Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos Review

A once-in-a-lifetime northern lights stay

There are travel experiences you plan for years, talk about endlessly and quietly wonder whether they could ever live up to the dream. Staying in a glass igloo in Finnish Lapland was always one of those for our family. When pandemic-cancelled plans forced a rebook, a night at the Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos (formerly Arctic Fox Glass Igloos) went straight to the top of the non-negotiable list. I am so profoundly glad it did.

We stayed on 29-30 December 2022, arriving straight from several nights at nearby Ranua Resort Holiday Villas. We checked in at opening time and stayed until the last possible moment. I would have happily never left.

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Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos at a glance

• Location: Ranua, Finnish Lapland – on the shore of frozen Lake Ranuanjärvi, approximately 90 minutes’ drive south of Rovaniemi
• Season reviewed: December (winter)
• Best for: Couples, families, Northern Lights seekers, bucket list travellers
• Igloo features: 270-degree heated glass roof, private sauna, kitchenette, bathroom
• Breakfast: Included – served at the reception building
• Northern Lights: Yes – we saw them on our night, behind the clouds, from the igloo
• Would I stay again? Without hesitation

About the Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos

The Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos are part of the wider Ranua Resort (Holiday Gulo Gulo) but sit as a separate, standalone experience approximately six kilometres from the main resort and the Ranua Wildlife Park. The igloos are positioned directly on the frozen shore of Lake Ranuanjärvi, with minimal surrounding light pollution – a deliberate and important design choice for a property built around Northern Lights viewing.

Each igloo features a 270-degree heated glass roof designed to prevent snow settling and obscuring the view, which means you can lie in bed and look directly up at the Arctic sky – no matter the weather. There is a private sauna, a kitchenette for self-catering, a bathroom and a comfortable bed. The setting is genuinely one of the most beautiful places I have ever slept.

The igloo experience – dreamy, magical, perfect

We arrived at check-in time and immediately felt the weight of a big, activity-packed week lift. After days of husky safaris, snowmobile tours and Christmas in Rovaniemi, the igloo delivered exactly the slower pace we needed. We self-catered our dinner in the kitchenette – bread, ham, cheese and a simple reheatable meal for the boys – and spent the evening doing something that sounds deceptively simple – lying on the bed and staring upwards through the glass roof at the Lapland sky.

The sauna was wonderful. The bed was comfortable. The views across the frozen lake were nothing short of extraordinary.

We saw the Northern Lights – from inside the igloo

It was a particularly cloudy evening and as the boys were going to bed, I noticed what I thought might be the clouds turning green. I watched, quietly unsure. Then the Aurora app pinged and we knew without doubt – the Northern Lights were active. We were seeing them dance behind the clouds, lighting the sky in shifting, moving green.

I was in and out of the igloo until midnight, camera in hand, completely unable to stay still. Between 11pm and midnight the activity intensified – the lights flickered and moved across the sky, came and went, revealed themselves and disappeared again. No photograph I took does justice to what that experience actually felt like. It was one of the most exceptional moments of my life, full stop.

I woke up again at around 3am. They were back. My son Taj woke too and we watched together for a little while in awe before forcing ourselves back to sleep.

Morning at the igloos – waking up to a frozen lake

We woke to magnificent views across Lake Ranuanjärvi – a vast, white, silent frozen landscape reflecting the soft Finnish morning light. I will never forget that view from the bed. We were still pinching ourselves after a night of barely sleeping, up and down watching the lights.

Breakfast is included in the stay and served at the reception building. We got a window seat and took our time – it was lovely, warm and a perfect way to ease into a morning we didn’t want to end. After breakfast we walked to the edge of the frozen lake to look back at the line of igloos from the water. We had the first igloo in the row, which meant no neighbouring igloo directly in our field of view – a genuine bonus for photos and privacy.

Location – Ranua’s secret advantage for Northern Lights hunters

Ranua is located approximately 90 minutes’ drive south of Rovaniemi, which makes it an easy add-on to a broader Lapland itinerary – and a deeply underrated one. The town sits within the Arctic forest, offering a sense of genuine remoteness and wilderness that is harder to find in the busier Rovaniemi resort precincts.

The Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos benefit directly from this location. Minimal light pollution, wide open skies above the frozen lake and the complete stillness of a Finnish forest winter create ideal conditions for Northern Lights viewing. Ranua is not where most long-haul travellers think to look for their igloo night – and that makes the experience all the more special.

Key distances to note:

• Rovaniemi Airport: approximately 90-93km (around 1 hour’s drive)
• Ranua Wildlife Park (Gulo Gulo): approximately 6km
• Santa Claus Village: approximately 92km

Bus connections between Rovaniemi city centre and Ranua run 3-4 times per day (approximately 1 hour 15 minutes). Transfers between Holiday Gulo Gulo and the Igloo Village are arranged by the resort at no extra cost.

Practical details – what’s included and what to know

• Breakfast: Included, served at the igloo reception building
• Dinner: Available at the Wild Arctic Restaurant at Gulo Gulo (transport provided by resort – book in advance, two sittings: 6pm and 8pm)
• Private sauna: Yes, inside each igloo
• Kitchenette: Yes – we self-catered dinner with groceries from the Ranua supermarket
• Northern Lights viewing: Best season September-April; not guaranteed but location is optimal
• Proximity to lake: Direct – some igloos are lakeside (request this when booking)
• My best tip: Request the first igloo in the row for maximum privacy and unobstructed lake views

Who are the Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos best for?

I’d recommend the Ranua Resort Arctic Igloos to:

• Couples seeking a romantic, bucket list Northern Lights experience in Finnish Lapland
• Families with older children who will genuinely appreciate the igloo experience and late-night aurora watching
• Long-haul travellers who want an igloo night without going to the most expensive resorts in Rovaniemi
• Anyone combining a Ranua Wildlife Park visit with an overnight stay – the Gulo Gulo and igloo combination is excellent
• Travellers who want genuine Arctic wilderness atmosphere, away from the busier resort precincts

This was always a dream. It exceeded it. Book it. Do not go home without this on your Finnish Lapland itinerary.

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