8 Incredible Trips Across Canada Run by Indigenous Tour Operators

Across Canada, Indigenous tour operators are offering new ways to engage with cultural and natural wonders.

Long a favorite destination for U.S. travelers, Canada is switching up the itinerary. Its Indigenous-led tourism businesses are inviting visitors to explore Native lands, work with beads and plants, learn more about history, and taste foods that may be unfamiliar.

“Welcoming people allows us to share our values, our cultures, our land, and our art,” says Tyson Atleo, a hereditary chief-in-line of the Ahousaht Nation and a program director at Nature United, a conservation organization.

The sector continues to grow thanks in part to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, an advocacy group. “Indigenous experiences serve as a powerful educational tool, enlightening travelers about the diverse perspectives and resilience of our communities,” says Keith Henry, the organization’s president and CEO and winner of a T+L Global Vision Award in 2021.

Today there are more than 1,900 Indigenous tourism outfits in Canada, meaning there’s a tour or experience for nearly any interest. Here’s a closer look at some notable options.

Visit the Vast North

Set near the confluence of two rivers in a remote stretch of the Yukon, Fort Selkirk was built by Hudson’s Bay Company in the 19th century on the ancestral territory of the Hücha Hudän people. It’s now a hub for wildlife watchers, outdoorsy types, and those interested in Canadian history. Tutchone Tours offers daylong or multiday excursions to the site, coordinating boating on the Yukon River, campsite logistics, storytelling, beading workshops, and guided hikes.

Connect With Wildlife

Ahous Adventures recently launched whale-watching and bear-spotting boat trips along the coast in the territorial lands of the Ahousaht First Nation, departing from Tofino, British Columbia. Thanks to the nation’s collaboration with BC Parks, Ahous guests can also book exclusive morning and evening access to Hot Springs Cove for a soak in its seaside pools.

Unplug in the Great Bear Rainforest

Recently acquired by the Heiltsuk Nation, Shearwater Resort is a rustic eco-retreat on Denny Island, midway between Vancouver and Ketchikan, Alaska. Wildlife watching is one big draw: guests often spot whales, bears, bald eagles, and seals while on guided kayak excursions through the fjords. Additional cultural activities focused on First Nations traditions are planned for the 2024 season, according to the lodge.

Forest-Bathe in Vancouver

K’emk’emeláy, a traditional Skwxwú7mesh name for Vancouver, translates to “place of maple trees.” To learn more about the city’s arboreal past—and present—connect with Talaysay Tours, which leads insightful walks within Stanley Park. Guides touch on the history, traditions, and beliefs of the Shíshálh and Skwxwú7mesh First Nations who call the Pacific coast home.

Learn From Knowledge Keepers

Alberta-based company Warrior Women is a project from knowledge keepers Matricia Bauer and her daughter Mackenzie Brown, both members of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. Among other experiences, the duo offers guided walks inside Jasper National Park that highlight healing plants as well as workshops focused on making salves, lotions, and other products.

Understand Indigenous Art

For the Métis people, beadwork is a practice that interconnects culture, land, and life itself. Borealis Beading founder Melanie Gamache leads workshops in Ste.-Genévieve, Manitoba, 45 minutes from Winnipeg, that expound on the tradition, sharing techniques and tales as participants stitch keepsakes.

Stay the Old-Fashioned Way

A recent $10 million renovation of the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations added 24 new rooms, as well as a remodeled restaurant and a cellar stocked with wines from Indigenous producers. The hotel, which is in the Huron-Wendat Nation territory of Wendake, an enclave of Quebec City, shares its site along the Akiawenrahk River (also known as the St. Charles) with the Musée Huron-Wendat, which has both permanent and rotating exhibitions and is also home to the Ekionkiestha’ National Longhouse, a wooden replica of a pre-Columbian dwelling. Guests can visit for an evening of traditional stories and song and, if they like, spend the night.

Walk Ancient Trails

Metepenagiag Heritage Park, in rural New Brunswick, is home to one of Canada’s oldest Mi’kmaq communities. The park’s Red Bank Lodge provides a comfortable base for multiday adventures, including all-season hiking on a network of trails, guided salmon fishing on the Miramichi River, cultural programs such as cooking demos, and snowshoeing.

Sleep Under the Stars

Built on the original North Saskatchewan River lots of 1880s-era Métis settlers, Métis Crossing in Alberta has over the years grown from a small, summertime attraction into a year-round destination. Today, guests can stay in a 40-room lodge or one of eight luxury Sky Watching Domes, which are perfect for viewing the northern lights. Another recent upgrade is the cultural center’s solar power generation station, which aims to meet not only the energy demands of Métis Crossing but the entire Métis Nation of Alberta.

A version of this story first appeared in the October 2023 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "Fresh Perspectives."

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