Did you know that there is a desert in British Columbia right across the U.S.-Canada border? This desert is the traditional homelands of the Okanagan First Nations people, and you can learn about the desert and the traditional culture at the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre (pronounced in-ka-meep) in Osoyoos, British Columbia.
The remarkable Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre is a state-of-the-art interpretive centre housed in a stunning structure built into a hillside as well as on the surrounding desert lands. Both indoor and outdoor exhibit galleries include hands-on displays, education stations and two multi-media theatre experiences. Discover the fascinating stories of Canada’s only desert and share in the rich living culture of the Okanagan people.
Outdoors, you will experience one of Canada’s most endangered places: a 1,600-acre desert conservation area. A network of accessible trails takes you through 50 acres of the desert to a reconstructed village where you can learn about the living culture of the Okanagan Nation. Discover the sage and antelope-brush desert environment and the wildlife that call it home. Come away enriched with knowledge of the Indigenous peoples of the land you are visiting.
Learn more about Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre at nkmipdesert.com. Plan your visit to Osoyoos at destinationosoyoos.com.
