Lapland Riverside Hideaway
Äkäsjoen Piilo · Kolari · Lapland
- Entire cabin
- Kolari, Lapland
- 6 guests
- 1 bedroom + loft
- 5 beds
- Indoor dry toilet
- Sauna
Airbnb counts the loft as a second bedroom. It is a loft with a low ceiling — good for children, fine for adults who don't mind ducking.
- ▲Hand-carved in 2023
Solid log, carved by hand, standing alone on the riverbank. Fire pit near the beach.
- ▲Sauna and a spring-fed cold plunge
Wood-heated sauna, and spring water at +4 °C — that cold even in midsummer. Summer season.
- ▲Your own beach, 40 m away
Grayling in the water and no neighbour in sight.
Indoor dry toilet (composting) · Indoor shower and cold plunge in summer use · Spring water, drinkable — freezes in winter, bring your own then
About this cabin
Experience the real Arctic. This wilderness cottage along the Äkäsjoki offers peace and a beautiful landscape in the middle of wilderness, outside of mass tourism. Perfect for travellers who come for nature, fishing, hunting, or a few weeks of remote work with nothing outside the window but forest and river.
Inside, there is a warm kitchen-living room, a bedroom with a double bed, and a loft with four single beds. The kitchen is equipped for six. Heating and cooling is an air heat pump with electric radiators behind it, plus a wood fireplace for the coldest nights — below −20 °C you will want to light it.
Outside: a traditional wood-heated sauna, a spring-fed cold plunge for the summer season, a covered terrace facing the river, and a fire pit at the water's edge with a smoker for the fish you catch.
Though it feels remote, everything you need is nearby. Ylläs and its slopes are 35 minutes away, Kolari and its shops 15 minutes, Kittilä airport an hour. The Tornio-Muonio — one of the best salmon rivers in Europe — is 4 km away, and state hunting land begins 100 metres from the yard. The Northern Lights are a common sight in winter.
Where you'll sleep
What's here
- Traditional wood-heated sauna
- Cold plunge, +4 °C (summer)
- Indoor shower (summer)
- Wood fireplace
- Electric heaters
- Air source heat pump
- Kitchen equipped for 6
- Refrigerator
- Drinking water from a spring
- Electricity
- WiFi
- Covered terrace
- Smoke pot for smoking your catch
- Outdoor fireplace by the river
- Own beach 40 m
- Pets allowed (30 €)
Where it is
- Own beach40 m
- State hunting grounds100 m
- Tornio-Muonio river4 km
- Kolari, shops15 min
- Ylläs & Äkäslompolo35 min
- Kittilä airport1 h
Where in Finland is this?
Kolari sits in western Lapland, 100 km north of the Arctic Circle and 940 km from Helsinki. The cabins are 17 km outside the village, on the bank of the Äkäsjoki, at the end of a 5 km road. Ylläs — Finland's largest ski resort by piste area — is a 35-minute drive.
- Fly
Kittilä airport is 1 hour away and takes direct winter flights from London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich and Vienna. Rovaniemi is 2 hours.
- Night train
The car train from Helsinki runs to Kolari station, 20 minutes from the cabins. You sleep on board and wake up in Lapland with your own car.
- Drive
940 km from Helsinki, roughly 11 hours. Most people break the journey halfway — you can stop at our Lakeland place, Wanha Koulu (wanhakoulu.fi).
Nature and Ylläs
Ylläs and Äkäslompolo are a 35-minute drive: 63 slopes, 330 km of cross-country trails, hiking and cycling routes, restaurants and equipment hire. Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park begins there. Levi, Pallas and Olos are each about an hour away. Around the cabins there is nothing but forest, river and marsh — berries in autumn, northern lights from late August to April. In summer the midnight sun is up 24 hours.
Fishing
The Äkäsjoki runs past the door. It is famous for its grayling and is the most important spawning river for sea trout in the system. Four kilometres away you can hire a salmon boat on the Tornio-Muonio, one of the best salmon rivers in Europe, with permits and a boat ramp at the same place. Guided trips can be booked separately.
Hunting
State hunting grounds begin 100 metres from the yard, and you can reach them on foot or on skis. Small-game permits are issued by Metsähallitus. Guided trips can be booked separately.
Distances
- Äkäsjoki riveron the bank
- Own beach40 m
- State hunting grounds100 m
- Tornio-Muonio river, boat hire4 km
- Kolari — shops, restaurants, health centre, Alko15 min
- Kolari railway & car-train station20 min
- Ylläs & Äkäslompolo35 min
- Swedish border20 min
- Kittilä airport1 h
- Levi fell1 h
- Pallastunturi1 h
- Olostunturi1 h
- Muonio1 h
- Rovaniemi — airport & car train2 h · 180 km
- Kilpisjärvi260 km
- Kuopio620 km
- Tampere820 km
- Helsinki940 km
Our other places
Same people, three places in Finland. They are all on the map above.
Nearest services
- Kolari, 15 min
Shops, restaurants, petrol station, electric car charging, health centre and Alko.
- Tornio-Muonio river, 4 km
Luttusen Suanto — fishing permits, boat hire and a boat ramp.
- Ylläs & Äkäslompolo, 35 min
Ski slopes, cross-country trails, restaurants, equipment hire.
There is a second cabin 8 metres away — and you can have it too
Äkäsjoen Piilo and Viking Hut share one yard, separated by a fence, and each is rented on its own. If both are available, book them and the whole place is yours: nine guests, two saunas, an indoor dry toilet and the spring-fed cold plunge. Message us on WhatsApp and we will price it as one stay.
Ask about both cabinsGood to know
- Heating
Below −20 °C the cottage is partly heated with wood. If you have never lit a fire, we will show you how. Note that it can reach −40 °C, and then the fire needs to be kept going at all times.
- Water
Drinking water comes from a spring. The spring freezes in December, and then the water comes from the river. Bring drinking water.
- Toilet
An indoor dry toilet (composting).
- Firewood
Included in the price.
- Linen
Sheets and towels are on the beds. Bed linen and towels are included in the price. Remember to enter the right number of people when you book.
- Pets
Welcome. Pet fee 30 €.
- Reindeer
They wander through the yard. Please do not feed them.
The other cabin
{'en': 'Viking Hut', 'fi': 'Viking Hut'}
These walls stood nearly a century somewhere else before they were raised here in the 1970s.
Viking Hut →