Borealis Basecamp offers the only clear roofed igloos in all of Alaska. The wrap around clear ceiling gives you unsurpassed views of our wintry wonderland and the amazing Aurora Borealis. With private bath and kitchenette this dome makes a perfect spot for an extended stay.
In Alaska, the options for housing are plentiful. Some are traditional, and others a little more adventurous, but we can guarantee you'll find a roof over your head and a dwelling that suits your needs, budget, and lifestyle. Here's a look at the most common types of housing in Alaska.
In 1977 the Inuit Circumpolar Council voted to replace the word Eskimo with Inuit. In total the ICC is comprised of about 160,000 Inuit people living across Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and Russia. So, yes Eskimos do still exist, but it's a better idea to call them Inuits instead!
IceHotel - SwedenSituated in the village Jukkasjarvi, 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden, the original Icehotel has been built every year since 1980.
Interior Alaska is known for extreme cold in the winter. But because Fairbanks doesn't have easy access to natural gas, most people use pricey fuel oil to heat their homes. And as a result, many families turn to a cheaper local resource to bring down their heating bills: wood.
Best Places to Stay in an Igloo or Ice Hotel
- Golden Crown Levi Igloo. Utsuvaara, Finland.
- Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel. Alta, Norway.
- Schneedorf Igloo Village. Oetz, Austria.
- Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. Saariselka, Finland.
- Eskimo Village. Pokljuka, Slovenia.
- Iglu Dorf. Multiple locations across Switzerland.
- Iglu Village. Kühtai, Austria.
- Igloo Village Blacksheep. La Plagne, France.
Igloos are warm because snow insulates. Also, the dome shape offers little resistance to the wind. Inside an igloo, the temperature is usually around 32 degrees Celsius, rarely getting much colder with people inside. Temperatures can easily be raised by using candles or by having more people around.
Many people believe incorrectly that Inuit live only in igloos. This myth couldn't be farther from the truth -- Inuit use igloos almost exclusively as hunting camps. In fact, although most Inuit live in regular old houses now, igloos are still used for the occasional hunting trip.
ICEHOTEL, SwedenAnd their latest idea now means you can sleep in an ice-made room any time and any day of the year. Kept cold by a refrigeration unit, ICEHOTEL 365 offers the best of both worlds. The ICEHOTEL is also within easy reach of Abisko – one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights.
The indigenous population of Antarctica live in igloos. You will only find igloos up in the Arctic Circle areas.
Igloo, also spelled iglu, also called aputiak, temporary winter home or hunting-ground dwelling of Canadian and Greenland Inuit (Eskimos). The term igloo, or iglu, from Eskimo igdlu (“house”), is related to Iglulik, a town, and Iglulirmiut, an Inuit people, both on an island of the same name.
The noun igloo comes from an Inuit word, iglu, which means simply "house," no matter what it's constructed from. Definitions of igloo.
Alaska's northern lights season is between mid-September and late April, peaking in March, though it's a season defined more by its long, dark nights than by solar activity. Forecasting the northern lights means predicting solar activity, which is virtually impossible with our current technology.
In an ice hotel, the actual bed is made of ice — but you're separated from the surface by materials such as reindeer skins, blankets and/or a mattress. Typically, you'll sleep inside a special sleeping bag rated for subzero temperatures. It's important to wear the right clothes.
Igloos are built from compressed snow. You saw it into chunks like building blocks, then stack the blocks around a circular terraced hole in the snowy ground. Snow is endlessly interesting considering it's simply semi-frozen water.
The northern lights occur all four seasons of the year, although they are harder to see under the Midnight Sun. The Interior (especially Fairbanks) and Far North regions are considered the best in Alaska for northern lights viewing, although the aurora can be spotted anywhere in Alaska.
Sleep under the Northern Lights: 9 hotels with fantastic vistas
- ION Hotel – Selfoss, Iceland.
- Hotel Rangá – Hella, Iceland.
- Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel – Alta, Norway.
- Hotel Kakslauttanen – Saariselkä, Finland.
- Santa Claus Holiday Village – Rovaniemi, Finland.
- Abisko Mountain Lodge – Abisko, Sweden.
- Treehotel – Harads, Sweden.
The best time for Northern Lights is from October to March. Statistically, winterly spring and autumn are fantastic for seeing Auroras in Finland. When we take into consideration cloudiness and the best averages for clear skies, there is one month that is a winner: March.
You can combine your stay in Kakslauttanen with a city break in Finland's capital, Helsinki, as all flights to Lapland depart from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL). The closest airport to Kakslauttanen is Ivalo (IVL), which is just a 30-minute shuttle bus ride away.
In Finland, nature's most spectacular light show, the Aurora Borealis, can be viewed in a range of purpose-built spaces from glass igloos to luxury suites. The Northern Lights are visible on roughly 200 nights a year – or every other clear night – in Finnish Lapland.
The northern most part of Finland, Lapland, is the magical arctic region full of contrasts. In fact, contrasts are a key factor in the allure of Lapland where 24-hour sunlight in the summer replaces the dark winter days filled with Northern Lights. Every season in Finnish Lapland is uniquely different from each other.
The best places in the world are usually closer to the Arctic Circle, including Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
No. There are currently no Glass Igloos in Iceland.
Finland is the most expensive country in the euro area, and Finnish inflation has in recent years been among the highest in the euro area. For Finnish consumers, the elevated prices mean that, despite relatively high income, purchasing power remains weak.
Modern IgloosWhether you dare to sleep in it is up to you! If you're looking for some Arctic luxury instead, there are ice hotels and igloo inns in Greenland, Finland and Sweden where you can enjoy a top-notch sleeping experience and catch the aurora borealis during the long winter nights.
Igloos do melt. However, the heat capacity of water is substantially higher than the heat capacity of air. The heat given off by people inside igloos can substantially warm the air inside (helped out by the fact that snow is a very good insulator).
