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GHALIA'S  TRAVELS

GHALIA'S  TRAVELS

A Night in a Glass Igloo

March 2019

After enjoying the views of Arctic Lapland on our plane ride to Ivalo we landed on a snowy tarmac. It was white all around us and freezing at -14°C degrees!! Excited about our upcoming 5 nights in winter wonderland we collected our luggage and met our driver who transported us to our stop for the night. We were going to spend a night in a glass igloo at the famous Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Saariselkä.

The forecast had predicted a clear moonless night and I was super excited at the prospect of finally being able to witness the incredible natural phenomenon that is the Northern Lights!

We walked into the reception leaving our luggage by the porch, got checked in and picked up a map that showed us the location of our igloos. The resort grounds are huge and has rooms spread over an east and west village that are 5 kilometers away from one another! There are 9 room categories ranging from glass igloos to log cabins to a 6 bedroom Kelo igloo which is a log cabin with 3 glass igloo rooms so you don't miss the Northern Lights .  

The resort has a self service system when it comes to transporting luggage to rooms and use of sleds is complimentary so we loaded our luggage and pushed it across the snowy roads in the direction of our igloos.​

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Igloos at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort
Taking luggage to igloos by sled.
Snowy Lapland
Home for the Night. Glass Igloo.
Glass Igloos

Lightfoot Travel

I booked my Lapland holiday with Lightfoot Travel. Lightfoot's travel gurus will ensure you get the best out of your holiday.

Lightfoot Travel is a luxury travel company with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, London and Dubai. It is made up of a team of experienced travel designers who can tailor-make any holiday for you anywhere in the world.

With a passion for travel these experts will seek only the best for their clients.

My Lightfoot 'travel designer' Camille D'Harambure put together an amazing itinerary for us. Our hotel reservations in both Helsinki and Lapland, transport to and from airport and between resorts /lodges and activities were all organised through Lightfoot Travel thanks to Camille. The complete itinerary was sent to each of us including details of our accommodations and driver contact details.

Food allergies and preferences were also communicated to the resorts.

Our trip was well organised and hassle free.

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Lapland Packing List

Here's a list of everything you will need to pack on a trip to the Arctic Circle!

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Aurora Magic

Here's a collection of photos from the stunning night sky and the magical Northern Lights

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Jávri Lodge &

Stay at Dog-sledding, Reindeer Safari, Ice-Fishing, Snow Mobiling, Aurora Safari's and more

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36 Hours in Helsinki

The top 10 things to do in Helsinki and sites to see when you are passing through Helsink.

Igloo for Four

After arriving at our two 4-person igloos we unpacked quickly and headed to lunch at the resort restaurant closest to us. The thing to bear in mind when staying at a resort like this is that you have to be prepared to dress warm as you have to walk outdoors to get everywhere. The glass igloos, log cabins, kelo igloos etc are all dotted throughout the snowy grounds and unlike lodges you will need to put on those boots and heavy coats to get food, water etc. Every room does come with a tea coffee machine but there is no room service so that is something to bear in mind. However the experience for a night or two is highly recommended and walking through the resort grounds is really beautiful.

We explored the area a little more after lunch and headed back to the igloo only to head out again for dinner. I was especially happy at the pink sky at dusk and enjoyed the walk to the West Village Aurora Restaurant.

Cabins
Mr Snowman
Bridge to Elf's Tower
Starry Night

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

After dinner we returned to our igloos to turn in for the night. I went outside to get shots of the unbelievably starry sky. It was a moonless night and every star seemed to be visible. I spent 30 minutes outside before I started to get really really cold and headed back into my warm cosy igloo. Just as I was about to dose off I saw a flash of green in the sky and a little less than 10 minutes the Aurora alarms alerted all the igloos as the lights began to dance!

Starry Night in Lapland
Igloos in West Village
Aurora Boreais, Lapland
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Northern Lights, Lapland
Aurora lit sky
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