Our Story
Spirit Bear Lodge is owned and led by the Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation and has become a successful model for conservation-based, Indigenous-led eco-tourism.
Vision
CONNECT: Engender a sense of pride and purpose through sharing knowledge, culture and traditions. Create connections between people and the natural world that foster meaningful change.
RESPECT: Transform attitudes and build understanding towards Indigenous Peoples, their ways of life, and the natural environment.
PROTECT: Serve as a model of an innovative and Indigenous-led conservation-based economy. Share our knowledge and contribute to the success of other First Nations. Be regenerative and protect our planet for future generations.
Mission
Create emotional connections between people, nature, and wildlife that lead to transformative change and advance social, cultural, environmental and economic revitalization for the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation.
Spirit Bear Lodge Values
RESPECT: We demonstrate respect and appreciation for each other, nature, wildlife, and our culture. We share our culture, traditions and territory appropriately with visitors and invite visitors to respectfully engage with our people and territory.
PRIDE: We take pride in our business and in sharing our traditions, culture and ways of living with guests.
ETHICAL: We operate with transparency, accountability and honesty. We follow ethical business and wildlife viewing practices.
COURAGE: Lead by example, with the courage to challenge and overcome any obstacle.
PROTECT: Our work supports the protection of Kitasoo Xai’xais Culture, Traditions, and all aspects of our Traditional Territory.
SUPPORT: We foster a supportive work environment that builds the skills of our staff and community. We drive initiatives to ensure that Spirit Bear Lodge remains an Indigenous-led organization.
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE: Our business practices are progressive, innovative and sustainable. Profit is not our main motivation.
CONNECT: We create connections between people from different cultures and encourage connection to nature. These connections advance positive change.
COMMUNITY FIRST: The needs of our community and the impacts of our actions on community members and the natural environment are considered first in everything we do.
Over the last two decades, Spirit Bear Lodge has become known worldwide. Employing roughly 10% of the community of Klemtu, the Lodge has diversified opportunities for employment, especially among youth, and helped strengthen economy, conservation and culture in the Traditional Territory of the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation.
We went from a community largely dependant on resource extractive jobs to a community whose economy is largely based on conservation and non-extractive activities. - Doug Neasloss, Chief Councilor & Stewardship Director
The story of Spirit Bear Lodge is about more than just a successful ecotourism business, it is the story of the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation creating a conservation-focused, one-of-a-kind, sustainable business in one of the most remote places in Canada. The business has helped attract researchers to the area and strengthened the protection of the Nation’s vast Territory.
Connect with the Kitasoo Xai’xais People, the lands and waters of their Traditional Territory, and the magnificent wildlife that call it home. Our multi-day adventures build an understanding, respect, and connection to the heart of The Great Bear Rainforest and a culture that has roots as deep as the trees. This is more than just a vacation, it is a journey that will intertwine you with this special place, its story, and its People who continue to protect it for future generations. Find yourself where a wild land meets a wild ocean.
One of the biggest benefits is that our People get paid to be themselves. They get paid to interpret who they are and where they're from and to share their Culture and their stories and the wildlife.
Community members pushed for Spirit Bear Lodge to be more than just a business, and so it is. A large percentage of the Lodge’s profits are reinvested in the community and local stewardship efforts.
One of the most meaningful impacts the Lodge has had in Klemtu is contributing to the revitalization of Kitasoo Xai’xais Culture. The lodge provides an opportunity for community members to take great pride in sharing Kitasoo Xai’xais Culture with visitors that come from around the world to learn. Spirit Bear Lodge also provides a safe platform to establish a connection with the land and assert Kitasoo Xai’xais stewardship of the region.
Today, Spirit Bear Lodge is a showcase community tourism business in The Great Bear Rainforest, and a recognized best practice model for Indigenous community-based tourism in Canada.
