Finland's Lapland Offers A Calming And Unique Winter Activity On Water With Northern Light Views

Finland is a delightful getaway location for cold weather lovers, and Lapland, the country's northernmost region, is one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights. One particularly cool and unique way to see them is while floating on your back in a frozen lake. This isn't a survival of the fittest situation; instead, visitors are escorted by a guide and are supplied with an insulated survival suit designed especially for use in the ice-cold water. Once properly equipped, you'll lower yourself into an icy lake and simply lay there, gently buoyed by the freezing water with no effort needed to keep you afloat. Previous visitors have said it makes for a remarkably calming experience as they've relaxed and let the water hold them.

A number of different companies in the region offer this type of excursion, including some in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, and one of Islands' ultimate December travel bucket list destinations. There are daytime tours, but if you want a chance to see the Northern Lights dancing above you as you float, you'll want to make sure to book one for the evening. After all, what could be more surreal and magical than being completely relaxed in a lake while shimmering colors dance across the sky?

Granted, there's never a 100% guarantee that you'll see the aurora on any given evening, but you have a higher than average chance of seeing them in Lapland from fall through spring thanks to its location near and within the Arctic Circle. And even if you don't see the Northern Lights, you've still got a strong chance to view a sky full of stars above you as you enjoy the unique, meditative feeling of floating weightlessly in an icy Lapland lake.

Even though you'll be dressed in a survival suit, which is designed to keep you warm, you'll be putting it on over your clothes. Wearing a warm, woolen base layer on your top and bottom, including a hat and gloves, is a good idea to help keep you comfortable.

If you're all in on your Finland vacation and want as many chances to see the aurora borealis as possible, you should look into sleeping in a glass igloo in Lapland for an amazing view of the Northern Lights. And the more time you spend there, the more you might find yourself falling in love with the place. Finland is one of the happiest countries in the world after all, which is a big part of why the European country is one of the best places to retire.