I never imagined I’d end up in the Swedish Arctic—and I certainly never dreamed I’d spend a night inside a giant freezer. Er, I mean, an actual igloo!
A real igloo! The iconic dome of snow, completely white inside, where you half-wonder if you’ll survive the night without freezing solid. Aren’t igloos (traditionally built by the Inuit) supposed to be a Canadian thing? I never expected to find one in Arctic Sweden, let alone spend an unforgettable night inside—which turned out to be the very spot where I saw the Northern Lights for the first time!
[ This igloo is not my home ]
When you decide to chase the Northern Lights in Sweden on a ten-day whim, the biggest challenge is undeniably the violent assault on your wallet. Budget airlines love squeezing last-minute bookers, and to avoid sky-high airfares, I had to tweak my 4-day/3-night plan and fly into Kiruna in the Arctic Circle a day early. That left me needing to figure out accommodation for one night before Frank from Lapland Trip picked us up at noon the next day to head to Abisko.
Surviving that extra night in Kiruna required finding a place to stay—a fun little challenge given how scarce information about Kiruna was back home in Taiwan. Lately, alongside standard hotel comparison sites, I’ve been using Airbnb to hunt for unique local stays. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in local culture, often at a lower price than standard hotels. And that’s exactly how I stumbled upon this igloo!
Hotels on Booking.com were easily starting at around NT$2,000 (about US$60) a night. Scanning through Airbnb, options were limited, which made a photo of a snow igloo jump off the screen. At first, I thought it was just a promotional photo, but a closer look confirmed it was a real room available for booking!
[ The igloo “room” photo on Airbnb ]
“What a rare opportunity! I HAVE to stay here!” But then I checked the price: NT$5,560 (about US$175) a night! That definitely made me double-take. It was pricier than regular hotels, and even more expensive than the wooden cabins at the same campsite. After messaging the host, I learned the price included half-board (breakfast and dinner) plus round-trip transfers from downtown Kiruna to Aurora Camp, 8 kilometers away. Besides, an experience like this is priceless! How often in life do you get to sleep in a place so cold that the snow doesn’t melt and can actually be built into a house?
So I closed my eyes and swiped the card anyway! (Though looking at my credit card bill recently… I still have my eyes closed because I can’t bear to pay it, haha!)
[ I actually booked the place based on just these few photos ] (Image credit: Airbnb & Aurora Camp)
I arrived early at the pickup point in town, dropped off my luggage, and headed out to explore the stunning Arctic daylight a bit more—even though every time you step back indoors, the cozy warmth makes it terrifyingly hard to open the door back outside.
At -24°C, the weather was no joke. I was layered up far more than in Stockholm, complete with heavy snow pants and a parka, but walking on the deep Arctic snow was still brutally cold. Every time I spoke, my voice vibrated uncontrollably—if I auditioned for a talent show right then, my natural vibrato would’ve turned all four judges’ chairs! To make matters worse, Arctic winter sun calls it a day by 3:00 PM, sending temperatures plunging. A wave of panic hit me: “I’m sleeping in a giant icebox tonight… am I even going to survive until tomorrow?” I had to repeatedly brainwash myself with thoughts like: “There are reviews from fellow travelers on Airbnb, so they survived…” and “Surely a host wouldn’t list an actual deathtrap, right?”
[ I could barely tell where the road ended and the sidewalk began ]
My friends thought I was crazy for agreeing to sleep in a freezer, and deep down, I knew I was stepping way outside my comfort zone. But I just had to try it!
It’s the same reason I went skydiving and scuba diving in Australia despite being terrified of heights and a terrible swimmer.
It’s why I backpacked across Europe solo for three months despite all the safety warnings.
And even though I had no clue if sleeping in zero-degree snow was safe, if you talk yourself out of everything before even trying, you’ll never truly know what you’re capable of.
Besides, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Worst-case scenario? I wear every single piece of clothing in my suitcase! (Shrugs)
[ -24°C is today’s high… what even is sub-zero? ]
With a mix of excitement and anxiety, I returned to the shop at the agreed time. To my surprise, I was immediately ushered down to a basement lined with heavy gear. “It’s minus twenty-something today, you’ll need these,” they said, handing over an ultra-thick thermal suit and professional snow boots for the night! Before I even finished zipping up the massive overall-style suit indoors, I was already breaking a sweat and feeling near heatstroke. With this legendary armor equipped, surely I’d be invincible against the Arctic cold tonight… defense stats +100! (Or so I kept telling myself).
[ The pickup location was Kiruna Guidetur, a souvenir shop and tour agency that also runs the camp, so they had plenty of extreme cold-weather gear ]
[ My full arctic suit – ultra-warm snow suit, trousers, thermal socks, and heavy gloves ]
[ This epic suit is my ultimate survival gear for spending the night in the Arctic ]
After a 20-minute drive, we arrived at Aurora Camp. I hopped on the back of a snowmobile to head toward my “room” for the night (getting a mini snowmobile ride out of an igloo stay was an awesome bonus!). Zooming along narrow forest trails, icy wind slammed straight into my face. Even bundled up to the teeth, my exposed face bore the full brunt of the Arctic chill—the wind chill easily brought it down to -30°C. It was unbelievable FUCKING COLD! (Hey, swearing in English still counts as swearing!)
[ A morning shot of the snowmobile. It looks badass, but sitting on it with freezing wind hammering your face and bumping all over, I was far from looking cool ]
Yet no matter how freezing it got, my sheer excitement completely eclipsed the cold. The moment the igloo came into view, I practically wanted to scream. There it was—the dome-shaped igloo I had dreamed of seeing (from the Inuit word for “house”), a charming little dome sculpted entirely out of snow. In that instant, I forgot all about the sub-zero chill. It felt so magical, like stepping straight into a fairy tale!
“Ummm…” That was literally my exact thought the second I laid eyes on the igloo.
[ Flickering candles scattered around, glowing like tiny campfires—the igloo’s only light source. ]
Taking a closer look a second later… wait, this igloo is actually shorter than I am! And that entrance is tiny—am I supposed to crawl in on my stomach? And… wait, no way…IT DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A DOOR!! If it weren’t vaguely glowing white in the dark, I’d have sworn it was an outdoor earth oven.
[ Human scale reference: 150 cm vs. Igloo ]
［ Looks like I literally tumbled inside ]
With temperatures plummeting to -25°C outside, sleeping in a doorless ice box made me seriously question if I’d live to see tomorrow’s sunrise.
The ground beneath my feet is actually a lake during summer. Completely frozen and blanketed in deep snow every winter, Aurora Camp rebuilds these snow igloos from scratch for guests to stay in—sculpted entirely by hand from natural snow. Yes, that means I’m literally sleeping on top of a giant frozen lake! To top it off, no other guests opted for an igloo tonight. I had this vast, snow-covered winter wonderland and all five igloos entirely to myself. Looking out into the endless, empty silence, a good distance away from the main wooden cabins, panic started to set in. If anything went wrong, no one would hear me scream. I genuinely began to wonder if booking an igloo was a monumentally stupid idea—was that why nobody else booked one?
[ Just a completely empty frozen lake! (Fingers crossed it stays empty… *shivers*) ]
So I lingered in the main warm lounge until ridiculously late. The hosts provided a cozy indoor common space for guests to store luggage and relax. “You can stay in here before bed or whenever you get too cold,” they offered kindly. *Can I just stay in here all night?* I pleaded in my head. It was like skydiving or riding a drop tower: you feel like a brave warrior signing up, but right at the peak moment before plummeting, you realize you’re a complete idiot for paying to torture yourself.
[ At this exact moment, I truly realized what a luxury a heated room is ]
At dinner, I joined a British couple for a home-cooked traditional Swedish meal prepared by the host—meatballs with lingonberry jam, lingonberry juice, and rare cloudberries served over ice cream. Naturally, dinner conversation revolved entirely around their utter shock and curiosity about the igloos. They were amazed igloos even existed here, and even more baffled that someone was actually staying in one! The next morning at breakfast, another couple from London looked at me in disbelief: “Wait, *you’re* the one who slept in the igloo?!”—as if I had just safely returned from a solo mission to the Moon.
[ My Swedish meatball meal and dessert! The cloudberries had a super unique texture, and somehow I was eating ice cream in sub-zero Arctic temperatures (if you run out, just grab more snow outside!). ]
Alright, I have to admit—waking up the next morning, I was pretty emotional myself.
Emotional because I had survived the night intact,
emotional because I hadn’t chickened out and retreated to the cozy cabin,
and emotional because once you actually crawl into that snow dome, you realize all the fear was just in your head. I was so glad I went through with it.
[ Yep, that’s exactly how bundled up I was to sleep ]
Sleeping inside an igloo isn’t nearly as freezing as you’d imagine, because packed snow and ice are fantastic insulators (which explains why indigenous Arctic people used them—you have to respect that ancient survival wisdom). Whether inside a cozy igloo or the famous ICEHOTEL we visited later, the interior temperature magically hovers around -5°C. Okay, sure, -5°C is still basically sleeping inside a freezer, but compared to -26°C outside, it felt like summer! Plus, I slept in my full snowsuit, and since I was the only guest in the igloo field, I had free rein over the extra sleeping bags. So, I piled on four sleeping bags at once and slept like a baby all night—cozy and warm!
Why not see it for yourself? Here’s a quick video taking you through my morning routine—waking up, gearing up, and crawling out of the icy burrow. It was my very first time filming a vlog, so I was a bit camera-shy, but I edited it and added subtitles for you (don’t forget to switch to HD!):
[ My 4-sleeping-bag cocoon! The host taught me this trick: unzip one as a mattress pad, then nest the remaining ones inside each other. ]
[ The igloo floor was lined with reindeer hides, which are supposed to be warm and waterproof—though I’m pretty sure I would’ve turned into a popsicle with just those. ]
[ In fact, even the outer edges of the reindeer hide were frozen solid! ]
Sleeping was actually fine; it was waking up to icy gusts swirling near the open entrance that hurt.
Yet opening my eyes to the surreal hues of an Arctic sunrise was pure magic. Ignoring the biting frost, I gritted my teeth, pulled on my coat, beanie, and boots, and crawled out to embrace the vast, snowy paradise all to myself.
[ Crawling out of the igloo at 8:00 AM right into an Arctic sunrise (though if you told me it was a sunset, I’d believe you too). ]
Just an igloo, an endless sea of white, and myself—life became beautifully simple out here.
I walked out onto the frozen lake several times that night, staring up into the star-studded sky. I realized it had been far too long since I enjoyed such absolute solitude—no distractions, just the quiet universe and me.
[ Even with a few lights lingering from the camp behind me, the stars shone insanely bright. ]
Suddenly, I caught a faint, rapidly shifting shadow in the sky—a pale grey blur that almost looked like a cloud. I aimed my camera and clicked the shutter on a long exposure. Sure enough, the grey glow revealed itself as a vibrant green beam: my very first light of Arctic magic! It wasn’t an overwhelming display, but that gentle ribbon of light made my heart leap with pure joy.
Happiness often pops up when you least expect it—never hesitate to reach out and grab it.
[ Fleeting as it was, it was the very first and most unforgettable Northern Lights of my life. ]
I felt so grateful that I had booked this night and didn’t back out to sleep in the safety of the cabin. It turned out to be one of the most unforgettable nights of my life in the Arctic.
[ Waking up to the thermometer reading -27°C, which means last night must have plummeted close to -30°C! ]
If you ever find yourself in Kiruna, I highly recommend experiencing a night in a rare, winter-exclusive igloo. At around NT$5,560 (about US$175) per person per night, the package includes round-trip transfers from downtown, traditional Swedish dinner and breakfast, heavy-duty thermal gear, access to an indoor cabin for luggage storage and hot showers, plus an outdoor snow sauna. It ticks off two bucket-list dreams at once: sleeping in an igloo and chasing the Northern Lights. Note that there is no Wi-Fi on-site, but luckily my portable Global WiFi device picked up a reliable signal so I could check in with friends.
>> Winter-only Igloo listing on Airbnb
>> First time using Airbnb? Feel free to use my referral link or promo code hfeichian to save nearly NT$700 (about US$22) on your booking.
>> Exclusive deal for Creya! readers: Book your Global WiFi via this dedicated link to get an extra 5% off on top of any ongoing promotion.
[ Looking out at the frozen lake in daylight—this was my cozy home in the wild last night ]
[ A simple breakfast buffet is provided. Lingonberry treats pop up everywhere—Swedes are truly obsessed with them! ]
[ Shower facilities are fully equipped, complete with an outdoor hot tub and sauna in the snow (pro tip: head there early! It closed right after dinner T^T) ]
[ Surprised by how well Global WiFi worked—I even got a steady signal inside the wooden cabin ]
Postscript: A friend sent me a news clip recently about someone in Brooklyn who got inspired by a blizzard, built an igloo in their backyard, and listed it on Airbnb. It even came with an air mattress and Wi-Fi—far fancier than mine! Surprisingly, Airbnb took it down, stating: “The dome looks well-constructed, but it lacks basic requirements like electricity, hot water, and a real door.” Wait a second… the igloo I stayed in didn’t have any of those either! (→ Read the Chinese news report here)
✈ Travel Date: January 4, 2016
| Euro Trip | Chasing Northern Lights in Sweden Series (Trip Dates: Dec 30, 2015 – Jan 10, 2016)
● A surprise aurora out of nowhere! Welcoming 2016 in the Swedish Arctic Circle
● Pack and go! Chasing aurora in the Swedish Arctic Circle on 10 days’ notice: DIY itinerary guide
● Life as an Inuit isn’t easy: Spending a night in a snowy igloo dome
● Surviving sub-zero Sweden: Arctic gear packing list and equipment tips
● Braving the cold for three unforgettable nights of Northern Lights in Abisko
● Feasting like a pirate for a night at Aifur Restaurant & Bar in Stockholm
● Oops! Accidentally crossed into Narvik, Norway, to see textbook fjords in real life
● Chilling at Stockholm’s ICEBAR: Icebreaker drinks with fellow Taiwanese travelers
● Running through Stockholm’s hidden urban forests: Glad I didn’t give up
● A plane that only flies to dreamland: Staying at Jumbo Stay Hostel by Stockholm Airport
