Finland's Glass Igloos

Finland's Glass Igloo Hotel (Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort) is located in Kakslauttanen, in the Saariselkä fell area in Northern Finland. This village is surrounded by beautiful Lapland scenery near Urho Kekkonen National Park.

This unusual hotel is well known for it's glass igloo accommodation which gives you a night under the stars. The plan is that during the Aurora Lights season, you will also have a warm, uninterrupted night of Northern Lights viewing from your bed. Of course, it isn't a guaranteed light show every night but fingers crossed. Read more about when and how to see the Northern Lights here.

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort offers a wide variety of accommodation these days, from snow igloos, cozy log cabins, traditional houses, earth lodges, glass igloos and the new KELO-glass igloos.

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort’s charm is all about staying in the Glass Igloos. The resort does not provide luxury amenities and is not considered a high end property, but something different and unique for your holiday. The biggest highlight of the area is the Northern lights viewing which can happen between August and April each year.

Getting to Kakslauttanen Glass Igloos:

Kakslauttanen can be reached from Ivalo airport, a 60-minute drive away. We also have many tours that get to Kakslauttanen by a private transfer from other cities of Northern Finland and Northern Norway. These transfers allow you to add more Lapland highlights with your stay in a glass igloo, such as a Kirkenes King Crab Safari, a Hurtigruten North Cape voyage, a stay in an iceroom at the Snowhotel, a visit to Santa's hometown Rovaniemi and a float in sea ice in Kemi.

What to expect at Kakslauttanen:

Kakslauttanen is not a large village; the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is one of the main properties in the area. This resort has grown a lot of the last few years and is now a rather large stand alone tourist resort. Kakslauttanen village is a small town to explore with local curio shops & a supermarket.This village can be reached by taxi and there are no shuttle buses between the resort and the village. We suggest bringing snacks and supplies with you for your stay.

In the wintertime there are husky safaris, snowmobile safaris, reindeer safaris, horseback riding, snow tank ride and ice-fishing trips as well as guided ski treks. The Saariselkä ski trail network of over 180km is on your doorstep and you can hire cross-country skis in town. Nordic ski lessons (1hr +) can be booked at the resort. We include some excursions in your package, but there are more to add if you wish. The reception will have the complete list available during your stay as well as the specific details for joining your excursion. Pre-booking the excursions is recommended, as these fill up quickly.

You can also visit the adjacent Santa's Resort, including a private visit to see Santa (not to be confused with a visit to one of the bigger Rovaniemi Santa Parks or resorts).

If experiencing a traditional Finnish sauna is one of your goals, you might like to consider booking a smoke sauna and ice pool experience.

The biggest highlight of the area is the Northern lights viewing which can happen between August and April each year. There with your loved one? -What about including the Romantic Aurora Hunting with horse sleigh!

During summer, you can bike ride, hike and enjoy the numerous lakes in the vicinity.

How does sleeping in the Glass Igloo work:

• Most visitors stay one night or two in the glass igloos with further nights in log cabins.
• There are no automatic luggage portage services at this resort. However, you can borrow wooden sleighs. This is common in many of the Lapland resorts and is a fun way to move your luggage back and forth. If you do want to book a luggage handling service, you need to reserve this in advance.
• Daily cleaning isn't included in your cabins, except for suites.
• Tea and coffee amienities are not included. You can borrow a kettle from the reception and buy tea/coffee supplies for your cabin from a store. Please note, that there is no minibars in igloos or cabins.
• All traditional log cabins are equipped with bathroom, sauna and fireplace (not the firewood, however). The glass igloos are quite small with only minimum luggage storage and a simple washbasin and WC. Saunas, showers and additional warm toilets are available in a separate building. The KELO-glass igloos are the combination of the two; a glass igloo attached to a log cabin so does have private facilities. Ask us for further details about what type of accommodation will suit your travelling party. 
• Further regarding the firewood service, for safety reasons hotel staff will light a fire in the fireplace, 35 EUR full service with instructions includes box of firewood. If you want to make a fire also on the second night, then you can just buy a box of firewood for 15 EUR (no insturctions again). The fire is just for ambience, it isn't required for heating.
• Beds in the glass igloos are single; again, this is not uncommon in Scandinavia. You will often find double beds that are actually two singles pushed together.
• The temperature in the glass igloos is set to around 21°C.
• There is no WIFI connection in cabins or igloos. Free WIFI network is offered in the main building in the East Village and the reception in West Village.

Our tours that stay in a Glass Igloo in Finland:

Our Finnish Destination Specialists have put together several tours that combine a stay in a glass igloo with other activities in the region.

Aurora Highlights - short 8-day tour combining the Hurtigruten Northern Norwegian Coast voyage, Tromsø, Kirkenes Snowhotel and a Glass igloo Aurora Village.

Northern Lights and Winter Magic - 5-day tour at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort.

We also have an escorted Hurtigruten tour, Aurora Light & Hurtigruten Escorted voyage and the special Christmas tour staying at the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Santa, Elves & Glass Igloos. Both of these tours are hosted by a 50 Degrees North representative.

Looking for further options, here is a list of all our Glass Igloo and Domes tours, which have either stay in a glass igloo, aurora dome and/or a Northern Lights viewing glass roof structure included.

Image credits: Kakslattunen Valtteri Hirvonen