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F O O D ,
A NIGHT IN THE IGLU-DORF ZERMATT
– AN IGLOO VILLAGE HIGH UP IN THE
SWISS ALPS – IS ONE OF THE MOST
UNIQUE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES YOU’LL
HAVE IN YOUR LIFE, PROMISES GERRIE
PRETORIUS , INTREPID TRAVELLER
AND HOST OF LEEF JOU REIS.
One night in the
o
Iglu -
D r f
HOT E L S
48 //
&
R E VIEWS
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
Down
N E W S ,
P E O P L E
&
R E V I E W S
THIS ONE’S FOR
The Iglu-Dorf (Igloo village) is definitely
for the adventurous traveller looking for
something beyond the ordinary. Whether
you’re going solo, with a group of friends
or a couple wanting a romantic room with
an en-suite Jacuzzi, this ice hotel has you
covered.
ORIGINS
The Iglu-Dorf is like the pop up store of
the hotel world. It’s reconstructed every
year for the European winter months
(usually from December to March) and
then, as quickly as it was sculpted, the
village melts away when spring arrives.
The idea for this particular igloo village
came in 1995 when snowboarder Adrian
Gunter wanted to be the first up the
mountains to enjoy the sunrise and the
best ski opportunities on the soft powder
snow. His friends loved the idea so much
that they banded together and launched a
full-scale hotel.
As for how it’s built, they follow the
“balloon method”. Big holes are dug out
in the snow and then a massive balloon
is placed inside and inflated. Next,
bulldozers cover the balloon’s exterior
with around 3,5 tonnes of snow, while
the interior is covered with more than
1 300 blocks of ice on which international
artists carve out wall art and sculptures –
usually of mythical figures. If this sounds
mind-blowing, it truly is.
LOCATION, LOCATION,
LOCATION
It’s the highest ice hotel in the Alps
(2 727 metres above sea level), in a