November 30, 2004 -- Up to twenty hours of darkness per day may not be everybody's idea of a perfect vacation, but there are plenty of unique travel ideas for experiencing the Arctic north in winter.
In Scandinavia, the winter season is celebrated with some rather odd pastimes. If you fancy a round of extreme golf on the most northern golf course in the world, why not visit Rovaniemi on the Kemijoki River in Finnish Lapland. For approximately $36 you get nine-holes on the ice. You can also rent special sleds that double as golf buggies and clubs for $13 (only three and five irons plus putters are allowed). The clubhouse serves hot drinks and you are sure to have an eventful day. Visit www.arcticgolf.net for further details.
Rovaniemi is famous for being the home of Santa Claus so there are various tourism attractions and world-class hotels to keep you warm and entertained after your golf game. The Christmas season is especially popular with visitors seeking an authentic Yuletide experience. Additional activities include snowmobile safaris, reindeer and husky safaris, ice-fishing, and downhill and cross-country skiing. Visit https://tourism.rovaniemi.fi/?deptid=6335 for tourism information.
Rovaniemi is at the end of the Finnish train system line, and an overnight train can get you there from Helsinki (www.scanrail.com). You can also fly there via Helsinki. Flights to Helsinki from the US east cost start at $413 plus taxes during the winter months and range in price up to $686 during Christmas/New Year. See www.cheapflights.com for the best deals.
Another rather unique winter activity that abounds in Finland is the concept of ice-swimming, known as avanto. Protected by specially designed thermal suits, you'll resemble the Michelin man (only a yellow or orange variety) when you float in breaks in the frozen ocean. These swimming adventures are often followed up by visits to saunas and for those with the fortitude, a roll in the snow (usually nude or semi-nude). There are over 200 registered avanto-swimming sites throughout the country.
Nordic Saga Tours (tel. 425/673-4800; www.nordicsaga.com) gives you the opportunity to experience ice-swimming amongst other things with its three-day/two night "Arctic Icebreaker Tour." The tour includes three exciting days in Kemi, Finland, where you will enjoy a snowmobile safari, an icebreaker tour, ice-swimming, a visit to a Lapp tepee, and a reindeer sleigh ride. This package is priced at $499 per person dual occupancy. The company can also arrange your airfares from the US and transfers to Kemi.
For more information about visiting Finland and participating in its winter wonderland of activities, visit www.visitfinland.com/winter/index.html.
We can also thank the Scandinavians for bringing us the concept of the Ice Hotel. Although there are now several examples, the original Ice Hotel is the JukkasjÄrvi, in northern Lapland, Sweden, beside the River Torne. About 124 miles inside the Arctic Circle, it is only 8 miles from the nearest airport in the town of Kiruna. A direct flight from Stockholm Arlanda to Kiruna Airport takes 1 hour and 30 minutes and SAS has flights daily (www.scandinavian.net). You can also get there by train (16 hours) from Stockholm, taking in some superb landscapes. You can purchase tickets online but at this stage the website is only available in Swedish so you will need to e-mail taginfo@tag.connex.se. For $15 you can book a transfer by snowmobile to the hotel from either the train station or the airport. Again, visit www.cheapflights.com for a selection of discount roundtrip airfares to Stockholm ranging in price from $315 to $847 plus taxes from the US east coast.
The Ice Hotel opens in December each year and literally melts away by mid-spring. Accommodation ranges from standard double rooms to suites at various prices. You sleep in a thermal sleeping bag on a special bed built of snow and ice, on reindeer skins. You are awakened in the morning with a cup of hot lingonberry juice at your bedside. Breakfast buffet and morning sauna are included. Prices start $418 per room per night (for one or two guests). If you don't want to stay in the Ice Hotel but would still like to visit, tours can be arranged for $17 per person. Don't forget to visit their famous Absolut Icebar for a real vodka on the rocks.
ScanTours USA (tel. 800/223-7226; www.scantours.com) have a number of Ice Hotel packages that include airfares from the US, accommodation at the hotel and additional activities such as saunas, dog sleds, snowmobile safaris etc. Their eight-day deluxe package is priced at $2,682 plus taxes of $185 per person from January to March and includes airfares from New York, one-way domestic airfare to Kiruna, overnight private sleeper cabin on the train from Kiruna to Stockholm, three-nights at Hotel Rica City Stockholm, one night at the Ice Hotel including a supply of warm clothes, one night at Ice Hotel Aurora Cottage, daily breakfasts, two dinners, dogsled transfer from Kiruna Airport, snowmobile excursion, car transfers, tax and service charges.
What could be a more authentic arctic experience in winter than a visit to Greenland? Accessible via flights from Copenhagen (Denmark) on Air Greenland (www.airgreenland.gl/viewPage.php?frontPage=1) and from Reykjavik (Iceland) on Air Iceland (www.airiceland.is), even the most remote destination can be within your reach. Greenland Tourism (www.greenland.com) has a surprisingly great website full of ideas for travel throughout the winter season, including ice cap crossings, ice hotels, wildlife viewing, ice sculptures, dog sledding and extreme events. It also provides information about transportation and accommodation.
Whatever your Arctic destination, remember to bundle up, keep warm and squeeze as much into those few daylight hours as possible.