When I first signed up to try CBK Adventures' ‘Ice Dip Social’ experience I thought it sounded fun.
04.01.2024 - 16:33 / lonelyplanet.com
Whether you are a die-hard ice bath fan with a cold plunge tub in your backyard or looking to try cold plunging for the first time, several destinations marry invigorating chills with arresting vistas.
Avid followers of the Wim Hof Method can espouse the benefits of cold water therapy – mindfulness, mental strength, alertness, exhilaration, stress relief – but taking a cold plunge doesn't have to be a challenge.
Conscious breathing can aid focus as you gaze across arresting views of nature whilst taking an ice bath and some of the world's best bodies of water will activate those feel-good chemicals in your brain. After a while, it becomes hard to tell if the high you get is from the cold water or the magic of the surrounding landscapes. Selected from our book, The Joy of Wild Swimming, here are the best places in the world to take a cold plunge.
Framed by a thicket of ancient pine, Lapland's Lake Joutolampi is so chilly that swimmers need to wear a special waterproof 'float suit' to take cold water plunge. But what a place to do it: floating in the lake's frigid waters as the midnight sun lights up the swirling snow of the Arctic Circle.
The lapping of the water and the scent of pines can almost lull you asleep like a spa treatment. After your cold plunge, do as the Finns do and warm up by a fire and drink blueberry juice from a kuksa (Finnish wooden cup).
Getting there: Located around 15 miles (22km) north of Joutolampi, near Lake Norvajärvi, don't confuse Lake Joutolampi for its namesake further north near Sodankylä. The lake makes a great detour on the way from Rovaniemi to Inari, another popular Lapland destination.
Challenge level: endure or invigorate? The 'float suits' make this an invigorating cold water plunge.You will need good mobility to reach the lake which is accessible via a forest trail and then a wooden platform.
Plunging some 260ft (80m), the Grandes Cascades d’Akchour (the upper cascades of the Akchour Waterfalls) are one cold-water dip worth the hike. Both the views and water temperatures at 1000ft (325m) are breathtaking with greenery and moss covering the travertine mountainside. The surrounding cedar, holm oak, cork oak, juniper and carob help create a natural perfume for swimmers too.
The trail starts six miles (11km) from the small village of Akchour in Talassemtane National Park and the scenery along the route is almost as good as the falls themselves. You follow the pretty river up the mountain valley, past cafés offering drinks and tagines, and through an area of smaller waterfalls that are very popular with locals. An hour from the top, you will reach the lower cascades; keep going through the gorge and you’ll reach the upper falls.
Getting there: From Chefchaouen, take a grand
When I first signed up to try CBK Adventures' ‘Ice Dip Social’ experience I thought it sounded fun.
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