Why Some Adventures Only Exist In Winter
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Want to do something this winter that most people will never get to see?
The greatest adventures in the world are seasonal. They arrive when it gets cold... and leave when spring returns.
Miss the window and you wait a full year.
Here's the problem:
Many travellers don't know these trips are available until it's too late. Then they're left scrolling through pictures, wishing they had booked earlier.
This guide will discuss winter activities that are only available for a few months out of the year. Starting with the obvious -- the blue ice cave tour.
Ready? Here's how it works...
What's inside this guide:
Why Some Adventures Only Exist In Winter
The Blue Ice Cave Tour: Iceland's Frozen Secret
4 More Seasonal Winter Adventures
How To Plan Before The Window Closes
Simple. They're made of ice.
Frozen caves, ice hotels and frozen lakes all require weeks of freezing weather to create. Once the cold snap ends, they melt, crack or become unsafe to visit.
That's why they are so precious. You aren't simply going somewhere... You are going somewhere in time.
Well, people are starting to notice. Take China: Harbin's ice sculpture park attracted over 3 million visits during just 52 days of one season.
That's a lot of people chasing something that melts!
The Blue Ice Cave Tour: Iceland's Frozen Secret
If you only have time for one trip in your life, go on a blue ice cave tour.
The caves are located within glaciers in Iceland. Meltwater carves tunnels through the ice in summer. Come winter, it all freezes up and turns an intense blue.
Pretty cool, right?
Ok, so which glacier cave tour should you choose? Well, there are two main options in Iceland -- the massive Vatnajökull glacier down in southeast Iceland and Katla ice cave outside the town of Vík. They each have different travel times, cave types and kinds of ice. When you can’t choose which blue ice cave adventure is right for you, Glacier Trips' Vatnajökull vs Katla guide offers an easy side-by-side breakdown.
But here's the kicker...
The caves are only safe during certain times of the year. The caves inside Vatnajökull National Park are now closed May-September. Most tours are available from approximately October to March depending on conditions.
Why You Always Need A Guide
Never walk into an ice cave on your own. Ever.
Glacier ice flows. Caves move, collapse, and flood. Local guides assess conditions daily and know which caves are safe to visit (and which ones aren't).
That’s why permits are required to lead tours in the park. Approximately 200,000 people went on glacier hikes or ice cave tours in Vatnajökull National Park during one year – and the park has since tightened its rules to keep every visitor safe.
Tours usually provide a helmet and crampons. All you need to bring is warm clothes, waterproof boots and enthusiasm.
Tip: High season is December through February which means the most popular tours sell out weeks in advance. Reserve your spot ASAP!
4 More Seasonal Winter Adventures
Ice caves aren’t the only ice wonderlands with fleeting life spans. Here are four more to add to your list.
Sleep In An Ice Hotel
Every winter, the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Swedish Lapland, is rebuilt. Blocks of ice are harvested from the neighbouring Torne River, and new rooms are artistically designed annually.
That means no two seasons ever look the same.
You sleep on a bed of ice covered by a thermal sleeping bag in a room that remains below freezing. Sounds insane...But everyone loves it. Then when spring rolls around the hotel simply melts back into the river.
Explore Harbin's Ice And Snow World
Harbin, located in northeast China, transforms itself into a city of ice each winter. Massive ice castles, slides and sculptures are hewn from blocks of ice extracted from the Songhua River.
Nighttime brings illumination of the entire park in every colour imaginable. Giant ice slides can be ridden, frozen mazes can be walked through and ice carvers can be watched.
The park typically opens around late December and lasts until mid to late February. Then the excavators roll in and knock it all down. Bye-bye until next year.
Skate The Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Canada freezes and becomes a skateway that's nearly 8km long. People actually skate to work on it!
Here's the catch: it all depends on the weather.
Sometimes it's open for weeks in the winter. Other years it hardly opens. If you want to skate it, watch the ice reports and be prepared to jump.
Walk On Lake Baikal's Clear Ice
Lake Baikal, Siberia is the deepest lake in the world. When frozen in late winter, thick glassy ice forms on the surface. The ice is so clear you can see far down below your feet.
Tourists hike, skate and drive on it. Winds grind its surface smooth and pile massive azure chunks along the shore. It really does look like another world.
The ideal time to visit is typically February and March, before the ice starts to break up.
How To Plan Before The Window Closes
Seasonal trips require different planning. You can't simply travel on an impulse.
Here's what to do:
Decide on a month first -- check to see when the activity is actually happening, then schedule flights to match.
Book tours early -- spots are limited and the best dates go fast.
Leave a buffer day -- winter storms can cancel tours with little warning.
Pack for real cold -- thermal layers, waterproof boots and a proper hat.
That last one matters more than you think...
Nothing ruins a trip faster than being cold. Great gear allows you to spend more time outside enjoying what you're doing.
Don't forget: Mother Nature is in charge of the calendar. Tours may be cancelled due to inclement conditions. Please be patient and understand that it's not personal.
Catch It Before It Melts
Winter adventures of the finest kind don't stick around. They make their appearance for a few months, and vanish until winter comes around again.
To quickly recap:
Blue ice caves in Iceland (around October to March)
Ice hotels in Swedish Lapland
Harbin's giant ice festival
Skating Ottawa's Rideau Canal
Walking on Lake Baikal's clear ice
Pick one, lock in your dates and book early.
A blue ice cave tour is definitely where you should begin. When you stand inside of that shining blue ice... You'll know why people schedule their entire winter for it.
Don't wait until spring to wish you had gone!