How can visitors best explore Canada’s indigenous culture?

Canada-bound holidaymakers often place indigenous experiences high atop their vacation to-do lists. I’ve had friends from Europe and New Zealand, for example, who couldn’t wait to explore unique regional cultures that typically stretch back thousands of years. Happily, there’s a full menu of options.

Heading west? Hop over (via plane or ferry) to Haida Gwaii. The dagger-shaped archipelago’s Haida Heritage Centre provides an in-depth introduction, while the cultural boat tours offered by Haida Style Expeditions are also recommended – especially when they include the totem-studded old villages of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.

On the B.C. mainland, consider the architecturally dramatic Nisga’a Museum in Laxgalts’ap, where spirit masks are a highlight of hundreds of intriguing artifacts, or make for Whistler’s wood-beamed Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. Add a visit to the resort’s newly opened Audain Art Museum, where historic and contemporary indigenous artworks jostle for attention.

On Vancouver Island, book interpretive canoe tours with Tofino’s T’ashii Paddle School or plunge into a daylong arts and cultural experience around Alert Bay with Sea Wolf Adventures. Activities such as these typically run in the late spring and summer – the perfect time for a Talaysay Tours guided walk back over on the mainland in Vancouver’s Stanley Park.

Staying in Vancouver? Check into Skwachays Lodge, where the rooms have been designed in collaboration with First Nations artists, and add dinner across town at the Salmon n’ Bannock bistro. Then visit the city’s celebrated Museum of Anthropology at UBC and the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art.

Aboriginal Tourism BC’s attraction-packed website indicates this may be the best province for visitors aiming to maximize indigenous experiences in a limited time frame. But it’s not the only region with unique options.

On my last visit to Alberta, I checked out the top-notch Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park as well as the evocatively named Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Both have museums and interpretive programs, and the former’s popular tepee sleepovers and World Chicken Dance Championship add to its appeal.

While Saskatchewan’s Wanuskewin Heritage Park, with its guided tours and cultural performances, is another popular Prairies option, Canada’s North is also a hotbed of indigenous experiences. July’s three-day Moosehide Gathering near Dawson City and Whitehorse’s Adäka Cultural Festival are alive with music and dancing. (Peruse additional Yukon options via yfnct.ca.)

In the Northwest Territories, Aurora Village in Yellowknife adds an indigenous edge to Northern Lights watching, while Inuvik-based Tundra North Tours illuminates the past and present realities of Arctic life with a wide range of inviting packages. Parks Canada also offers authentic Northern experiences.

If time precludes a Far North visit, Indigenous Walks offers easy-access Ottawa tours. Ontario is also home to the Great Spirit Circle Trail, an operator providing themed packages on Manitoulin Island and in the Sagamok region – horse riding included. Aboriginal Tourism Ontario’s website showcases more options.

Montreal should also be on your radar, especially for August’s week-long First Peoples Festival of crafts, concerts and a colourful parade. Can’t make it? Visit Quebec’s striking Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute in Oujé-Bougoumou; book a stay and interpretive tour at the swish Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations; or peruse additional regional options at quebecaboriginal.com.

Heading to the Maritimes instead? Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton is studded with Mi’kmaq cultural experiences – check in with the Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre or book tours with Eskasoni Cultural Journeys. Alternatively, plan your own aboriginal road trip in the province.

Planning, of course, is the key to any successful trip. Wherever you’re heading to in Canada this summer, do a little research beforehand via the resource-packed Aboriginal Canada website. You’ll likely find a captivating experience or two just around the corner.