This place is covered in snow for over half the year. During the darkest months, the sun never rises above the horizon. It’s so wild that there are more reindeer than people. This place is Finnish Lapland, and it’s just a short 1.5-hour flight away from our home. Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort lies hidden deep within this pristine wilderness, some 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. If you’re a travel enthusiast, you’ve probably seen photos of glass igloos in a snowy forest – this is what Kakslauttanen is famous for.
Getting There
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is located a 30-minute drive from Ivalo Airport (IVL), near the town of Saariselkä. Although Kakslauttanen is situated in the wilderness, it benefits from excellent air and land transport connections. Here are a few different ways you can get there:
- By plane: If you’re coming from Helsinki, the best option is to fly to Ivalo, which only takes about 1.5 hours. Finnair offers flights year-round, with more frequent service (up to 3-5 daily) during the busy winter season.
- By bus: If you are coming from other towns in Lapland, buses provide convenient connections. For timetables, visit the Matkahuolto website (Finland’s nationwide bus and coach company). A direct bus from Rovaniemi takes about 3 hours.
- By car: Renting a car is a good option as Lapland has excellent, well-maintained roads.
- By train: There are no train stations in Saariselkä or Ivalo. Getting there by train would mean taking a train to Rovaniemi and then a bus to Kakslauttanen. We don’t recommend this option.
East Village vs West Village
The resort has two areas – the original East Village and the newer West Village. Both villages have their own set of glass igloos, wooden cabins, restaurant, and reception. A free shuttle runs between them, making it easy to explore both areas.
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The main difference between the East and West villages is the overall atmosphere. The East Village feels more authentic, with cabins naturally spread throughout the forest along winding paths, creating a peaceful wilderness retreat.
The West Village has a more typical resort feel – accommodations are newer, and the reception building is significantly larger with a spacious dining hall. However, lodgings are positioned closer together, with fewer trees between them. The West Village also tends to host more guests. Which area you prefer depends entirely on your personal taste.
True to its Arctic wilderness setting, the resort maintains a charming rustic approach to some aspects of service. You won’t find concierge staff here. Instead, wooden sleds are available outside the reception area to transport your luggage. It’s so much fun!
Accommodation Types
Kakslauttanen offers many types of lodging, from world-famous glass igloos to rustic log cabins – they have it all. The East Village features large and small log cabins, small glass igloos, and unique accommodations like snow igloos and queen suites with outdoor jacuzzis. The West Village offers large and small log cabins, large and small glass igloos, and Kelo-glass igloos.
Log Cabins
Wooden log cabins made of highly durable Finnish polar pine are warm and inviting. Log cabins are cozy and comfortable – all have one or two bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace and dining area, a small kitchen, a private sauna, and two bathrooms. These can accommodate up to six people, making them ideal for families. For our family vacation, we chose a two-bedroom log cabin in the East Village. We were assigned to Chalet 18, one of the furthest from reception and the restaurant, and we loved it!
The cabin isn’t luxurious, but very charming. It’s the ideal place to enjoy a rustic atmosphere, complete with a sauna and fireplace. The kitchen allows you to prepare your own meals, which can be especially useful when traveling with small children.
Glass Igloos
Glass igloos are front-row seats to Earth’s most spectacular light show – the Northern Lights. In northern Lapland, the nights are dark enough to view this phenomenon from late August to the end of April. Seeing them requires clear skies and a little bit of luck. The igloos are fun for a night or two, allowing you to watch the Northern Lights from your bed, but the log cabins offer much more comfort for longer stays. For your reference, small glass igloos come with a toilet, but guests must use shared shower facilities in a nearby building. Large igloos offer more convenience with both a toilet and a private shower.
Kelo-glass Igloos
Kelo-glass igloos in the West Village combine log chalets with attached glass igloos – a clever design that offers the comfort of a log cabin and spectacular views of the northern skies. They are spacious, cozy, and well-equipped.
Snow Igloos
You can brave a night in a snow igloo for something truly unique. Although the resort provides down sleeping bags for comfortable sleep, a night in a snow igloo is not for the fainthearted and will definitely be remembered. Kakslauttanen promises that, even if it’s -40°C outside, the temperature inside the igloo won’t drop below -6°C.
Food & Dining Options
Accommodation at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort comes with a half-board meal plan. The breakfast buffet features cold cuts, cheese, salted salmon, Karelian pies, boiled eggs, yogurt, porridge, and similar items – a typical Finnish breakfast selection.
Dinner is a fixed menu, though the staff is more than willing to make substitutions if you don’t like a particular dish. Each meal includes a salad or soup, a main dish, and dessert. Dinner often includes traditional Finnish cuisine: sautéed reindeer with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam was our favorite. We stayed for four nights and enjoyed a different menu each evening.
Activities
The resort offers several activities, which can be booked by messaging them a couple of weeks in advance. Remember to check the tour pick-up time on the board at reception the evening before your activity day, as there are no other announcements.
Two of the most popular winter activities are reindeer safari and husky safari. Both come in four-hour or two-hour versions. They’re essentially the same experience, but the longer tours also include lunch. Tours begin with getting your winter clothes. For some activities, particularly the reindeer safari, you’ll want to wear the provided winter overalls on top of your own warm clothes. For other more active tours, your own clothing might be sufficient.
Reindeer Safari
The reindeer safari is a relaxing trip into the Arctic wilderness. Hosted by a native Sami herder, this reindeer sleigh ride takes you through a deep, snowy forest where you can admire the beauty of Lapland’s pristine nature.
The longer tour includes lunch in a cozy wooden restaurant right next to the reindeer farm.
Husky Safari
Nothing beats a husky ride through snowy landscapes of forests and frozen lakes and then, at the end of it, a cuddle with your sled dogs! The four-hour husky safari was the highlight of our Lapland vacation! We were a little nervous initially, as the huskies were eager to run at full speed, but after the first turn, we got used to controlling them. We even managed to take photos while driving the husky sled.
After the ride and all the cuddles with the dogs, it’s time for a hot salmon soup around a campfire.
Other Activities
Other activities the resort offers include snowmobile safaris, ice fishing, and Santa’s home visit, among others.
If you have time, we also recommend visiting the fells of Saariselkä (where Finland’s northernmost ski center is located) to see the incredible landscape of trees thickly covered with frozen snow. In Finland, we even have a name for these spectacular arctic snow formations – Tykky.
The nearby village of Saariselkä is small but deserves a brief stop: there is one gas station, one good-sized supermarket, a dozen hotels, a few restaurants, and a Santa’s office.
Glass Igloo Hotels in Finland
While Kakslauttanen might be the most famous, Finland has several other stunning glass igloo accommodations worth considering. If you’re looking for alternatives, here are some exceptional options:
- Wilderness Hotel Inari & Igloos (Inari) – Aurora cabins with laser-heated glass roofs, situated on the shores of Lake Inari with stunning views and authentic Sámi cultural experiences nearby.
- Aurora Village Ivalo (Ivalo) – Intimate collection of glass-roofed igloo cabins just 20 minutes from Ivalo Airport, featuring a traditional Finnish barrel sauna in a tranquil forest setting.
- Northern Lights Village (Saariselkä) – Cozy cabins with glass roofs, conveniently located near Saariselkä village and offering a wide range of winter activities.
- Golden Crown – Levin Iglut (Levi) – Premium glass igloos with motorized beds for optimal aurora viewing and an excellent on-site restaurant with panoramic views.
- Northern Lights Ranch (Levi) – Exclusive cabins with both glass roof ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, offering panoramic views of the northern sky from a pristine wilderness location near Levi.
- Glass Resort (Rovaniemi) – Luxurious teepee-shaped glass apartments near Santa Claus Village featuring private saunas and hot tubs on the terrace.
Good To Know
- Don’t expect five-star luxury at Kakslauttanen. You’re paying for the remote location, warm rooms despite extreme sub-zero temperatures, and unique experiences.
- The farther north you go, the shorter the daylight. By late February, days stretch to eight hours long, but during the Christmas period, the sun never rises above the horizon. During the polar night, the sun stays below the horizon for six weeks. We prefer to travel to Lapland from late January through early March.
- The Finnish Meteorological Institute offers real-time information and predictions for Northern Lights activity.
OMG! Thank you for this! This is just what I’m looking for. A detailed review of this resort with some photos especially the maps of the resort! :))
You are welcome 😉 Happy to know it was useful for you Stella.
very helpful and thank you for this detailed information.