Takaya Tours
Story and Photos by Dennis Thomas
One of our most popular trips is the 3-day kayaking tour. We start this journey from our traditional Winter Village “Tum-Tum-Wheuton”(Belcarra Regional Park) meaning Large gathering place for the people, singing the Prayer Song composed by our late great elder Chief Dan George. We always begin our tours with a song to get everyone in the mood for a cultural experience they’ll never forget. We also want our ancestors to know that we are about to go out on the waters they traveled for thousands of years and ask them to guide us on our journey.
On this particular trip we couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was pure sunshine every day. The paddle up to Granite Falls is usually around 3 hrs but because this group had never been kayaking before, we took some extra time to show them a few additional islands along the way. We stopped at Twin Island to, which has evidence of First Nations habitation starting hundreds of years ago, and had lunch. After a few stories we started our long paddle to Granite Falls. Thankfully, when we planned this tour, we made sure the tides and wind were on our side. It took 4 hours to paddle to Granite Falls, a remote old rock quarry 19 km from Belarra Regional Park. We were all relieved to get there and at the same time, in awe. It’s so peaceful to be in a place where there’s no cell phone reception, no roads and no Internet - just us and nature. As part of the tour, we provide all the meals and this evening the group enjoyed a nice steak and veggie meal.
The next morning we had another full day of kayaking. This time up to our traditional fishing village were my ancestors fished for thousands of years. We kayaked up the river and then walked for another 30min to we reached our final destination for a swim and to have lunch. It was a remarkable day for everyone. So peaceful. To get back, we floated down the river until we saw our kayaks. It was dinnertime and tonight’s feast was chicken pasta with a pesto sauce. We all fell asleep to the sound of the waterfall behind us.
The next day, we got to sleep in, as the sun doesn’t hit us till late morning. It was an easy paddle back because we once again planned ahead and got to ride the tide back. This time we paddled down the west side of Indian Arm and showed our group the pictographs – an amazing piece of cultural history and art. No one in the group wanted the trip to be finished and wished they could have stayed out for week. Sometimes we forget how beautiful it is and yet it’s only 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver. It’s a great way to decompress from the urban bustle, to relax and be one with nature.
In short, Takaya Tours is a premier, cultural tourism business owned by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) of North Vancouver. Operating from bases in North Vancouver and Belcarra Regional Park, Port Moody, Takaya Tours offers a range of safe and exciting activities that mix outdoor adventure with an authentic interpretation of Coast Salish culture. The core of the business is guided, interpretive paddles in kayaks and replica ocean-going canoes, similar to those historically used by the TWN. In addition to the interpretive tours, Takaya Tours also offers sea-kayaking lessons and rentals as well as tours specifically designed for educational and corporate groups. All tours take place within Tsleil-Waututh traditional territory.
Visit www.takayatours.com or call (604) 904-7410 to book a truly unique experience.