About Songhees Tours
The Ocean is Our Way of Life
Songhees Tours offers immersive, First Nation-led canoe and walking tours through the heart of Victoria’s Inner Harbour—one of the most visited places on the West Coast. Deeply driven by authenticity, our tours are guided by Lək̓ʷəŋən hosts who bring guests onto the highways of our ancestors, where every paddle stroke and footstep is grounded in truth, protocol, and lived experience.
Proudly owned by Songhees Nation, we are the only Indigenous-owned and operated tour provider in the Inner Harbour. Supported by our community Elders, our experiences invite guests into real cultural exchange—where oral history, language, and place-based teachings come together in unforgettable ways. Visitors leave transformed, with a deeper understanding of the land they’re on and the people who have always been here.
Whether you’re a curious traveler, an educator, a cruise guest, or a corporate group committed to reconciliation, Songhees Tours meets you where you are—and takes you where you didn’t expect to go.
About Songhees Nation
əléənəxʷ əƛ’ ɫniŋəɫ (get to know us)
The Songhees ʔəɬtelŋəxʷ (people), are located on the southern tip of what is now known as Vancouver Island. Our lands include Tl’ches, the islands known today as Chatham and Discovery, and much of what’s now known as Greater Victoria and its surrounding regions. We have lived here since time immemorial, with rich cultural traditions, sophisticated systems of governance, and a reciprocal relationship to the land, waters, sky, and creatures who depend on these resources. For generations, we have held strong ties with our neighbouring First Nations that stem from kinship and trade networks, particularly with the Kosapsum ʔəɬtelŋəxʷ, Esquimalt Nation.
Songhees Development Corporation (SDC) is the economic development arm of Songhees Nation. Our role is to advance the prosperity of Songhees members through business, entrepreneurship, partnerships, investment, and innovation. Our work is grounded in Songhees’ rights as a sovereign Nation and driven by a desire to build a sustainable future for generations to come.
lək̓ʷəŋən čəl̓eŋən (our culture and worldview)
The word “lək̓ʷəŋən” is the traditional name of one of our village sites, translating to “the land of smoked herring”; it also refers to both the language and people of this place, encompassing key family groupings amongst the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. Other meaningful places to our community include but are not limited to mətúliyeʔ (village along Victoria’s Inner Harbour), míqәn (village in the Beacon Hill area), sčíčnəɬ (village in the Oak Bay area south of Cadboro Bay), sxʷéŋxʷəŋ (village in the James Bay area), x̣ə́w̓əŋə́qsən (village north of Ten Mile Point), p̓əlác̓əs (a place of cultural significance later turned into the first Songhees Reserve), and sŋéqəʔ (village in Cadboro Bay). These are not just places—they are relatives. Our worldview centres on relationships: those we carry with lands, waters, ancestors, each other, and all living beings.
This territory has always been a place of gathering, sharing, trade, and stewardship. Today, reconciliation includes restoring the rightful role of Songhees People in decision-making on these lands and ensuring that our rights, knowledge, and ways of being are respected and upheld for those who come after us.