21 Mar 2018
Hotel on skis: Mobile cabin allows guests to enjoy Northern Lights from deep within the Arctic wilderness
BY Kim Megson
Remote holiday specialists Off the Map Travel have created another of their mobile semi-transparent glamping cabins, designed to be towed into the remote wilderness of the Arctic Circle so that guests can experience the Northern Lights from the comfort of their beds.
Three rooms, each set on skis, have been made available for booking until mid-April 2018. They are situated in the Aurora Wilderness Camp, six kilometres east of Kilpisjärvi, Finland.
Each of the cosy rooms is 2.5m (8.2ft) wide, 4.5m (14.7ft) long and 2m (6.5ft) tall, and includes a wide bed to lie back on and take in the night sky through the glass roof. There’s also space, just about, for a table, a dry toilet, a gas heater with a thermostat and a gas stove – “providing a combination of adventure and comfort.”
Statistically, the Kilpisjärvi area has more clear night skies and records more Northern Lights activity than any other place in Finland. Experts estimate that if the sky is clear, visitors have more than a 70 per cent chance of seeing the Aurora.
“The wilderness surrounding Kilpisjärvi is known for its remote and uninterrupted Arctic tundra,” said Jonny Cooper, founder of Off the Map Travel. “Away from any man-made light pollution, it’s here that the wilderness camp is placed for the winter, giving guests the best possible opportunity to experience the Northern Lights and simply enjoy the silence of the Arctic plains.”
The guest experience starts at 6pm, where an experienced guide transports guests by snowmobile to their room before teaching them how to make a campfire and grill some local sausages. After the wilderness grill, guests will have the camp to themselves in isolation.
Once the winter ice has thawed, the rooms will be relocated to a new home for the following season, beginning in January 2019.
Off the Map Travel – the stated aim of which is to show people “the wildernesses of the world” – has previously run a similar initiative with the Aurora Bubble Sled, which can be mounted on the back of a snowmobile.
The Northern Lights are a popular draw for tourists, and hospitality developers are starting to cater for this market, often by adopting innovative design ideas.
Snøhetta have unveiled a concept design for the Arctic Circle's first-ever energy-positive hotel, which will be situated at the foot of the Svartisen glacier in Norway. The same firm recently completed a Treehotel hovering 10m (32.8ft) above the ground in Edeforsvägen forest, Sweden.
Meanwhile, the creators of the world-famous Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, are currently seeking designers for its winter iteration.
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