Kiixin Tours — Attraction in Area A (Bamfield)

This was my second time doing the Kiixin tour and it was just as amazing as the first time I did it. Both times I had Wish-key as our guide who is a gem of a storyteller conveying with emotion and detail the "journey through time" of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations.

We arrived via boat and were shuttled out to the trailhead within 10-minutes at which time we began our walk through the rainforest. Along the way Wish-key stopped to explain Culturally Modified Trees and other important cultural details about the rainforest. After about 20-minutes in the rainforest, walking along a boardwalk, we descended a staircase which brought us to an opening that leads to one of the most beautiful bays you will ever see. This bay/beach is the traditional village site of Kiixin. Here, Wish-key gave us about 15 minutes to explore the beach, take some photos and soak up the stunningness that surrounded us. Afterwards, Wish-key gave us what he called "Huu-ay-aht 101" - an introduction to the people who lived along this sliver of coastline for over 5000+ years.

After our introduction and a welcoming song, Wish-key lead us into the forest again where we were shown the remnants of longhouses. These houses included that of the chief which features remains of whale bones that were collected hundreds of years ago during a traditional hunt. It's absolutely incredible to see the remains of these structures, especially knowing that over time, they will decompose and be absorbed back into the forest.

Before the conclusion of our tour, Wish-key took us to a corner of the beach where he continued to inform us about the traditional whaling techniques followed by another song.

Having done this tour twice, I really loved that the two tours were quite different. Wish-key has soooo many stories he can share throughout the duration of the tour which makes each experience...

We loved this 4 hour tour with our guide Wiskey - Keats. He was so knowledgable and passionate about the history of his people. We learned so much and the highlight was listening to his amazing songs and drumming at the beach. Keats led us through a beautiful path in the forest, pointing out the culturally modified trees, then once we were on the beach we had some free time to explore the shore and then went into the village site and saw 3 sites of former longhouses. The houses are all fallen down but there are some entrance posts and the roof beams are there so we could see the area of the former houses. we also saw some whale bones in a pit at the back of one house. the only adivce I have for visitors is to bring moskito repellent, and that the trail is fairly rough so you need to be agile to do it. I would not recommend it for people over 70 years old unless they are very agile and fit. there are roots, big steps...

This was a fabulous tour! The tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming, catering to a wide audience, from those with less of a understanding/experience of Canada’s history and nature as well as being able to have further discussions on topics with others. They had the storytellers skill, kindness and openness along with lots of knowledge of the area! Going into Huu-ay-aht village site takes you back in time and it is surreal to stand in the houses of the traditional peoples, surrounded by the beautiful back drop of nature. With the story telling it is all pretty moving and humbling....