Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA allows you to encounter orca whales, grizzly bears, eagles, ravens and a host of other inhabitants of this remarkable locale (www.spiritbear.com ). CENTRAL The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2014, and has already won the National Cultural Tourism Award from the Travel Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). Izzie Asper's lifelong dream beckons visitors to architect Antoine Predock's astounding exterior design, modelled after ice, clouds and stone, and set in a fi eld of sweet grass at the legendary Forks of the Red River. Venture indoors where designer Ralph Applebaum's amazing interactive installa- tions highlight First Nations culture in a mesmerizing journey through time and geography, language and tradition. Don't miss the 90-minute Mikinak-Keya Sprint Tour, the Witness Blanket exhibition or the museum's on-site boutique where exciting Fair Trade and handmade mementos celebrating indigenous culture worldwide can be purchased ( www.humanrights.ca). If your spirit needs renewal, go west to visit Saskatchewan's Northern Plains People. Body/mind/spirit experiences unfold at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park; witness a buffalo hunt and explore medicine wheel circles to learn about the relationship locals maintain with healing plants, culinary wisdom, and the cycles of the animals ( www.wanuske win.com ). February is Aboriginal Storytelling Month, and there is no better place to experience this rich tradition than at the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre in Saskatoon (www.sicc.sk.ca ). EAST Follow the Aboriginal ceremonial smoke of hospitality east to Ontario, home to Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater lake island in the world. Indigenous experiences range from soft adventure to wilderness eco-adventures and educational interpretive tours. High on anyone's list should be the Great Spirit Circle Trail's cornucopia of packages, such as Medicine Walks, Legends of the Land Riding Trail, Demwe Cycling Tour, or the luxurious Horse and Teepee overnight adventure, which leaves the Honora Bay Riding Stable at noon and returns the day after at 2:00 in the afternoon. Savour the campfi re dinner, medicine walk, storytelling and drumming around the fi re, as well as swimming with horses and breakfast the next morning ( www.circletrail.com). Just outside the UNESCO site of Old Québec City, you may discover what the Huron-Wendake community calls "the history we never told you." Stay in an authentic Aboriginal 4-star boutique hotel called Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations. Inspired from traditional longhouses, units are constructed with natural materials such as stone, leather and wood. Or invite the whole family to stay in a longhouse, the First Nations symbol of family, hospitality and the legendary welcome of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. This option encourages visitors to experience the myths and legends, to taste the traditional bread (bannock), have a fi re keeper tend the embers as well as your dreams throughout the night, plus you'll have a regular room in the hotel for modern conveniences, and breakfast the next day at La Traite restaurant ( www.tourisme wendake.ca). MARITIMES Mi'kmaq powwows on Prince Edward Island's Lennox Island ignite in late July; the hungry crowds go to the Aboriginal Food Festival (www.lennoxisland.com). The Indian Art & Craft store makes its home on the peaceful shores of famous Malpeque Bay. Across this bay in Nova Scotia, elders share stories about creation at the Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre (www.wagmatcook.com ). Listen to their ancient tales teaching how to live properly, how animals interact with the elements, and details about powerful ceremonial tools of their society—like the medicine wheel. Less than two hours from Halifax, view petro- glyphs created by the Mi'kmaq First Nations People in the 18 th and 19 th centuries at Kejimkujik National Park, where it is also possible to camp out under the stars (www. pc.gc.ca ). New Brunswick calls everyone interested in attending powwows to a full seasonal menu of options, from St. Mary's First Nation Powwow June 10 to 12, to the Pabineau First Nation Powwow at the new Flying Eagle Memorial Powwow Grounds during the fi rst weekend of July, or the Eel Ground First Nations Powwow in mid-July. ( www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca ). Newfoundland and Labrador summon outdoor adventurers to their majestic Torngat Mountains Inuit-led Base Camp experience, immersing participants in the culture of this dreamy geography and giving access to stunning wildlife viewing. The highest peaks in Canada east of the Rockies frame a magical mix of fjords, rivers, fl ood plains, and coastal wilderness. There is no place on the planet like the Torngat Mountains and the Base Camp trek is a classic one-of-a-kind memory for travellers ( www.torngatbasecamp.com ). NORTH The Yukon's Whitehorse waterfront is the site for this year's Adäka Cultural Festival held at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (www.kwanlindunculturalcentre.com). This popular event mixes traditional and contemporary musical performers and creative artists from local First Nations tribes, as well as guests from Alaska, Greenland, B.C. and Northwest Territories. The mélange of entertainment, together with unique workshops and handmade crafts, imbued with the infectious Yukon spirit, guarantees visitors memorable fun ( www. travelyukon.com). If Nunavut and the Canadian Arctic are on your bucket list, contact Cruise North Expeditions (www.makivik.org/cruise- north-expeditions ) for access to Canada's northern passages aboard a cruise ship. Follow whales, seals and narwhals in small Zodiac boats up close, photograph endan- gered polar bears, or bask in the other- worldliness of the aurora borealis in the comfort of your ship. tHUnDerBirD ParK, ViCtoria, BC • SHUtterStoCK/MeUnierD