We Are the Land
With a new tourism partnership and walking tour in Whistler, Talaysay Tours and Intrepid aim to amplify Indigenous voices.
Standing among the large palmate leaves of spiky devil’s club, Talaysay Campo cautions against judging the menacing plant by its spiny appearance.
Dressed in a dark forest-green T-shirt emblazoned with we are the land and the land is us, Campo, daughter of Candace Campo, with whom she co-founded Talaysay Tours, and a member of the Sechelt and Squamish First Nations, describes how, when this understory shrub is harvested and prepared properly, its superpower reveals itself. “This is our Tylenol,” Campo says, extolling the painkilling virtues of Oplopanax horridus.
During two hours spent around Lost Lake in Whistler, Campo and her colleagues weave stories of their childhoods and First Nations legends through the We Are the Land walking tour. The Indigenous-led tour is part of a new partnership between Intrepid Travel and the Vancouver-based cultural tourism company Talaysay Tours.
Beginning in 2027, guests on Intrepid’s Grand Canadian Rockies itinerary will take part in this 120-minute guided trail walk in Whistler created exclusively for the international travel company and led by Talaysay Tours. The tour brings together Indigenous storytelling, cultural ecology, land stewardship, and salmon knowledge, and it concludes with a tea ceremony.
“Canadians are telling us they are interested in Indigenous-led tourism, but many simply do not know where to begin,” says Christian Wolters, president of Intrepid Travel Canada. “For the travel industry, that means working directly with Indigenous-owned-and-led tourism businesses and making their experiences a more visible part of the trips travellers are already considering.”
An Angus Reid survey (commissioned by Intrepid Travel in July 2026) found that 57 per cent of Canadians are interested in Indigenous-led tourism but fewer than one in five (18 per cent) have participated in First Nations experiences in Canada. Seven in 10 (71 per cent) would enjoy learning about Indigenous cultures while travelling, and more than four in 10 (43 per cent) would be more likely to choose a Canadian trip that includes an Indigenous-led tourism experience.
The research comes as Intrepid expands Indigenous-led experiences across its Canadian trips, including this new direct partnership with Talaysay Tours, a women-owned tourism company offering land-based, Indigenous-led activities across British Columbia since 2002.
“We are the original stewards of these lands and waters, and to our people, the land is everything—it is our culture, our identity, our history, and our way of life,” Talaysay Campo explains. “Through this guided tour experience, travellers will walk the land, discover Indigenous knowledge, and learn about the living relationships that have connected our people to these mountains since time immemorial.”
By 2027, 75 per cent of Intrepid’s Canadian tours will include Indigenous aspects, but its goal is to get that to 100 per cent. With thousands of passengers each year, increasing access and availability for Canadians and international travellers to enjoy First Nations experiences is part of the company’s five-year, $500,000 commitment to support the growth and promotion of Indigenous tourism.
In Eastern Canada, Intrepid is adding a Huron-Wendat tour in Wendake near Quebec City to its Eastern Canada by Rail trip next year, including a guided visit to the museum and Huron-Wendat longhouse at the Huron Traditional Site.
“We’re committed to Indigenous-led tourism. These partnerships are important steps in putting that commitment into practice,” Wolters notes. “It reflects how we want to grow this work in Canada: through thoughtful experiences shaped by our partners.”
Photos courtesy of Intrepid Travel.
