Stanley Park Indigenous Walking Tour: Totem Poles & Stories
Hear firsthand accounts from Indigenous guides who call this land home
Spoken Treasures is a guided walking tour of Stanley Park led by Indigenous Cultural Ambassadors who share the history, stories and lore of Vancouver through Indigenous perspectives. You walk the seawall for 1.1 km while learning the Aboriginal history of the park, then conclude at the Stanley Park Totem Poles to hear the rich stories behind the carvings and the Indigenous peoples who created them.
Step-by-step itinerary
Indigenous walking tour of Stanley Park
- Meet Indigenous Cultural Ambassadors
- Walk 1.1 km along Stanley Park seawall
- Hear stories and history of Vancouver
- Learn about Aboriginal Indigenous history
- Visit Stanley Park Totem Poles
- Listen to stories of totem poles and carvers
What’s included
- Guided tour led by an Indigenous Cultural Ambassador.
- walk along the Stanley Park seawall.
- access to the Stanley Park Totem Poles site and guided explanation of the carvings and their meanings.
Times
- Monday to Friday 14:00
Before you book
Operated by Talaysay Tours
Prices and times updated 3 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
The tour covers just over a kilometer along the seawall, moving at a pace that lets the guide share stories and accounts directly from the Indigenous communities who have lived here for millennia. Your guide is a trained Cultural Ambassador, not a narrator reading from notes, so the history and lore of Vancouver unfolds through lived knowledge rather than a script. The walk itself is straightforward and accessible to most fitness levels, which means the focus stays on what you're hearing rather than the physical effort.
The tour concludes at the Stanley Park Totem Poles, where the guide explains the true meanings and values of the carvings created by Indigenous groups up and down the Pacific Northwest Coast. This is where the stories you've heard along the seawall connect to the physical objects in front of you: the poles become a text you can read once you know what to look for. The guide also speaks to the aspirations of Indigenous communities today, so the tour moves beyond history into the present.
Tours run on select days during summer (Tuesdays and Wednesdays in July and August). The guide speaks English, and the route is wheelchair accessible. Public transportation options are available near the meeting point.
Is this one for you?This is a shared group tour led by a guide, so you listen and walk at the pace the group sets. Choose it if you want to hear Indigenous history directly from the people who have lived it, rather than from an outside narrator or a recorded audio guide.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (under 19).
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What is the Stanley Park Totem Poles site like when we arrive there?
The Stanley Park Totem Poles are the iconic carved monuments at the park's edge, created by Indigenous artists from the Pacific Northwest Coast. Your guide concludes the tour here by explaining the stories, meanings and values carved into each pole, connecting the cultural knowledge you've learned on the seawall walk to the physical carvings themselves.
How much walking is involved on this tour?
The seawall walk covers 1.1 km and takes place over the course of the tour. The pace is set to allow time for stories and history to be shared, so it is not a brisk hike but a leisurely walk where you stop and listen.
Who are the guides leading this tour?
Talaysay Tours Indigenous guides are trained Cultural Ambassadors from the Indigenous communities of the region. They share stories and accounts directly from the people who have lived in Vancouver for millennia, offering perspectives and knowledge that come from lived experience rather than outside interpretation.
What does the tour cover about Vancouver's history?
The tour shares the Aboriginal Indigenous history of Stanley Park and the city of Vancouver, including the stories, lore and cultural knowledge of the Indigenous peoples who have inhabited the region. The guide also discusses the aspirations and values of Indigenous communities today, so the tour connects past and present.
Stanley Park Indigenous Walking Tour: Totem Poles & Stories
1h 15m · EN
from CA$ 75 per person
≈ US$ 54 in your currency
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