10 fully movable glass igloos in Finland

Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos – one of the first places in the world with fully mobile glass igloo accommodation

Glass igloos have become an integral part of winter tourism in Finnish Lapland over the past decade. Admiring the northern lights through large glass windows has become something that finds its way onto the to-do list of more and more international travelers. But what if there was a glass igloo that offers both domestic and foreign travelers a year-round igloo accommodation experience? After all, natural phenomena in Lapland are not limited just to winter and northern lights, but Lapland is well worth experiencing in all seasons.

We could actually stop using “if” at this point, as such an option has been available for about a year now. One of the first places to experience a year-round igloo accommodation experience is Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos, a family business located in Ranua in southern Lapland, with a total of 10 igloos designed for year-round accommodation experience.

Brave Ranua

Ranua, which has a residential occupancy of just over 4000; is a small village with a big heart, and is really holding itself well as a popular Finnish tourist destination. Ranua Wildlife Park, founded in the 1980s, has long been the main tourist asset of a small village, but it has not been possible to build a larger Rovaniemi-style tourist complex alongside it. The lack of a courage has not caught up with this, as in the late 80s an attempt was made to create a stunning tourist magnet for the locality in the form of a failed submarine business, among other things. For Finnish tourists, the place has also become known as the country's unofficial cloudberry capital. “Brave Ranua” has been the slogan of the village for decades now and the unsuccessful submarine business attempt is one of the clearest examples of why this slogan was once chosen for the small village.

Free mobility guarantees a year-round experience

The will to try courageous things still lives strong in Ranua, and one of the newest entrepreneurs is Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos, which acquired a total of ten free-moving glass igloos in late summer 2019 alongside the traditional inn, which has served its customers since the 1940s.

Unlike normal glass igloos, the AuroraHuts found on the shores of Lake Ranua are freely movable igloos all year round. In summer, igloos move from place to place with their own electric engine or are pulled around the lake with boats, and in winter they can be towed around the lake with either a snowmobile or an ATV.

Last summer, the free movement of the igloo boats has made Finnish travelers especially enthusiastic about them, and many people find this completely new type of igloo accommodation option even more interesting for the open water season. In the eyes of Finnish law, these igloos are seen as normal boats, thanks to which they are allowed to be anchored to a desired location during open water season and placed anywhere on the frozen lake during winter with a sole permission of the landowner. Thanks to this feature, those staying in an igloo have a completely different opportunity to enjoy beautiful landscapes, natural phenomena and their own peace, compared to normal, stationary glass igloos, which, of course, also offer great opportunities to enjoy the scenery from a certain location. During the open water season, the igloos are also equipped with their own wooden terraces, as well as tables and chairs, allowing guests to admire the scenery, dine, fish or even swim directly from their own igloo, for example.

Although igloo accommodation is often thought of as a luxury, Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos has wanted to avoid this image from the very beginning of their operation. The company wants to run its operations in its own style and also be proud of its rougher edges, which can be seen e.g. inside the old inn that is protected by the National Board of Antiquities. One of the small family business’ greatest strengths is its authenticity, which is best reflected in customer service, which is very friendly, and genuinely Lapland style. The staff of Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos do not speak much English, but this has not been allowed to become a problem, but rather the opposite. The general opinion about customer service is very positive and this is especially evident in the reviews that have been distributed about the company through many different channels.

On the igloo side, the biggest limiting factor is their size. The igloos’ interiors are only about nine square meters in size, making them best suited for those traveling solo, couple or with one child. However, the reason for this is clear, as the movement and floatability of a larger igloo would be very challenging to implement.

Igloo accommodation full of opportunities

In the marketing of Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos, adventure often rises above others and this is where AuroraHut glass igloos strive to beat other and often much more luxury-style igloos in the travel industry.

In an interview with German Public Broadcasting company, Auvo Leppänen, the owner of the business, told that he ended up with this type of igloo for two main reasons: because he sees sustainable tourism as an integral part of both today and the future of tourism and because AuroraHut offers the igloo guest such great opportunities for a variety of nature activities, allowing those staying at the igloos to tailor their own stay very freely.

In summer, the guest can for example grab a berry bucket or a fat bike with them, go for a ride with igloo and anchor on the edge of the forest path to enjoy cycling or berry picking. In winter, the igloo can be taken to a totally dark location on the lake for a northern lights photography session. One of the most interesting features, on the other hand, is the hole found in the igloo's floor, through which the guest can, if they wish, go ice fishing directly from the cozy warmth of their own igloo.

What is inside the igloos?

Checking in to the igloos works a bit like in agent movies, as the visitor can log in by entering the igloo's unique login code to a control panel, which will open the electrically locked front door. At the same time, checking in with a code allows free access both in and out of the accommodation, as well as having a stay completely remote without any human contact. This has been popular with Finnish travelers this summer and many locals have even used the igloos as places for remote working. This is mainly possible because of the buildup of the igloos that also support working.

The igloo itself has a control panel that allows the guest to freely adjust the internal temperature of their igloo. In addition, the igloo has a wide and high-quality double bed, a media panel for Bluetooth devices, a private toilet, a water tank with drinkable water, a gas stove, cellar department under the floor and a separate luggage compartment under the bed mattress. About half of the igloo’s walls and ceiling are built into landscape windows, allowing you to admire the stunning views directly from the igloo’s own bed. Navigating the igloos during open water season is possible with the help of a remote control found inside.

Each igloo is also equipped with their own, private WiFi connection, USB-ports for chargeable smart devices and a small table for eating and working.

If you visit

The town of Ranua is located “between” the cities of Rovaniemi and Oulu that both have airports in them. Rovaniemi is the nearest city from Ranua and it located about one hour away from the center of the town of Ranua and Oulu is located about two hours drive away. The two best options to visit Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos would be to either take a bus from the center of Rovaniemi or Oulu or rent a car from one of the many companies that offer this service at the airports. Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos also has a private airport transport service available with an additional cost.