Invitation-only Octola III wilderness retreat to open in Finnish Lapland

A new invitation-only wilderness retreat, Octola III, will open in Finnish Lapland this December, welcoming its first guests to a six-person lodge built on the site of a former radar station high above the Arctic tundra. Part of the Octola Private Wilderness portfolio, the property sits within a protected Sámi wilderness area and can be reserved only through an exclusive waiting list, with no traditional bookings available.

The lodge is located 500 metres above sea level in the fells of Enontekiö, with views across the mountains of Finland, Norway and Sweden. It accommodates up to six guests across three bedrooms and is fully serviced, with a dedicated host, private chef, a wood-burning sauna, an ice-swimming pond and a range of Arctic experiences. The elevated location is intended to provide conditions for stargazing and viewing the Northern Lights. The retreat spans tens of hectares and includes more than 5km of private roads – and even in its remote location, it’s only a 20-minute private transfer from Enontekiö Arctic Airport.

The property is built around its connections to Sámi culture. It’s located roughly 45 minutes from Kautokeino, one of the cultural centres of the indigenous people, where guests can visit silver workshops and historical sites. Even better, through the group’s partnerships with local herders, visitors can travel across the tundra with the migratory reindeer.

Octola III’s wellness facilities centre on the contrast between heat and cold, with a wood-burning sauna beside a custom pond for ice swimming, in true Scandi style. A 220 sq metre games den includes a bar, a specialised indoor track for practising suopunki (the traditional Sámi lasso technique) as well as billiards and a darts set-up.

The luxury lodge was designed by Lappish architect Hannu Voutilainen, who worked on the collection’s other two properties. Accommodation is offered as one suite (48 sq metres), two suites (181.5 sq metres) or a full lodge buyout (230 sq metres). Larger groups can also book a combined buyout of Octola III and its sister property, the Aurora Radar Station, a former classified site from the mid-1960s that was converted into a retreat and opened earlier this year. It has five apartments with ten bedrooms and eight bathrooms, alongside dining and wellness facilities.

The latest Octola location has research-grade air quality monitoring technology that measures atmospheric conditions throughout the year and contributes data to researchers. The team say breathing the pure Arctic air in Lapland for a week may extend a person’s lifespan by more than 24 hours, according to figures from the World Health Organization.

“With Octola III, we are taking our established concept of ultra-private, quiet luxury to the literal top of the fells. We have created an environment where guests do not just observe the Arctic; they are entirely enveloped by it. From the thousand-hectare wilderness views to the deep cultural connection with the Sámi people and the measurable purity of the air, Octola III represents an absolute boundary-pushing evolution of experiential travel,” said founder Janne Honkanen.

Food Desk

Octola III is scheduled to open on 1^st December 2026 by invitation only. For further information or to join the waiting list, visit the group’s website here.