4 Indigenous Lodgings in British Columbia

Enrich your family travel experience in British Columbia by staying in a hotel owned by the region’s Indigenous people. These aren’t just places to sleep. They are an opportunity to understand Canada’s western province through the people who have called it home for generations. Hosts are anxious to share insights into their art, cuisine and cultural traditions, along with the wildlife and nature of coastal British Columbia.

In the ancestral lands and traditional territory of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation peoples, you can explore the natural habitat of Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy from a base at Spirit Bear Lodge. In the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest on British Columbia’s wild coast, you can see totem poles and ancient petroglyphs, and perhaps even grizzly bears, native to the coastal rain forests.

Close to Pacific Rim National Park, Wya Point Resort offers luxury lodges, waterfront yurts and beach camping options for vacationing families. The private beaches and resort grounds are surrounded by 600 acres of old-growth forest on Ucluelet First Nation’s traditional territory. Kids enjoy playing in the hidden rock pools and sandy coves, or you can take fishing and whale-watching tours.

Indigenous-owned, 4-star Kwa’lilas Hotel is on the eastern tip of North Vancouver Island, surrounded by mountain ranges and forests. Stylish guestrooms feature contemporary native art and the hotel’s food offerings are inspired by traditional cuisines. Learn more about Gwa’sala Nakwaxda’xw First Nations people on the Nakwakto Rapids and Cultural Tour or watch whales and sea lions on the Scenic Boat and Wildlife tour.

Sleep in traditional Haida-style cedar, hemlock and spruce longhouses at Hiellen Longhouse Village, on Tow Hill on Haida Gwaii. Pet-friendly lodges sleep four and are equipped with a gas stove top, an outdoor barbecue and a wood-burning fireplace. Discover Naikoon Provincial Park, or explore more of Haida Gwaii, an archipelago of rugged beaches and ancient rainforests that has been the home of the Haida people for millennia.