|
An obvious destination for any tourist travelling in Lapland in winter is the tiny village of JUKKASJARVI (known locally as simply "Jukkas"), 17km east of Kiruna. It's the site of what's effectively the world's largest igloo, the Ice Hotel , built every year by the side of the Tornealven river in late October, from when it stands proudly until it melts in May. Thirty thousand tons of snow and ten thousand tons of ice are used to make the igloo, whose exact shape and design changes from year to year; there's usually a bar in the entrance hall (don't leave your beer on the bar for too long, or it'll freeze), bedrooms for at least 120 people (the beds are made out of blocks of compact snow and covered with reindeer hides), an exhibition hall, a cinema, and a chapel where couples can marry . The temperature here in winter is generally around -20°C to -30°C, which makes for a temperature inside the igloo of around -5°C. Guests are provided with specially made, tried-and-tested, sleeping bags of a type used by the Swedish army, who have used the hotel for Arctic survival training; the bags are guaranteed to keep you warm in temperatures down to -35°C. In the morning, you can refresh yourself with a sauna at the Wardshus restaurant across the road, and then have a hearty breakfast there. The Ice Hotel is open from mid-December each year until it thaws. Unfortunately, the whole operation has become money-driven of late; prices have more than doubled in recent years as demand for rooms has surged, and even day visitors now have to pay an entrance fee (100kr). The double rooms here cost 1700kr, while a suite, decorated with ice carvings and ornaments, is 1250kr per person. There are also en-suite cabins for rent on the site, all with kitchens (May-Nov 900-1200kr; Dec-Apr 1200-1500kr; four-bed cabins also available). Hotel rooms and cabins can be booked through Jukkas AB, on the main road at Marknadsvagen 63 (tel 0980/668 00, fax 668 90, www.icehotel.com). Activities here - inordinately expensive - include a dog-sledding trip to see reindeer and meet some local Sami (2 hr; minimum two people; from 875kr per person), and an accompanied drive on rented snow scooters down the Torne river and into the wintry forests (995kr; 4hr). In summer there's organized river rafting (a 6hr trip costs 550kr per person), fishing and hiking - details can be obtained from Jukkas AB. You can eat all meals across the road at Jukkasjarvi Wardshus in winter (only open lunchtimes in summer); for provisions , there's a small supermarket in the village. To get here from Kiruna, take bus #006 (Mon-Fri 1 daily). Undoubtedly the best way to arrive, though, is by dog sledge from Kiruna airport; for a hefty 3500kr you can be met at your plane and pulled all the way to your room.
Your Tip for Ice Hotel
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Ice Hotel - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Ice Hotel - visit the main Ice Hotel forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Ice Hotel webguide section below! Thanks.
|
