Stay In Your Own Private Igloo At This Magical Greenland Lodge

Ever dreamt about spending the night in a UNESCO World Heritage Site? What about sleeping in an igloo? Well, now you can combine the two, near Greenland's famous Ilulissat Icefjord. Ilulissat is home to some of the most spectacular naturally occurring ice sculptures in the world, a gargantuan collection of icebergs that dwarf anything in their surroundings and are sometimes set against the northern lights.

You'll find this icy expanse in a fjord with the most active glacier in the world, known as the Ilulissat Glacier, Jakobshavn Glacier, or Sermeq Kujalleq in Greelandic. Approximately 155 miles north of the Arctic Circle, this ancient body of ice and UNESCO World Heritage Site dates back to the Quaternary Ice Age, and is therefore, an extremely important natural monument. What better way to experience this incredible natural wonder than in the same way generations of Inuits have done? Igloos have long been used as temporary shelters, and now you, too, can temporarily spend the night at the Igloo Lodge, tucked beneath a reindeer skin blanket.

The Igloo Lodge, within view of the Ilulissat Icefjord, provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many city-dwellers to experience Greenland's stunning nature like the local Inuit community has for millenia. To survive the sheer freezing temperatures of the glacier, Inuits developed this unique building technique, constructing temporary homes from bricks of snow, with ice for windowpanes. The Igloo Lodge now offers the opportunity to visit the fjord in the way it was meant to be seen, with an overnight stay in one of these beautiful handmade igloos. 

The outside temperatures within the fjord range can plummet to a staggering -4 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so make sure to prepare for the overnight adventure with highly insulated clothing. The beautiful candlelit igloo provides cover from the cold outside, meaning that sleeping conditions are considerably warmer than outside, but still only around 32 degrees. If the prospect of sleeping in these temperatures is still daunting, fear not, Igloo Lodge provides traditional reindeer skin blankets and warm, heavily insulated sleeping bags to its visitors. 

The peaceful and serene igloos sleep two people, so you can also snuggle up with someone after watching the northern lights dance outside. Provided meals are eaten communally in a heated wooden cabin by the igloos, and there is also the option to sleep there, should the cold become too much for you. In the morning you'll be provided a traditional Greenlander breakfast, before taking the snowcat back through the gorgeous glaciers to the starting point of the excursion.

To get to Ilulissat, you can get a direct flight from Greenland's capital of Nuuk, Reykjavik, Iceland (seasonal), or take an Arctic cruise. A stay at the lodge gives you access to excursions offered by World of Greenland that include snowshoeing, dogsledding, or taking a snow cat (snowmobile) ride into the incredibly beautiful open expanse of Ilulissat. You'll see some breathtaking icebergs along the way. You'll also pass halibut fishing grounds where you may be lucky enough to see a local fisher on a dogsled at work in the fjord.

If you have time before leaving, it's also worth checking out Ilulissat Icefjord Center, a scientific research facility that conducts significant work on climate change in the area. For those interested in architecture, this center is a must-see, with an accessible roof view that provides great vistas of the icefjord. There is no time like now to visit this breathtaking natural wonder, as Greenland's glaciers are also being affected by global warming. So strap on those snow boots, tighten those mittens, and get ready to be awe-stricken by Ilulissat.