be taken into an old kota to enjoy some coffee or homemade berry juice and cookies all whilst listening to some fascinating old tales and the unfolding of a typical reindeer year.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Dinner
Day 4 - Husky safari before transferring to the Glass igloos
Half a day bonding with your team as you mush through the wilderness.
You will arrive at the Husky farm and meet the mushers and after a brief lecture on how to control the sled, we meet the teams who are bursting and eager to run. Off you go in single file behind the guide where you will get to enjoy the beauty and serenity of the nature around. Half way there is a brief stop to allow a change of driver and then back to the farm. At the farm you get to sit in a warm cabin and grill sausages whilst listening to stories about the huskies.
Transfer to the Glass Igloos.
Check in is from 4pm and once this is completed, settle into your glass igloo. Each glass igloo has a kitchenette, shower and toilet. The windows are insulated and electrically heated to keep them from frosting. The kitchenette is equipped with a breakfast set for two, electric stove, microwave, coffee maker and kettle, toaster and fridge. In addition, the igloos have a radio/CD player, a hair dryer and a socket for car engine heaters. At the centre of the igloo is a motorised double bed that can be converted into twin beds.
Meals
1 BreakfastAccommodation
Day 5 - Wake up in your glass igloo, take a deep breath and enjoy the wilderness
A day to explore this new spot and enjoy your glass igloo accommodation.
Meals
1 BreakfastDay 6 - Transfer to the airport
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight.
Meals
1 BreakfastDates & Prices
Price per person, in double share. Limited availability over Christmas with extra surcharge. This itinerary departs on a Tuesday. Activities can be tailor made to suit you and travel on other days.
Dates
Valid From
Valid To
From Price
Status
Accommodation
6 Dec 2023
31 Mar 2024
31 Mar 2024
6 Dec 2023
31 Mar 2024
EUR 2,355
Limited availability
Standard
6 Dec 2023
31 Mar 2024
31 Mar 2024
6 Dec 2023
31 Mar 2024
EUR 990
Limited availability
Extra for Single
Important Information
This itinerary departs on a Tuesday. Activities can be tailor made to suit you.
Please note there are three different glass igloo options - new suites, prime superior and superior igloos.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL:
Your glass igloo hosts in Kittilä have been awarded the Green Key award in recognition of their environmental actions. The igloos are run on green electricity, geothermal heating and air-air heat pumps. To reduce plastic no bottled water is sold or provided, Finnish tap water has been scientifically proven to be among the purest in the world, as such it is served in glass as an alternative. Recycled materials are encouraged, an example of this is staff clothes in the restaurant which are all made of recycled materials.
Light pollution affects the ecosystem and among other things, it disrupts the ability of birds to navigate by moonlight and starlight, and the ability of nocturnal animals to hide from predators. As such they utilize as much natural light as possible, and only keep the lights on when they are needed. Customers are encouraged to do the same – this way marvelling the northern sky becomes easier.
Your Lakeside retreat is the dream of two local women, Heidi and Sirly, who wanted to create a boutique accommodation which respects Lapland and the environment in which it is built. The retreat itself has been created, partly, with upcycled materials and the restaurant, run by Sirly, selects ingredients based on the harvest season and ethics are important for the sourcing of all other products such as coffee and wine.
Gallery
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Travel Safe
Travel Insurance and Safety
Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours with 50 Degrees North. The safety of our travellers, staff and operators is a major priority of 50 Degrees North. With an operational office in Norway, 50 Degrees North has access to an up-to-the-minute flow of information regarding the countries we work in. We are also in regular contact with the various operators we use. Their in-depth knowledge and understanding of their various areas is vital.
Practical information about Scandinavian Hotels
Practical information about Scandinavian Hotels
- Hotel rooms in Scandinavia are normally furnished with twin beds, which can be moved together to form a double bed or placed separately. Please note that single rooms are generally smaller than doubles, and are often equipped with a shower instead of a bath. Purpose-built triple or family rooms are likewise unusual in Scandinavian hotels. Whilst it is possible for 3 persons to share a room, this will normally be a double room with an extra bed, with correspondingly less space to move about in.
- It is also unusual to have a porter at hotels to carry your luggage.
- There is free wi-fi in many hotels in Scandinavia.
- Unexpectedly, all forms of Scandinavian accommodation rarely provide tea and coffee facilities in their rooms. If you are lucky, a kettle will be supplied but nothing else. Please ask at reception for some provisions when you arrive or just carry a small selection from home.
- Please also note that in Scandinavia - in particular, during winter - the included lunch will often be a hearty warm soup with bread.
- More remote hotels in Lapland will offer dinner at an additional cost. In some spots, there will be limited choices else where. Generally, you get a very nice home-cooked Scandinavian dinner. However, you may sometimes find only one or two choices only for your main course.
- In Scandinavia, it is normal for washing and laundry facilities to be in the basement. If you are staying in apartment type accommodation, check downstairs or ask for assistance.
Practical Information for travelling and packing for Scandinavian Winter
Recommended Scandinavian Winter Tour Packing List:
- Warm wind and water proof jacket and trousers large enough to fit thick woollen jumper/clothing underneath
- Rain trousers – waterproof and breathable material
- Warm windproof cap/hat
- Warm gloves or mittens. Mittens where all fingers except the thumb are together are often warmer than gloves.
- Windproof gloves or mittens, which you can pull over the warm gloves
- Warm scarf
- 2 pairs of long woollen underwear (Merino wool in a few different thicknesses is perfect)
- 1-2 warm woollen jumper(s), or one jumper and a warm fleece
- Woollen or fleece trousers
- 2-3 pairs of warm woollen socks
- Warm & sturdy footwear with good grip
- Clothes for indoors, i.e. a shirt, T-shirts and jeans or cotton trousers
- Back pack for day trips (approx. 30 litre)
- Light footwear/trainers (mainly for indoors)
- Sun screen & Lip salve (the sun reflects off the snow and the air is dry)
- Sunglasses
- Hand warmers
- Nordic Grip anti-slip soles for walking on ice
- Personal medication
- Water bottle - thermo, or include a cover to keep warm (or you can stick it into a warm sock)
- Travel documents (including insurance)
- Photo ID
- Note book and pencil
- Camera, memory cards and charger
- Chargers for other gadgets
- Extra batteries for your cameras as they are used fast in cold conditions.
- Adapters