Living in the middle of the desert, it's easy to forget sometimes that there are parts of this planet even colder than a stare between Britney and K-Fed. As the winter months stretch ahead, you might be dying to feel those familiar chills, but don't reach for the zip up suits and goggles just yet. There are plenty of ways to get your cold kicks without strapping on the skis and chucking yourself down a mountain. Pull on the Uggs and pour yourself a hot cup of cocoa, as Ahlan! investigates the most inspiring winter wonderlands... sometimes in the most unexpected of places.

Soak up The Lainio Snow Village

Above the Arctic Circle, close to the Swedish border sits the Lainio Snow Village in Finland - a popular wedding location for obvious reasons (and for those who don't mind a little ice in their open toed shoes). The ‘village' is set in gorgeous woodland surroundings and hosts a snow hotel, an ice bar, an ice maze and a fabulous collection of rather eerie snow sculptures that will drive the kids mad with excitement. It's a pretty romantic location too - think afternoons huddled together on a husky dog safari, or pointing out reindeer as you sit on the terrace with a glass of steaming mulled wine. Those panoramic views of the fells just can't be captured properly on film, so soak it all up with your eyeballs.The Snow Village is a family-run set-up and there are 16 standard igloo-shaped bedrooms, plus 10 extravagant ice-suites in the hotel. Oh, don't worry about freezing in your sleep - thick polar sleeping bags are provided (no animal skins here folks) and if you really can't hack it, there are log cabins, heated washroom facilities and a sauna for defrosting those cockles.

If you feel the need for speed and can't get skiing off your mind, this is the place to do it. The Yllas has the longest ski run in Finland, at 3000m with a vertical drop of 463m (gulp).

For Snow Hotel prices check the website www.snowvillage.fi

Stay in the Lapland of luxury

If you've ever fancied following the Arctic trail on a snowmobile, it's one dream you can make come true when you visit Jukkasjärvi - a small town in Swedish Lapland, boasting the world's first Ice Hotel. First ‘built' in 1991, the locals work around the rather spiritual concept that they ‘borrow' the land every winter from the Torne River, and come summer, the whole thing is reclaimed by nature. It melts, in other words. The whole thing has to be rebuilt every time - the rooms, the suites, the Absolut Ice Bar, the reception, the whole lot. So get in quick before global warming dictates they can't ‘borrow' anymore.

The restaurant here is pretty cool too, literally. Although not made from ice itself, the plates and glasses are moulded from the crystal clear ice of the Torne River and you'll sample food from the land around you - venison, ptarmigan, wood grouse, salmon and even reindeer. Poor Rudolf.

The hotel also offers the chance to explore the surroundings. Hunt, fish, and experience an exhilarating ice-drive. The blokes are bound to love this - but you have our permission to live it all through a lens and pretend you want to "capture his once in a lifetime experience" - what a generous girl. You can also participate in an overnight wilderness cook-out, show off your outdoor skills with a bit of river rafting, or take a zillion more photos on a hike in what they call ‘the land of the midnight sun'. Magical stuff.

For rates and bookings, check the website www.icehotel.com

Gaze at glaciers in New Zealand

Fox Glacier will blow your mind. From a distance it looks like a regular river, running down a mountain, but drive just a few kilometers closer and you'll notice a frozen stream spilling from a snow capped peak, which has widened over hundreds of years to create the perfect, most beautiful hiking ground you're ever likely to experience. Fox is New Zealand's largest commercially guided glacier, on the West Coast of the South Island, only 21 km's south of Franz Josef.

As part of the Westland National Park, (a World Heritage Area), the guides who operate on Fox Glacier are all fully trained professionals. Gorgeous guided walks are available for people of all fitness levels and you can opt for anything from a half day hike, to an overnight camping heli-trek, for which you'll be deposited at the top via helicopter and guided back down on foot. Don't forget the Kendal Mink Cake.

Even if you skip the paragliding/bungee jumping/sky diving stuff that other adventurers rave about, take our word for it - this is one part of your New Zealand holiday that you mustn't miss out on.

For Fox Glacier tours check the website www.foxguides.co.nz

Scale Mount Kilimajaro

It was great enough to inspire the scribblings of Hemingway and it's still making jaws drop today. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is both the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain on planet Earth. Even in the heart of summer, when temperatures peak so high that animals are forced to laze in its mammoth shadow, the snow can be seen sparkling in the sun, right at the top. It's probably a lot of people's dream to climb it. Or at least, a little bit of it, so for a chilly touch on a hot safari holiday, a tour or hike is an activity to tell your mates about when you get home.

The Machame Route is considered by a lot of people to be the most scenic and the most attractive to climb. You'll experience the infamous snows, as well as tropical mountain rainforest and no doubt, a lot of wild animals along the way (don't forget the lion repellant!) There are a host of Internet companies offering treks of varying length, from two days up to ten, so make sure you book with a reputable one and check customer feedback - there are a lot of cowboys out there and we don't just mean riding the national park on the backs of African elephants. Phwooar, we wish!

Feel the romance under the Northern Lights

It's a freak of nature only marginally more confusing than Britney's coloured wig infatuation. The Northern Lights (also called the aurora borealis) is a natural coloured light display, only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere. The best time to see it is from September to October and March to April, and even though you won't be alone, clutching that flask of hot chocolate and whispering "wow", you'll be more romanced by this natural wonder than you would be if Jude Law showed up at your office with a bunch of roses.

There are tons of tour operators offering the chance to show you this phenomena - just searching the net will churn out hundreds of them. A good place to start however, would be with the company Northern Tales, who offer a host of amazing tours to take your breath away, all including that vital viewing. From a five-day adventure on a snow mobile or dog sled, flying in a ski-plane and relaxing in the hot waters of the Takhini Hotsprings, to traveling the famed Alaska and North Klondike Highways, there's no chance this wintry warmer won't impress. And when you're snuggled up with your other half in a log cabin, having just witnessed those incredible colours dancing in the skies, the desert sands of the UAE will seem a million light years away.

For trek and tour information, visit www.auroraborealisyukon.com

Trek Table Mountain in South Africa

Although the constant cable cars take people up this popular attraction in minutes, the more adventurous climber might choose to scale the mighty Table Mountain by foot. Or at least a very small section of it. Standing at an impressive 1086 metres above sea level, you'll literally be on top of the world if you make it to the highest peak. Not that it's likely, though, really. When you're standing in the presence of such awesome natural beauty, it's enough just to see a cloud float past you like candyfloss in the sky, on an otherwise bright and clear day.

Table Mountain is Cape Town's most famous landmark and one of South Africa's most visited locations. If you're feeling fit, you can hire mountain bikes and cycle various routes through Table Mountain National Park. There's a penguin colony too, if you fancy witnessing a few Happy Feet, and don't forget to tick off the Cape of Good Hope, or the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

If you need something organised before you go, the Hoerikwaggo Table Mountain Trail is an excellent, three-day hiking experience, hosted by the National Park itself. This ‘white table cloth' trail takes you through the fabulous city of Cape Town (including a cable car ride and a visit to the District Six museum) and into the awe-inspiring wonders of Hoerikwaggo (Sea Mountain). Even better, it's fully-catered, including all accommodation.

Pack your woollies, it can get cold on them-there peaks. You can even get caught in impromptu showers - something us UAE acclimatised folks are never ready for. But that's what you wanted, isn't it?

Visit www.snparks.org for more information

*Article first published in Jet Set - Ahlan's regular travel supplement