Canada’s traditional peoples are the original storytellers and guides of this amazing nation. With Indigenous tourism easily accessible from city to coast and province to territory, explore First Nations Canada and open yourself to a world of diverse local cultures and immersive traditions that naturally run deep.
If you’re after meaningful travel experiences that will linger long after you leave, you’ve come to the right place. Canada’s Indigenous cultures can easily be experienced in different ways from dedicated museums and galleries to natural attractions and eco stays.
Wherever you go in Canada, you can experience Indigenous living history and layered traditions woven into everything from annual events to everyday adventures.
British Columbia
Accessed by boat or floatplane only, Indigenous-owned Klahoose Wilderness Resort in BC’s Desolation Sound honours the natural and supernatural spirits that shaped the land in an immersive cultural stay. Discover the area’s epic wildlife and wilderness on Klahoose-guided tours that feature bears and salmon runs in spring and summer.
Alberta
The intriguingly named Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site in Fort MacLeod, Alberta is well worth a visit with seven levels of exhibits and the Cliff Top viewpoint. The interpretative centre’s First Nations guides explain the traditional significance of this 6,000-year-old site that preserves the Plains Buffalo culture of this steep bison-hunting cliff.
Ontario
You already know about the world-famous natural wonder that is Niagara Falls but what about its Indigenous history? The Indigenous Niagara Living Museum Tour is the first in the region to highlight the deep connection to the falls from this perspective.
Visitors to Ontario can also check out the annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival, running from 21-23 June 2024. This multidisciplinary arts event in Ottawa takes place during National Indigenous History Month and brings together Indigenous artists, performers, educators, students and the community to celebrate Canada’s diverse Indigenous cultures.
Manitoba
One of the most diverse provinces in Canada, Manitoba offers many ways to experience its Indigenous, First Nations, Metis and Inuit cultures. Housed within Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), Qaumajuq has the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art including an eye-catching three-storey vault that displays 5,000 stone carvings.
Also in Winnipeg, the sobering and ultimately uplifting Canadian Museum for Human Rights contains 10 interactive galleries dedicated to human rights awareness, including Canadian Indigenous experiences, that inspire hope.
Yukon Territory
Home to 14 First Nations cultures speaking eight distinct languages, the Yukon is another region steeped in Indigenous heritage. In downtown Whitehorse, take a guided tour at Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, the cultural home of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and a gathering location on the banks of the Yukon River.
You’ll also find a permanent exhibit of traditional First Nations beadwork, tools and trade goods at the MacBride Museum and a display of Carcross-Tagish First Nations artwork, including totem poles, in the village of Carcross.
Québec
Québec’s Huron Traditional Site in Wendake just outside Québec City is an authentic recreation of a Huron village on the Huron-Wendat Reservation. Here, you can take a guided tour, try crafts and games, sample traditional meals and even stay at the onsite Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations where guestrooms are adorned with Indigenous art.
Nova Scotia
For a glimpse into traditional Mi’kmaq life, visit Kejimkujik National Park in southwest Nova Scotia where you can paddle, hike, bike, camp and connect with nature and Indigenous culture in the province’s only Dark Sky Preserve. Discover Mi’kmaq petroglyphs (stone carvings), traditional encampment areas and canoe routes dating back thousands of years.
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