Time on the Road – Experiencing the Thrill of Dog Sledding in Quebec and the Extreme Cold Stay at the Ice Hotel

Due to the epidemic during the Spring Festival, my flight was cancelled, and after rebooking, I had extra time in Canada.

So I booked a night at the Ice Hotel in Quebec on Ctrip, wanting to experience sleeping in a room at minus five degrees Celsius. Normally, you need to book the Ice Hotel six months in advance to get a room, but the pandemic allowed me to book a room in a very short time.

After booking, I looked at other activities available in Quebec. In winter, the things to do in Quebec are mainly skiing, snow tubing, and ice fishing, but an image of sleds pulled by Huskies caught my eye. I decisively booked a dog sledding time slot – everything just fit perfectly.

Departing from Waterloo to Quebec, there was more and more snow. The snow on both sides of the road buried parts of the houses, making it look a bit like a fairy tale world.

While the staff explained the precautions, these Huskies were already bursting with excitement and kept barking...

For over an hour, with the Huskies running, I experienced the boundless beauty of the mountains and the joy of galloping on the snow – a kind of happiness that you can't find in the city, a relaxation and comfort.

After it starts snowing in Quebec in October, snow activities begin one after another. During the off-season, you can go anytime, but during peak season you need to book in advance. This year, because of the pandemic, we were able to do everything when we came. If the pandemic is over and you want to experience the joy of dog sledding, you must book in advance.

Leaving these happy Huskies, we headed to the Ice Hotel. Quebec's Ice Hotel is the only ice hotel in Canada. It takes about half a year to build each year, and each year has a different theme. Typically, it consumes about 500 tons of ice and 15,000 tons of snow.

It usually opens in January each year and is dismantled in April. The temperature in the rooms of the Ice Hotel is always kept at a constant minus five degrees Celsius. Most visitors are Europeans and Americans.

Everything in Quebec's Ice Hotel is made of ice, even the drinking glasses are made of ice. The hotel has an ice chapel, where life's beautiful moments are realized in a crystal-clear setting – truly romantic.

To meet the needs of different guests, each booked Ice Hotel room comes with a normal hotel room, just in case guests can't stand the minus five degree chill, so they can stay in an air-conditioned room – a very thoughtful arrangement.

The highlight is the hotel rooms: each room has a different pattern on the walls.

Currently, there are also ice hotels in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and Norway. Ice hotels look truly romantic and beautiful. Staying in one to experience a different kind of hotel feels like opening a window to the unknown, where the view outside is beyond imagination – strange and wonderful...