Sleeping under the stars at Kakslauttanen

The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is renowned for being one of the best places to watch the Northern Lights. From August right through to the end of April, you can admire the delights of the skies from your own glass igloo. Not only that, the new Kelo–Glass igloos combine the comfort and warmth of Kakslauttanen’s log cabins with the views of their world-famous glass igloos. 

Located in Saariselkä, Kakslauttanen is a well-known winter holiday destination. It’s situated a stone’s throw away from the largest of Finland’s national parks, Urho Kekkonen National Park, and along the road to the arctic sea. There’s a wonderful story around how the resort came about. Founder and Owner, Jussi Eiramo, was on a fishing trip and ran out of fuel driving from the north to central Finland. He had no choice but to set up camp on a roadside in the middle of the wilderness. He was in Kakslauttanen. He spent his first summer in a tent there with a cabin erected in the second year. The business has grown a great deal since that day in 1973 and Kakslauttanen is now recognised the world over as a leading resort in Finland.The resort offers a wide range of accommodation types from glass igloos, log cabins and snow igloos to queen suites, an earth lodge (wedding chamber) and even a century old house. The new Kelo-Glass igloos (below) are made from Kelo pinewood, sleep up to six with features including a private sauna, fireplace and kitchenette plus a stunning bedroom with a glass roof.

Their latest dining experience, the Aurora Restaurant in the West Village, has three private dining rooms and a feature pool complete with live salmon. Guests can enjoy Lappish cuisine and Asian delicacies followed by a cocktail or two in the glass igloo bar with its magnificent views. Both restaurants offer a la carte menus with the Celebration House and smoke sauna restaurants providing additional dining options.

Kakslauttanen has three different sized smoke saunas by the river – one of which is the largest in the world. Each has a fireplace in the dressing room. These are available to order with two further smoke saunas available in the western village. You can also go skiing, take a snowmobile safari in the forest or stay warm on a snow tank safari. Reindeer safari’s are led by local reindeer herders and with two big husky farms nearby, you can embark on your own husky adventure. Sleigh rides and horse-back riding are available too. Sounds like the perfect snowy adventure – not that we needed any convincing! To find out more, check out the Kakslauttanen website.

All images courtesy of Kakslauttanen. Photographs by Valtteri Hirvonen.