CANADIANIndigenous SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES COLLECTION Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard Director of Marketing, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard is the Director of Marketing for ITAC. He was born and raised in Wendake, Quebec, on the Huron-Wendat traditional territory of The Nionwentsïo. Sébastien is a proud French-speaking Indigenous person and he’s very involved in defending Indigenous rights and promoting his culture with the rest of the world.
CONTACT t. 1-418-655-0210 e. [email protected]
Indigenous tourism can preserve culture, language and community and provide our relatives with a platform to be the leading voice in reclaiming our space in history — both ancient and modern. Our Ryan Rogers ancestors have been sharing with and welcoming visitors to our traditional territories since time immemorial. Our communities are Marketing Coordinator, guided by values of respect, honour and integrity. Indigenous tourism Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada experiences demonstrate how Indigenous communities, both urban Ryan is the Marketing Coordinator for ITAC and a proud and rural, welcome visitors to learn, share and celebrate together. member of the Musqueam Nation in Vancouver, BC. Through a unified industry voice, the Indigenous Tourism Association Ryan has a love for traveling, experiencing new cultures of Canada focuses on creating partnerships between associations, and a passion for making a difference in Indigenous organizations, government departments and industry leaders to communities. He takes great pride in representing support the growth of Indigenous tourism across Canada. Indigenous interests in his career. CONTACT IndigenousTourism.ca t. 1-604-612-0292 e. [email protected]
Cover photo: Great Spirit Circle Trail, Manitoulin Island, Ontario
2 3 6 Aurora Village YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST Signature Experiences TERRITORIES EXPERIENCE INDIGENOUS CULTURE AND STORIES FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. CONNECT WITH LOCALS AS THEY SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE, LEGENDS AND HISTORY. 7 Torngat Mountains Base Camp 1 NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR Inuvik 8 Rapid Lake Lodge 1 Tundra North Tours NUNAVIK REGION, QUÉBEC INUVIK, YUKON Iqualuit NORTHWEST TERRITORIES TERRITORY NORTHWEST NUNAVUT TERRITORIES 9 Hotel-Musée Premières Nations Whitehorse 2 Spirit Bear Lodge 6 7 WENDAKE, KLEMTU, QUÉBEC BRITISH COLUMBIA Yellowknife 8 NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR 10 Tourism Manawan BRITISH MANAWAN, 3 Knight Inlet Lodge COLUMBIA QUÉBEC KNIGHT INLET, St John’s BRITISH COLUMBIA 2 ALBERTA MANITOBA QUEBEC 3 SASKATCHEWAN 4 Sea Wolf Adventures PRINCE Edmonton 11 Indigenous PORT MCNEILL, 4 5 EDWARD BRITISH COLUMBIA ISLAND Experiences Vancouver ONTARIO GATINEAU, NEW 9 QUÉBEC Winnipeg BRUNSWICK Halifax Victoria Regina 10 NOVA SCOTIA 5 Squamish Lil’wat 11 Quebec City Cultural Centre 12 Great Spirit Circle Trail WHISTLER, 12 Ottawa MANITOULIN ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA ONTARIO
Toronto
Copyright © Free Vector Maps.com 2 Spirit Bear Lodge KLEMTU, BRITISH COLUMBIA Once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences In search of the Spirit Bear with the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nations This collection of authentic Indigenous tourism Venture into a towering cathedral of ancient forests in businesses are included as members of the search of the elusive and revered Spirit Bear with a local Canadian Signature Experiences program, these Indigenous guide from the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences are found in the community of Klemtu. Stay in a community-owned only in Canada. lodge and explore the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest intact rainforest in the world. Learn about the wildlife and Experiences are the new ‘currency’ that local Indigenous culture from guides who have an intrinsic differentiates tourism businesses and understanding and respect for the environment. destinations around the world. These Indigenous CONTACT businesses are expanding the ways travellers can Michelle Lawson engage with people, places and cultures. e. [email protected] w. SpiritBear.com
Tundra North Tours 1 Knight Inlet Lodge 3 INUVIK, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES KNIGHT INLET, BRITISH COLUMBIA Canadian Arctic Reindeer Grizzly Bear Viewing Signature Package Explore the wild and remote Pacific Northwest. Soar above the Coast Mountains in a float plane to the world renowned Travel north of the Arctic Circle where a highway of ice Knight Inlet Lodge. Head out by kayak to watch grizzly awaits; the route to Aklavik, home to welcoming people bears and black bears feeding on sedge grass, mussels and rich Indigenous culture. Ride a snowmobile into and barnacles. Watch grizzlies in the river feasting on pink the wilderness to help herd a migrating herd of 3,000 salmon. View stunning scenery of glaciers, waterfalls, sheer reindeer. Retire to a rustic base camp on the tundra for rock faces and orca whales breaching in the water. Dine on storytelling and a feast of traditional foods. Then travel Northwest cuisine, followed by interpretive talks about First on to Tuktoyaktuk, a town at the edge of the continent. Nations, local ecology and wildlife. CONTACT CONTACT Kylik Kisoun Taylor Phil Bergman e. [email protected] e. [email protected] w. TundraNorthTours.com w. GrizzlyTours.com 4 Sea Wolf Adventures 6 Aurora Village PORT MCNEILL, BRITISH COLUMBIA YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Grizzly Bears of the Wild Aurora Viewing and Daily Tours The Great Bear Rainforest is one of British Columbia’s most Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories is hands down breathtaking natural areas. Explore by boat, alongside a the best place to view the magic of the northern lights Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw guide whose ancestors have and Aurora Village is the industry leader in aurora occupied this land for 15,000 years. View whales and grizzly viewing. Located directly beneath the aurora oval, which bears while you learn the profound connection between is a halo-like ring found around both of the earth’s these wild creatures and the local First Nations people. magnetic poles, Aurora Village is the only place in the Further delve into Indigenous traditions at Gwayasdams, world offering custom-made, heated outdoor viewing Canada’s oldest Big House. Spend a rich day exploring seats that swivel 360 degrees, so you can catch every deep wilderness and coastal cultures in one of Canada’s angle of the aurora borealis! largest protected areas. CONTACT CONTACT Don or Gladys Morin Mike Willie e. [email protected] e. [email protected] w. AuroraVillage.com w. SeaWolfAdventures.ca
Squamish Lil’wat 5 Torngat Mountains Base Camp 7 Cultural Centre NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA Adventures and Mysteries in the The Ambassador Guided Tour Torngat Mountains Let your guide, a First Nations ambassador from the Join international researchers at an Inuit base camp in Squamish Nation or Lil’wat Nation, walk you through Labrador’s far north. Gain a deep understanding of the a fascinating world where ancient ways meet modern Inuit lifestyle and get an in-depth look at the fascinating life. Feel your heart beat in time to the tribal rhythms and pristine ecosystem of Torngat Mountains National and stories which have been handed down through Park. Helicopter into a dramatic fjord to observe polar generations. Learn the significance of the mountains, bears and caribou. Listen to Inuit elders’ stories around a sea and rivers to the Squamish and Lil’wat people. beach campfire. Leave with a new appreciation of what the land can give to people. CONTACT Helen Mitchell CONTACT e. [email protected] Jillian Larkham w. SLCC.ca e. [email protected] w. TheTorngats.com 8 Rapid Lake Lodge 10 Tourism Manawan NUNAVIK REGION, QUÉBEC MANAWAN, QUÉBEC Splendors of Arctic Quebec Atikamekw First Nations It’s an incredible nature adventure. From the Lodge, Cultural Immersion journey on a float-plane safari within Nunavik Quebec’s Fully immerse in Atikamekw culture. The traditions of wide-open spaces of absolute nature. Get a front-row seat the Atikamekw people are still practiced today by the as you watch the annual migration of thousands of caribou descendants of those long-ago inhabitants. Engage crossing the Labrador Plateau. Get a rare opportunity to with local guides on canoe and hiking trips. Learn how view wolves on the hunt and see black and polar bears in to make maple syrup, traditional crafts and hear the their natural habitat. Encounter one of the most imposing Atikamekw legends. Enjoy Indigenous cuisine and sleep fjords in North America: explore impressive waterfalls, at the Manawan Inn or in a teepee. rocky chimneys, glaciers and archaeological sites. CONTACT CONTACT Patrick Moar Francois Desvoys e. [email protected] e. [email protected] w. VoyageAmerindiens.com w. RapidLake.com
Hotel-Musée 9 Indigenous Experiences 11 Premières Nations GATINEAU, QUEBEC WENDAKE, QUÉBEC Indigenous Voyageur Huron-Wendat Heritage on the Ottawa River on the Edge of Quebec City Embark from the Canadian Museum of History and paddle a Radabaska canoe along an ancient trading route in the Celebrate one of Canada’s oldest and most storied First shadows of Ottawa’s Parliament Hill. Your destination is Nations cultures. Immerse yourself in the land and culture a traditional Algonquin Nation meeting place where you of the Huron-Wendat People at the Hotel-Musée Premières will learn about their rich culture and way of life. Your Nations. Share in traditions going back thousands of years experience includes a welcome song, a guided tour of by interacting with locals, exploring the land and visiting the the village, vibrant dance performances and totem pole esteemed Huron-Wendat Museum. viewing. CONTACT CONTACT Danisse Neashit Linda Sarazin e. [email protected] e. [email protected] w. HotelPremieresNations.ca w. Indigenous-Experiences.ca 12 Great Spirit Circle Trail MANITOULIN ISLAND, ONTARIO Canoe Heritage Tours Embark on a profound, authentic Indigenous cultural experience. Gain an innate understanding of the Anishinaabe culture and traditions of Manitoulin Island, from local Indigenous people proud to share the history of the island’s original inhabitants – the Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawatomi peoples. Paddle your way through the heart of Manitoulin Island to learn about local legends, island history, and survival techniques. See and hear how life is lived in perfect harmony with nature while honouring ancestral traditions.
CONTACT Kevin Eshkawkogan e. [email protected] w. CircleTrail.com
Explore Even More Travel Options
There are many more Indigenous experiences and tour packages available from coast to coast to coast in Canada.
Find out more at IndigenousCanada.Travel IndigenousTourism.ca 1-604-351-1028 | [email protected] | 8th Floor, 333 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 5A7