Overnight on lake ice

Aurora cabins

Imagine sleeping on top of 1 meter lake ice with 12 meters of water under. Your little portable warm aurora cabin stands in the middle of the lake, 2km from Inari sentrum. You're ready for the most amazing northern lights to shine in from the big windows.

The story

"In cold evening of winter 2012 Esko came with the idea of building up a warm portable cabin for own purpose. Then towed it in the middle of the lake to see the northern lights wider. It was fun so had to build more.

Now we have 8 unique cabins for our guests to experience the lake. Welcome to Lake Inari Mobile Cabins -Atte & Alexa

This is how it goes

Base camp is near Inari village by Lake Inari. Here you can join activities, enjoy sauna and join our local dinner by open fire or just rest in your cabin before night on the lake. Main building facilities are available as well: shared kitchen, dining room, living room, showers and restrooms.

At 8-9pm the guide toes the cabins by snowmobile to the lake ice for overnight. You are inside your cabin during moving. Now you have 12 hours to catch the northern lights from inside your warm cabin and from outside on the lake ice. Your guide comes to get the cabins back to Basecamp at 8-9am. Breakfast is served 8-10am. A lot of activities are starting then at 10am to keep you busy during daytime.

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Northern lights are seen about 90% of the nights in September-April. About 50% of nights are cloudy... but normally not all night so be patient :-)

At 8-9am (or earlier if you wish) the guide starts to toe the cabins back to the base camp there you can wash up and enjoy breakfast by fire place.

Safety on ice

In the past years the safe ice-season has started:

in 2014 on 15th November

in 2015 on 6th December

in 2016 on 20th November

in 2017 on 22nd November

in 2018 on 25th November

in 2019 on 31st October

in 2020 on 1st December

in 2021 on 22nd November

in 2022 on 21st November.

Safe means at least 20cm clear "steel" ice. In the end of March the ice is at the thickest about 70cm and starts getting weaker in mid April.

If the weather forecast is below -30 degrees with wind chill or wind forecast is too hard then the cabins will be shorter time on lake ice, stay nearer than 1,5km or stay at the base camp. It happens a couple of times / season that lasts about 140 nights.

If you feel yourself ill, please let us know before you check in and enter the main building. We have organized more space in the main building to keep safe distances. Remember to wash and desinfect hands. If you feel ill we cannot move your cabin to the lake ice but stay onshore at the base camp.

There at the base camp you have same chance to see the northern lights. Often they are seen already before 8pm and during transfer to the lake ice.

In Christmas time when daylight is short it may be possible to see northern lights between 3pm and 9am. In March the time is about between 9pm and 3am and we get some 15 minutes more daylight every day. Average temperature in winter is -13 degrees celcius.

Warmly welcome to Inari,

Greetings Atte & Alexa