Snow Hotel family activity holiday
| country: | Norway |
| departures: | Departures available from 17 Dec 2009 - 15 Apr 2010 |
| price: | From £1495 (5 days) per adult and £1025 per child (under 13yrs) including flights from the UK. Price includes 3 nights hotel, full board, thermal clothes, activities, equipment and guides. Overnight at SnowHotel - £50. Minimum age 10 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The terrain gets pretty dramatic this far north. Your adventure playground consists of mountains, fjords, forests, lakes and even the Barents Sea where you'll go fishing for king crab. The Snow Hotel is just the icing on the cake.
Kirkenes is located in Northern Norway far, far north of the Arctic Circle. Taking into account the surrounding settlements, the town's population reaches the giddy heights of 6000 people. That leaves an awful lot of space and we exploit that space to the full during a full-on 4 night stay.
Accommodation
Rica Hotel Kirkenes: Rica Hotel Kirkenes itself is a modern hotel with attractive rooms and public areas and is on the outskirts of Kirkenes. The hotel has 67 bedrooms many of which offer a view of Kirkenes and the Varangerfjord. Every bedroom has an en-suite shower or bathroom equipped with hairdryer and underfloor heating and TV. It makes the ideal base for the activities and is around 1km form the SnowHotel. The hotel restaurant "Brasseriet" offers a buffet every evening with both local and international food. There is also a fully licensed bar.
Kirkenes Snow Hotel: The fourth Kirkenes SnowHotel, constructed by our good friend Rami, will open in December 2009. The snowsuites are quite spectacular with some pieces of ice and snow art adorning them. There is also a snowbar for those who fancy a very 'cool' drink.
Overnight stays start with dinner in a traditional restaurant near to the snowHotel followed by a night in an expedition grade sleeping bag in one of the 10 SnowSuites. The beds are surrounded by ice but for comfort you sleep on proper mattresses to avoid chilly backs in the morning! Although the temperature is a constant -4 degrees celsius you are remarkably warm inside your sleeping bag and it really is a great experience and one that you will be unlikely to forget.
Kirkenes is located in Northern Norway far, far north of the Arctic Circle. Taking into account the surrounding settlements, the town's population reaches the giddy heights of 6000 people. That leaves an awful lot of space and we exploit that space to the full during a full-on 4 night stay.
Accommodation
Rica Hotel Kirkenes: Rica Hotel Kirkenes itself is a modern hotel with attractive rooms and public areas and is on the outskirts of Kirkenes. The hotel has 67 bedrooms many of which offer a view of Kirkenes and the Varangerfjord. Every bedroom has an en-suite shower or bathroom equipped with hairdryer and underfloor heating and TV. It makes the ideal base for the activities and is around 1km form the SnowHotel. The hotel restaurant "Brasseriet" offers a buffet every evening with both local and international food. There is also a fully licensed bar.
Kirkenes Snow Hotel: The fourth Kirkenes SnowHotel, constructed by our good friend Rami, will open in December 2009. The snowsuites are quite spectacular with some pieces of ice and snow art adorning them. There is also a snowbar for those who fancy a very 'cool' drink.
Overnight stays start with dinner in a traditional restaurant near to the snowHotel followed by a night in an expedition grade sleeping bag in one of the 10 SnowSuites. The beds are surrounded by ice but for comfort you sleep on proper mattresses to avoid chilly backs in the morning! Although the temperature is a constant -4 degrees celsius you are remarkably warm inside your sleeping bag and it really is a great experience and one that you will be unlikely to forget.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Flights, arrivals and introduction. An action packed few days starts with flights from London to Kirkenes in Northern Norway. The flights are via Oslo and you may well like to consider a stopover in the city on the way out or on your return. On arrival in Kirkenes it’s a very short transfer to the hotel for dinner. |
| Day 2: | Fell and fjord snowmobile safari. First thing this morning you will be fully kitted out in thermal gear to withstand the Arctic temperatures. And then it’s on with the action. The quickest way to get some measure of this seemingly infinite wilderness is on a snowmobile. After a safety briefing and tuition you will depart with your guide on a 50km safari around the snow covered fjord and over the surrounding fells. Picnic lunch included. 2 people per snowmobile. |
| Day 3: | Husky safari. For many of our clients today represents a dream come true. After meeting and getting to know the dogs you will be given instruction on how to handle your team and sled. The theory is then put into practice as you embark on a 25km safari. At first, in their eagerness, the huskies probably will set off at breakneck speed and you’ll be thinking grim thoughts about your ability to hang on for the next 4 or 5 hours. Mercifully, they soon settle into a rhythm and the pace drops allowing you to gaze in amazement at the sheer vastness of the landscape. A hot picnic lunch will be provided en-route. |
| Day 4: | King crab snowmobile safari and overnight at the SnowHotel. We have some fairly significant discussions in our office about our favourite Lapland food. Some are steadfastly in favour of reindeer while others will swear that king crab is possibly the greatest food on the planet. On this snowmobile safari you’ll actually go fishing with the experts to catch your own king crab for lunch. You don’t get much fresher or more delicious than that. Two people per snowmobile. After returning from the king crab safari there will be time to pack a small overnight bag before kick sledding your way to the SnowHotel. Once there you can meet and feed the reindeer that live in the grounds before dinner in a traditional wood built restaurant. Suitably fortified, and very probably shattered from the exertions of the last few days the final leg of your adventure begins. Tonight you will be sleeping in a SnowSuite. Lying on what is basically a slab of ice, you will be well protected by expedition grade sleeping bags. Nevertheless, you may want to forego sartorial elegance and take some thermal long johns. Just in case it gets chilly! |
| Day 5: | Departure, transfer and flights. |
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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Community
Tourism in Norwegian Lapland has become a main source of employment and income, replacing traditional industries such as forestry. Working within this growth industry in rural and remote areas means that we must take a great deal of responsibility; socially, environmentally and economically. We fully appreciate the impact of tourist visits on local communities and their residents and strive to ensure that we are having a positive effect. We have included a great deal of interaction with the Sámi culture & in addition we encourage our clients to get involved in local events and activities which help to sustain traditional values and customs. We always encourage our clients to respect and embrace the lives and culture of local inhabitants by learning a few important words: hello, goodbye, please, thank you etc. In all of our destinations we ensure that we use local suppliers, enabling locally owned businesses and the economies in which they work to benefit directly. Through the tourism multiplier effect, this all helps to generate incomes and employment where the drift might otherwise be towards larger employment areas such as towns and cities. Our use of small businesses means that the tourism income, generated by our presence, stays where it should, in the local economy. We firmly believe in paying a fair price for all the services provided by our suppliers regardless of where they are in the world. Environment Our holidays rely on visiting beautiful and un-spoilt areas. Naturally we wish to maintain the natural settings in which we work, not just for the future of our company, but also for future generations. We always insist that our local providers are equally conscious of this need. We do appreciate that some may feel that snowmobiles should not be included in such itineraries however in areas such as this they are a way of life. The alternatives to snowmobiles would in most cases be large, gas-guzzling off road vehicles. All snowmobiles are regularly serviced and kept as fuel efficient as possible. The snowmobile service industry is also another vital source of employment in this remote area. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |