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Indigenous tourism is growing. Here are just three uniquely Canadian experiences to inspire you
Only in Canada is a new travel series that acts as a love letter to the bucket-list destinations and experiences in our beautiful country. Look for the Only in Canada series every week.
Around the world, travellers are seeking authentic, immersive cultural experiences, and here in Canada, this trend is reflected in the rise of Indigenous tourism. Between 2021 and 2023, the number of Canadian entrepreneurs and organizations in this sector grew by 70 per cent, according to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
Not only is Indigenous tourism eye-opening and educational for travellers, but it also contributes to cultural preservation and community empowerment. The range of experiences available is as vast and diverse as the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, who speak more than 70 distinct languages. Here are just three trips to inspire you.
Experience Inuit culture in Quebec's far north:
In northern Quebec, where the vast tundra meets the treeline, lies Kuujjuaq, the largest village in Nunavik. This harsh landscape has long been the traditional territory of the Inuit. One of the remote destination's draws is the chance to see muskoxen, the shaggy-coated ancient mammals, out in the wild — if the weather allows. Winter can bring near-whiteout conditions. But even for travellers who visit during a raging storm, as I did, there's the opportunity to deep-dive into the Indigenous culture with the help of an Inuit guide like Allen Gordon of
Nunawild
.
In Kuujjuaq, you can speak with women crafting traditional clothing at the community sewing centre, and watch Elders teach young men how to make sleds at the carpentry centre. There are opportunities to visit the community freezer where Inuit people can get caribou meat and, if you're lucky, take in a throat singing performance. On my visit, the weather cleared, and I was able to see muskoxen in the snow and explore the tundra by dogsled, but experiencing Inuit culture was the absolute highlight of the journey.
A grizzly bear with her fresh salmon catch in a river near Toba Inlet in B.C.
See grizzlies on First Nation territory in B.C.:
On a rainy fall day, I stood on an elevated observation platform in
Homalco First Nation
territory, watching a female grizzly bear slowly cross a river near Toba Inlet in B.C. In a dramatic, split-second moment, she suddenly pounced into the flowing water and pulled out a large salmon. The fish writhed in the bear's mouth as she quickly made her way to the rocky shoreline to feast on the fresh catch.
The annual salmon spawn has been happening for thousands of years in the traditional territory of the Homalco First Nation near Campbell River, and when salmon numbers declined, the nation built a hatchery. Restoration of the fish population attracted more grizzly bears, and in 2009, they created safe wildlife-watching tours, led by First Nation guides. Outside of prime bear-watching season, the tours are more focused on Indigenous culture than on wildlife. But Indigenous culture is shared on every tour, regardless of when you visit.
The northern lights, spotted near Whitehorse, Yukon.
Learn the legends of the northern lights in the Yukon:
The Yukon is a vast and wild territory that is almost as large as Spain, and the people who know it best are those who have been there the longest. It is home to Canada's tallest mountain, its second-longest river and the largest non-polar ice field in the world, and roughly one in five of the 45,000 people who live there is Indigenous. The Yukon is also a prime place to scout for the aurora borealis, which can be seen there from roughly mid-August to mid-April.
On my Indigenous northern lights tour outside Whitehorse, Teena Dixon of
Who What Where Tours
shared stories around a campfire while we waited for nature's show. When the first wisps of the aurora spread across the inky black sky, she told us to think of someone in our lives that we had lost. 'The lights represent our ancestors,' she explained. 'They dance in the sky to let us know they are happy.' I thought of my grandparents as I watched green and red waves of light swirl through the stars.
While it's possible to glimpse the aurora in other destinations, seeing it in the Yukon with an Indigenous guide is special. Hearing millennia-old legends makes the soul-stirring experience even more memorable.
Debbie Olsen is a Métis writer based in Alberta. She travelled as a guest of Nunavik Tourism, Destination BC and Travel Yukon, which did not review or approve this article.
