Your experience begins at the Stanley Park Bus Loop, located beside the Mini Train and Aquarium parking area. Guests arriving by car can enter the park from Georgia Street, follow the Causeway, and take the Pipeline Road exit at the roundabout. Continue uphill past the Rose Garden and turn right into the parking lot for the Mini Train, Aquarium, and Bus Loop. Your Cultural Land Ambassador will be waiting in the round, open-air wooden gazebo inside the bus loop. This is where guests gather, check in, and meet the guide. After brief introductions and a welcoming, the group will depart together toward Beaver Lake to begin the main portion of the tour.
From the Stanley Park Bus Loop, guests will set out on a guided walking route toward Beaver Lake, following shaded forest trails and pausing at several iconic points along the way for storytelling and knowledge sharing. As the group walks, the Cultural Land Ambassador will introduce key plants, trees, and landscape features, sharing Indigenous teachings, stories, and traditional uses connected to food, medicine, technology, and cultural practices. The pace is relaxed, with regular stops to observe the land, ask questions, and engage in discussion. The route loops around Beaver Lake before returning along the trail toward the Stanley Park Bus Loop. The walking portion of the experience takes approximately 90 minutes in total and concludes at the same meeting point where the tour began.
After completing the loop around Beaver Lake, the group will make their way back along the forest trail toward the Stanley Park Bus Loop, where the tour concludes. The return walk offers a relaxed opportunity for guests to ask additional questions, reflect on what they’ve learned, and engage in informal conversation with their Cultural Land Ambassador. The tour ends at the same meeting point, allowing guests to easily return to their cars, buses, or continue exploring Stanley Park on their own.
This was a great way to learn about the relationship between trees and other plants and humanity. Amira was passionate about her history and the connections between nature and her culture. The walk was fairly easy and mostly flat. There were several stops while Amira offered explanations.
We really enjoyed this walk with our guide Jaden. We learned about our nature relatives in the park and the Squamish culture. Highly recommend it!
Amira was amazing. We loved listening to her stories and learning about botanical relatives.
This is a more a cultural talk about some of the plants that are important to indigenous tribes, not a botanical identification of many trees. I wanted to learn how the native people used natural resources available in their surroundings and I felt this tour was a great intro. I would gladly take a 3 hour tour next time. The herbal tea was an unexpected treat.
Excellent tour!! Jayden was our guide, and she was very knowledgeable about indigenous culture and history. We learned so much, and had a wonderful time! If you are looking for an experience that honors the indigenous people of this area, this is an excellent opportunity.
very nice young man led the tour. He shared some interesting stories and taught us quite a few things.
This guided tour was a very pleasant experience and highly interesting. Thank you for having us!
This was a 1.25 hour walk. The guide was extremely knowledgeable, offering much new knowledge and answering our questions. The walk was very pleasantly away from the crowds and ended at a snack bar souvenir shop that had some lovely First Nations art work.
South a nourishing , grounding , beautiful , healing experience . Thank you Jayden . Thank you Talaysay . Thank you Nature . For wisdom , knowledge, love and generosity shared . I am beyond grateful to you ♥️🙏
This is a phenomenal walk through a part of Stanley Park and Beaver Lake with insightful insights by our Squamish guide. We learned so much about the culture and practices of First Nations inhabitants and it was so much more real than reading about it in a book. Delightful experience and wonderful guide.
We had an absolutely amazing time. Our guide Ruby was a wealth of knowledge. We could not have asked for a better tour and it was a highlight of our 2.5 week trip through Alaska and Canada!
The tour was fascinating. Jayden (sp?) was so incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated to the subjects from history to cultures to science and more. The tour links the present to the past while focusing on Stanley Park's indigenous foundations. Viator should definitely offer more of Talaysay Tours offerings.
Excellent story telling with a nice stroll. Our guide was fabulous!
We were lucky to have two indigenous women share their knowledge of the land that Stanley Park is on. Both very connected to the land, the flora and fauna. I very much recommend this tour.
We were late and hadn’t signed the waivers and there was a welcoming guide waiting for us who was very patient with us. The tour was excellent and the guide Ruby so accommodating.
Guide was very knowledgeable and shared so much historical information as well as information about plants/trees area.
I really enjoyed the experience. It is not strenuous, flat walking. The meeting place is where the tram bus stops. Gavin our guide was fantastic, great to meet someone with a desire to learn about his culture and to share that journey with those who wish to “smell the roses”. Well worth it.
The guide was great! It was a lovely walk through Stanley park where I was able to learn do much about trees, plants, and indigenous culture!
Our guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic . We learned the many uses of plants and trees used by indigenous people for nutrients and for medicinal uses. Our guide also shared some personal experiences under the guidance of his grandfather who taught him the value of and responsibility to nature as a way of life.
I'm 80 and use a cane but found the walk comfortable. Our guide lead is on a walk around Beaver Lake, explaining various trees & how they were used including diapers made using cedar tree parts. We picked & ate berries. Enjoyed tea midway. He explained medicinal properties of trees & bushes. He was very knowledgeable and our party completely enjoyed the experience.
To begin with, I get lost easy; and sure enough I got lost in the very large Stanley Park after confusing directions from different Stanley Park staff. The tour company contacted me on my cell phone when I hadn't shown for the tour; and this very sweet woman patiently got me almost step-by-step to where I needed to be. Then after I apologized repeated (I am Canadian after all) for being late, the tour began. Shea was the tour leader; and what an amazing experience!!! Shea was so knowledgeable and passionate about her culture, history, language. The group of 4 of us learned about edible plants, medicinal plants, forest management, and so much more. It was a beautiful, hot sunny Summer day; and Shea treated us to a chilled tea that was sooo refreshing. Just a great experience overall !!!!!!!!
A wonderfully informative tour! Our small group made it very personal and gave us the opportunity to ask questions. Our guide Shay (sp?) was wonderful and even brought tea for us to share. Highly recommend!
The tour was very informative, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and such a pleasant person to show us her perspective on the flora and fauna of Stanley Park. We were in Canada on a Horticultural tour of Vancouver and Vancouver Island, and we agreed that this walk in Stanley Park was the best experience and most educational of the more than dozen gardens and parks we toured. The history and stories were incredibly moving and although the First Nation history is extremely broad and complex, we felt like we received a well-informed glimpse into it. I highly recommend this to anyone (adult or youth) who wants to peek into the history and culture beyond the beauty of the park itself.
We found the tour very informative and engaging; learning the cultural significance of the different flora in Stanley Park offered a different lense through which to enjoy its beauty. Gavin was an engaging tour guide who offered interesting personal context.
SHAE was our guide. She arrived promptly and efficiently checked she had the correct number of guests before setting off. Shae is a naturally warm and friendly person, sharing something of her culture by in her introduction. As we walked Shae took us to many plants that have health benefits and we were able to try a couple: huckleberry and salmon berries. Coming from the UK I was not familiar with these plants. It was fascinating to learn how indigenous people had acted as stewards for the land and conserved species in their deep understanding of how “everything is one”. Thoroughly recommend this tour.
Excellent tour,about the importance of nature as nutriments,medications,for people from first nations...guide is very knowlegeable,knows a lot about history,and answers a lot of questions
Easy to hike, very powerful stories and a lot of knowledge, guided by people who have a deep connection with the land
My tour of Stanley Park with Shay was so lovely! I came up from Seattle for the weekend to enjoy Vancouver and this was an absolute highlight of my trip.
This was a definate highlight of my trip to Vancouver. I am indigenous in NZ and know the value and importance of acknowledgement to indigenous people when visiting their land. We just really enjoyed hearing everything Victor had to share and getting a connected narrative to the land we were exploring. thank you for the oppurtunity =)
Very interesting and informative. Very nice guide — Victor Thomas - shared many stories about the Haida indigenous people and their culture.
Amazing guide with so much knowledge about the history and culture of the area and how the trees are an integral part of the culture. It is more than just a public park if you look below the surface.
I shared this experience with my partner and two kids (ages 8 and 10). It was a beautiful experience learning about the traditions and customs of the land we stood on. Everyone should do this tour.
Great walking tour around Stanley Park. Our guide was very knowledgeable. My friend and I got lost since the meeting point was deeper in the park than I expected but our guide did come looking for us which we really appreciated. The tour was very interesting and enjoyable.
Our guide was wonderful, encouraged questions, and was patient in his explanations. My husband and I learned so much. We were able to enjoy stepping away from the hustle and bustle to appreciate nature and learn more about our relationship to it.
I had an amazing time and learned so much. Thank you! The guide was super kind and natural but also taught us important historical facts!
It’s been a few days since our tour, and I’ve grown more and more appreciative as time’s drawn on. Truly, this tour was life changing. Learning about the history of this land as the traditional territory of Coast Salish First Nations, including the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh was essential to appreciating and acknowledging “Stanley Park” (as it’s now known) and its true history. As someone who grew up in Vancouver and has spent plenty of time in these forests, I was blown away by the history and wisdom of this land. I’ll never forget our guides and their wisdom, kindness and knowledge imparted. I recommend this tour to absolutely anyone - you will remember jt forever.
The Talking Trees tour was educative and very enjoyable, led by an indigenous woman (Che , not sure if the spelling of her name is correct). She was very knowledgeable, respectful of her elders. She shared her personal stories with us and showed us many plants and their medicinal use.
Patrick our guide was extremely knowledgeable and tolerant of my many questions. The tour was wonderful, exploring parts of Stanley Park that I may not have explored on my own. I feel like I am a better person after having taken this tour.
With the help of our excellent guide (Shay I believe) we learned about the history of the land where Stanley Park is now and how the First Nations that lived there utilized the trees, herbs and berries in their lifestyles, and how the different tribes interacted. A very enjoyable tour,
This was an incredible opportunity to hear an indigenous person’s perspective on the development of Vancouver. Our guide went far beyond the totem poles in Stanley Park to set the broader context for pre-colonial life in Canada and the impact of native people over the last 150 years. Our guide had gentle demeanor but did not shy away from harsh reality. He did not regurgitate the stories that anyone can read on the signs in front of the totem polls. Instead our conversation touched on cosmology, politics, history, culture, ecology, urban development, and even the Olympics. I left feeling more aware of the complexities of the place I was visiting, included in the history, and cared-for by our guide. It was a highlight of my visit!
Patrick was a very friendly and informative tour guide. The experience was very enjoyable. My only suggestion is to include a little more First Nation history.
I highly recommend this tour! Patrick exuded passion for First Nations history and local ecology on this fascinating and informative tour. We learned all about what Stanley Park was like when it was inhabited by Squamish peoples, not so long ago. He illuminated the manifold links between the land's ecosystems and its human caretakers. His care in answering all of our questions made it obvious that his knowledge and interest in the subject matter went far beyond a ninety-minute tour.
The teachers and students at Island Pacific School loved this tour! We were led through the forests of Stanley Park and visited the beach, hearing stories from our guides. The guides worked well with our students, and answered their questions with thoughtful responses. Thank you so much to our guides and Talaysay Tours for welcoming us and graciously sharing their knowledge and experiences with us.
The tour guides are fantastic! They mix in the right amount of humor and information. It was easy to listen to them talk, and they encouraged us to ask questions and get involved. We learned so much during this tour, it was mind blowing!
The faculty and staff of the Vancouver Waldorf School attended the Talking Trees Tour in Stanley Park as Professional Development. We took the tour as four groups of ten and each of our guides—Candace, Wes, Deanna, and Sera—were phenomenal, sharing their knowledge through memory, history, and story. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from them and highly recommend this tour!
The humourous, gracious and informative tour guides were a blessing to be with. They humbly and generously shared their knowledge of the wisdom that the forest and it's trees and plants have to offer. Such an incredible experience! We were a community group of all ages and diverse cultural backgrounds and everyone was amazed by what they learned. We all had an amazing, beautiful time. Thanks to Candace, Wes and Serafin for offering us this opportunity to learn and welcoming us with warm hearts!
Candace's incredible ability to bring the stories of the indigenous people who have lived in the area since time immemorial was truly incredible. Through this tour, how people engaged with the land was brought to life, and I had a truly new appreciation and understanding for the wildlife, vegetation, and land itself.
What an incredible afternoon. This was a fantastic learning experience, with experienced and knowledgeable guides. We learned many things about the history of the local indigenous people as well as practical hints and tips that the stewards of the lands have shared over generations. If you are in Vancouver and have an afternoon to spare I would definitely recommend it! I have recommended this to colleagues and will be bringing future visitors on this tour for sure. Thank you to the amazing tour guides!
Our guide was very personable and friendly. She told us of her people's traditions and way of life. She also pointed out local vegetation and Stanley Park features. Midway through the talk, she gave us some traditional tea. It was welcome, as the day was cool and rainy.
Excellent! Knowledgeable and articulate. Great information. We followed up with visit to MOA, which made for a great day that assisted our understanding of First Nation culture. Highly recommended.
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