Native American Tours
Experiencing U.S. Indian Country in the company of a Native guide or tour operator provides an in-depth look at some of America’s most storied lands from a fresh perspective. Not only do these tours skip the mass market experience, they provide authentic stories from the ancestors of the people who called these lands home.
Scroll down to learn more about Native American tours from Alaska to Wisconsin.
Alaska
Alaska Native Voices Educational Institute
Cultural Heritage Guides work side by side with park rangers to provide insights to Glacier Bay National Park. Programs include lectures, storytelling, singing and traditional art displays. Find the guides on visiting cruise ships and at Glacier Bay Lodge. www.alaskanativevoices.com
Opiq Adventures, LLC
With tours deeply rooted in nature, but also interacting with Native culture, Opiq Adventures showcases Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. www.opiqadventures.com
Sitka Tribal Tours
| Seen through the eyes of the Tlingit, Sitka’s history is a steady drumbeat, a rhythm, a song ten thousand years old. History is not only about what happened: it’s also about the present, yours and ours. –Sitka Tribal Tours |
Local guides trained by Tlingit Elders provide authenticity and historical accuracy in tours of scenic Sitka, located on the western shore of Baronoff Island in the midst of the Tongass National Rainforest. Learn the story of the Tlingit people who have inhabited the community from time immemorial.
Tours can include Naa Kahidi Dancers, Fortress of the Bears, Alaska Raptors Center and the Sitka National Historical Park, co-managed by the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. sitkatours.com
Arizona
Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours
Navajo-owned and operated Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours provides photographic expeditions into the slot canyons located within the Antelope wash basin on the outskirts of Page, Arizona. navajoantelopecanyon.com
Ancient Pathways
Interpretive step-on guide, Bertram “Tsaava” Tsavadawa has been guiding tours of Hopi lands for more than 15 years. An authorized Hopi guide and member of the Corn Clan, Bertram shares the history of Hopi and insights into everyday Hopi lifeways. facebook.com/Ancient-Pathways-TOURS-196983120737607/
Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours
Owned by the Begay Family, the original land user to this area, Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours offers tours through the eyes of a Navajo tour leader. navajotours.com
| …at the Upper Antelope Canyon, you will…enter an amazing fantasy world of sandstone which has been carved by many years of wind and water. –Antelope Canyon Tours |
Antelope Canyon Tours
Discover the magical world of the Upper Antelope Canyon in the company of experienced Navajo guides who share the history, culture and heritage of the area. antelopecanyon.com
Experience Hopi Tours
Visit Hopi mesas and experience one of North America’s oldest and still-thriving Native American cultures. Experienced Hopi guides share the history and culture of the sights found across Arizona’s mesas. experiencehopi.com
Fort McDowell Adventures
Get away from the crowds and enjoy a tour a private part of the Sonoran Desert, normally open only to residents of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. From Green Zebra ATV tours to Segway program, horseback riding to rafting and so much more, there are no lack of ways to explore. www.fortmcdowelladventures.com
Paaqavi Incorporated
One of a few officially recognized Hopi guides permitted to give tours of the Hopi Reservation, Paaqavi Incorporated guides arrange visits to cultural sites, historic villages and natural landmarks, including Old Oraibi Village–the oldest, continuously inhabited community in North America. paaqaviinc.org
Simpson’s Trailhandlers Tours
Tours of Monument Valley are conducted by Navajo Nation Tribal members who were born and raised in the area. These experienced guides share the culture and traditions of their people, the Diné (Navajo). emonumentvalley.com
California
Legendary Skies Enterprises
Experience the majestic Owens Valley and Eastern Sierra from the people who have called the area home since time immemorial. The Nuumu/Paiute people call this land Payahuunadu (the place where the water flows), and Legendary Skies Enterprises offers half-day, full-day, multi-day or sunset programs.
legendaryskiesenterprises.com
Redwood Canoe Adventure Tour
The Yurok Tribe, located alongside California’s famed Redwood forests will start offering Redwood Canoe Tours in 2021. Designed to educate visitors about tribal culture along the Klamath River, this will be the only redwood canoe tour program in the world. visityurokcountry.com
Florida
Billie Swamp Safari
Explore the South Florida Everglades in the company of a Seminole Tribe of Florida guide. Family-friendly adventures explore four different eco-systems with experiences ranging from airboat rides to swamp buggy eco tours. billieswamp.com
Buffalo Tiger Airboat Rides
These private tours of the Everglades visit off-limits-to-the-general public lands that are home to the Miccosukee Tribe. Tours range from one hour to custom programs and explore Miccosukee history, flora and fauna. A stop at an authentic Miccosukee Indian Camp can also be arranged. buffalotigerairboattours
Idaho
Nez Perce Tourism LLC
Nez Perce Tourism offers tours designed to connect visitors to Nimiipuu culture through storytelling, song, drum, and dance. From the “Hear the Echoes of Our Ancestors” Jet Boat Tours to Nez Perce Appaloosa Horse Riding Sessions, these tours are designed to share traditional, cultural experiences of the Nimiipuu people. nezpercetraditions.com
Montana
Center Pole Tipi Stays
The Center Pole, a Native nonprofit organization offers traditional Tipi Camps, located on the Little Big Horn River. Guided horseback rides explore multi-tribal histories detailing the infamous Battle of the Little Big Horn. thecenterpole.org
Sun Tours
Lifetime members of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation lead these memorable tours in Glacier National Park. Each guide has extensive knowledge of tribal history, culture and lifestyle providing an all-encompassing experience that weaves in Blackfeet spiritual and philosophical perspectives. glaciersuntours.com
Water People Tours
Enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and the rich history and culture of Glacier National Park and the Kootenai People. facebook.com/BookWPT/
New Mexico
|
Famed Shiprock, New Mexico has an important place in Navajo mythology. While the rock is the focal point of many legends, one explains how the land morphed into a giant Bird that carried the ancient Navajo people to safety. These ancestors of today’s Navajo people were fleeing from a warring tribe and the Bird emerging from the earth was the answer to the Navajo shamans’ prayers for rescue. While resting after the long journey, the Bird was trapped by Cliff Monster and a bloody battle followed. After, the Bird was turned to stone as a reminder of its great sacrifice. |
Navajo Tours USA
This 100-percent Navajo-owned tour company offers adventure tours throughout the eastern Navajo Nation reservation in northwest New Mexico. Their tour in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness was listed as one of the “Best Trips 2019” by National Geographic Travel. navajotoursusa.com
Passport to Pueblo Country
Based in the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, Passport to Pueblo Country is a Native-owned company that provides cultural tours of the Pueblos of New Mexico. Tribal member guides take visitors through guided walks, sharing information about the Pueblos dating back to the 14th century. After the tour, a delicious traditional Feast Day meal is served. passporttopueblocountry.com
Pueblo of Acoma and the Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum
Enjoy Pueblo-guided tours of the oldest continuously inhabited Native American Community in the United States. Enjoy a meal in Yaak’a (Corn) Café, which offers Native fare, and finish your tour with unique gift items from the Gaits’i (Beautiful) Gift Shop.
acomaskycity.org
Taos Pueblo Tourism
The only living Native American community designated as both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark, Taos Pueblo features multi-storied adobe buildings that have been continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years. taospueblo.com
Zuni Cultural Adventures
The Pueblo of Zuni, the largest of New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos, covers more than 700 square miles and is home to some 10,000 residents. It is also the site of First Contact between Europeans and Native people of the Southwest. Today the Pueblo is known as an artist colony, with artists specializing in silverwork, stone carvings and pottery. The Pueblo also offers a variety of tours, ranging from introductory one-hour tours to the full-day Re-Discover the Cities of Cibola tour, which includes a visit to all six of Zuni’s ancestral villages as well as an exploration of several area unexcavated site. zunitourism.com/tours.htm
Oklahoma
Be Native Tours
Be Native Tours has an extensive understanding of Native American destinations and culture. While primarily focused on tribal experiences in Oklahoma, the company can customize tours across the United States. benativetours.com
Cherokee Nation
Explore the rich history of Cherokee Nation in the company of an experienced Cherokee guide. Cherokee Nation’s cultural
sites and attractions allow visitors to walk in the footsteps of the Cherokees along the paths they traveled more than a century ago. visitcherokeenation.com
South Dakota
Tatanka Rez Tourz
Native-owned and operated Tatanka Rez Tourz is based on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. Explore Lakota (Sioux) country and delve deep into the rich Lakota culture and history, while enjoying the area’s breathtaking vistas. facebook.com/Tatanka-Rez-Tourz-1412200369107209/
Wisconsin
The Oneida Nation
Take a step back in time and visit the Oneida Long House on an Oneida Nation Cultural Tour. Tours also visit five furnished original log homes from when the Oneida settled in Wisconsin, as well as the Oneida Museum, wetlands and buffalo overlook. exploreoneida.com
Native American Tourism of Wisconsin
The 11 sovereign nations of Wisconsin hold unique culture, beautiful landscapes and welcoming people. Native American Tourism of Wisconsin (NATOW) offers six distinctive itineraries that allow visitors to explore the state’s tribal nations at their leisure. facebook.com/nativewisconsin/
Rustic Makwa Den Kayaking Tours
Explore the sea caves that line the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore located adjacent to the ancestral home of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The lakeshore, one of the most biodiverse destinations in North America. features long stretches of towering sandstone cliffs that tower over pristine beaches. All tours are led by a Red Cliff tribal guide, who shares the history, heritage and culture of the Red Cliff Tribe. rusticmakwaden.com
More Information
Click on the image to download a PDF version of our Native American Tours guide.
Businesses listed in this document are members of AIANTA. For more Indian Country travel inspiration, visit NativeAmerica.travel.
To be included on this page, please email info@aianta.org for more information.