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  • A woman beating a drum

    Living with the Land: Travelling with Reciprocity and Respect

    By Indigenous Tourism British Columbia

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Celebrating Sustainability and Stewardship

Since time immemorial, environmental stewardship and sustainability have been deeply woven into the fabric of Indigenous perspectives.

Communities had a reciprocal relationship with the environment and wildlife in their lands. Resources, from wild-harvested food to clothing and building materials, were managed in a way that did not deplete them beyond their natural ability to replenish. Knowledge keepers passed on ancestral stories of respect, coexistence, and mindful consumption to ensure a healthy environment and connection to culture for generations to come.

Today, this way of life continues to thrive, and Indigenous tourism ensures this ongoing stewardship translates to tourism experiences across our province.

  • Raven in the Great Bear Rainforest BC
  • Hiking in the Great Bear Rainforest with Sea Wolf Adventures
  • Indigenous carving at Spirit Bear Lodge where you can witness the famous kermode bear on one of their spirit bear trips
  • A wooden path in the forest
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Learn about and live into these values during your visit with us, and uncover immersive experiences that showcase the natural abundance fostered by sustainable practices.

Sea Lions on rocks

Blending Tradition

With Award-winning Innovation

Throughout BC, you will discover not only individual Indigenous hosts but entire First Nation communities managing tourism on their lands.

In these places, the symbiosis of people and planet is palpable; the natural landscape is bountiful or at the very least in a state of revitalization.

Resource stewardship and restoration projects are an integral part of destination management—from debris clean-ups to invasive species removal—and in some cases, you as a guest are welcome to get involved in these initiatives. Wildlife enthusiasts come from all over the world to encounter our wildlife. Indigenous knowledge of millennia-long coexistence with wolves, bears, whales, and other wildlife means you can be confident that tours protect and preserve habitat, animal and human safety, and natural behaviours.

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Indigenous person in cedar hat speaking to visitors by a totem pole

Many of us think solely of the environment when it comes to sustainability and stewardship. But for Indigenous Peoples, these principles of restoration and preservation extend beyond our waterways and forests, flora and fauna, to language and culture. In some cases, such as the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks in Tofino, you are warmly encouraged to take a place-based pledge of respect for not only wildlife and place but people and culture too, before stepping foot on the Tribal Parks lands. We invite you to witness and celebrate these Indigenous perspectives of what it means to be a respectful visitor.

Beyond the rich traditions of sustainability, adapting to present-day climate concerns has led communities to utilize modern technology to further their positive impact for both the planet and their communities. Innovations like small-scale hydroelectric projects have allowed award-winning hosts to make strides toward hyperlocal, renewable energy production, replacing the need for diesel generators in remote locations and adding a unique storytelling and tour opportunity to stays.

We invite you to visit us with an enthusiasm to learn from Indigenous Peoples about Indigenous perspectives of sustainability and stewardship. To lean into shared practices with an open mind and allow them to shift your outlook and own ongoing efforts of sustainability once home.

Spirit bear sitting in the forest

Learn from Indigenous Peoples

About Indigenous perspectives of sustainability and stewardship.

  • Spirit Bear Lodge

    GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST

    Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation

    Managed by the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation, Spirit Bear Lodge showcases the natural splendour of the Great Bear Rainforest while protecting it for future generations through a conservation-based tourism model rooted in respect and connection. Visitors to Spirit Bear Lodge can learn not only about the incredible ecosystem it dwells within, but the community’s multitude of inspiring projects that align with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals—from local employment, food stability, and language revitalization for the community to coastal clean-ups, marine research, and composting and recycling.

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    Guests on a boat looking at water at Spirit Bear Lodge

  • Tribal Parks

    VANCOUVER ISLAND

    Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation

    Time spent in Tofino is time immersed in the stories and spaces of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. Take the ʔiisaak Pledge before you arrive in the Tribal Parks which encompass the breathtaking biodiversity of the largest intact ancient rainforest on Vancouver Island. And support their mission to ensure all locals and visitors abide by traditional Natural Law, by shopping, eating, and touring at their selection of Tribal Parks Allies.

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    Man standing next to giant tree

  • Ahous Adventures

    VANCOUVER ISLAND

    Ahousaht First Nation

    Owned by Ahousaht First Nation and winner of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada award for New Operator or Business that Launched a New Experience Award is Ahous Adventures. Their cultural and eco tours are accessible from Tofino and provide travellers with an Ahousaht First Nation perspective of stewardship, respect, and reciprocity as they travel through the Ahousaht haḥuułii lands and waters spotting whales and bears, and visiting hot springs.

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    Ahous Adventures yellow boat moving fast in the water

  • Sea Wolf Adventures

    VANCOUVER ISLAND

    Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis owner

    Wildlife enthusiasts heading to Vancouver Island North will want to take a tour with Sea Wolf Adventures—owned by Mike Willie of the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis people. Unrivalled and respectful Grizzly Bear encounters await led by Sea
    Wolf Adventures’ team of traditional Indigenous knowledge keepers, who also foster the preservation and celebration of their culture and language.

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    Two people looking at a grizzly bear through binoculars

  • Talaysay Tours

    VANCOUVER ISLAND, SUNSHINE COAST

    Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations

    Since 2002, Talaysay Tours has guided visitors on land-based educational tours celebrating cultural revitalization and connection to self and nature. Hear ancient stories of food, medicine, technology, and more sourced from the natural world as you walk through the forest and lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations in Stanley Park and visit historic Totem Poles.

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    A woman beating on a traditional Indigenous drum
Seawolf Adventures