Peru has historically been a very conservative society and quite hostile to its LGBT community. However, very slowly, more and more politicians are coming out in support of legislation favourable to the LGBT community.
More recently, in January 2017, President Kuczynski issued a decree prohibiting all forms of discrimination and hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity – a positive sign of Peru evolving, getting ready to take her place in the pink limelight.
This was also the same time of year we visited Peru and at no point did we have any problems finding hotels who would accept us as a gay couple. This is our 5 favourite and unique gay friendly hotels in Peru, which we tried and loved.
GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN LIMA
#1 BTH Hotel
Description: this is a very cool and trendy boutique hotel in the San Borja neighbourhood, close to Miraflores. We particularly love perving on the cute topless guy in their slick promo video. Everything from the decoration to the cute staff here makes you want to dress in your best clothes and spend hours flooding your Instagram gallery. We sure did!
By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys
Did you also grow up watching those scenes in The Godfather when Michael Corleone woos the drop dead gorgeous Apollonia set in the stunning Savoca village of Sicily?
The surroundings of the hillside village on the Eastern end of this Italian island is what first captured our attention (not to mention of course, the pretty Sicilian boys accompanying Michael in his conquest).
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and lies off the “boot” of mainland Italy – hence the phrase, long legged Italy, kicking little Sicily!
Gay Sicily is the place you want to visit for that special romantic occasion, just like we did. We recommend Sicily vacation rentals to find your dream luxury villa and indulge in some of the many local culinary prizes together, basking away in the Sicilian sun. This is a run down of our 5 romantic things to do in gay Sicily.
#1 STAY IN A LUXURY VILLA: JUST LIKE APOLLONIA AND MICHAEL
The scenes around the village of Savoca from The Godfather movie are located in the Etna region in the Northeast of Sicily. The best way to experience it with your lover is in a luxury villa. We stayed in a few villas during our travels in Bali and from experience, having a private villa all to yourself is definitely worth the splurge. Doing this in a romantic destination like Italy is the perfect way to truly celebrate your special anniversary.
We love using websites like Luxury Retreats, Airbnb and Tripadvisor to find hidden gems, like this renovated aristocratic country villa near Centuripe, complete with swimming pool and huge beautiful gardens. You can imagine being transported right into The Godfather movie set in a place like this!
#2 SICILY BEACHES: GET YOUR FIX OF VITAMIN SEA
Gay Peru is a destination which is sure to captivate you in many ways, from foodie paradise Lima to the Inca heartland around Cusco.
Although Peru has traditionally been quite a conservative country, it is slowly waking up to take its place in the pink limelight as politicians grow more and more bold in supporting LGBT favourable legislation.
This is our 2 weeks gay friendly travel itinerary to Peru after spending a few months visiting the main sites as a gay couple.
OUR 2 WEEKS PERU GAY FRIENDLY TRAVEL ITINERARY
We suggest starting in Lima as this is the transport hub in and out of the country. The itinerary then takes you through the Sacred Valley, which is a few thousand feet lower than Cusco, to acclimatise. After that, we take you to Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, which is also the base to start treks to Machu Picchu. For the final stop on our itinerary to Peru, we suggest relaxing for a few days in Lake Titicaca, before returning to Lima.
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the most famous treks in the world. We did it in early January 2017, during the rainy season. Whilst we loved our experience a great deal, we think you should avoid doing the Inca Trail in January, or at least carefully consider the risks.
The weather in Peru’s Sacred Valley has two seasons: wet and dry. Wet season is between October to April and the dry season from May to September. February is considered the worst month with very angry storms, heavy downpour and mudslides, so this is the one month the government closes the Inca Trail to carry out maintenance works. Some tour companies also refuse to go in late January because it becomes too dangerous.
The heavy rain makes the steps slippery and therefore unsafe. In addition, the views are extremely limited because of the thick clouds. Had we known how bad it gets, we would have rescheduled our plans to another time of year.
Why the Inca Trail?
Let’s get something straight. We’re not saying don’t do it. This is an incredible experience and we strongly recommend trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. As well as being one of the most famous treks in the world, this 44km (27 miles) trail was initially part of a highly advanced network of around 40,000 trails built by the Incas to connect the distant corners of their kingdom.
This particular trail is the most popular because it had religious and ceremonial importance. It was part of the Incas’ route of pilgrimage to Machu Picchu and included rituals to honour the mountains. In addition, the views of snow capped mountain peaks, cloud forests and various Inca ruins you pass along the way is what makes this trek so rewarding, and of course, world famous.
Arequipa is Peru’s second city with just under 1 million inhabitants. It is nicknamed the White City because it is almost completely built out of a white volcano stone called sillar.
Most come to Arequipa as the base for treks to Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world.
The White City is also one of the few Peruvian cities outside of Lima which has a gay scene, albeit very small, with a handful of bars and gay owned businesses worth checking out.
The gay scene in Arequipa is not as big as the gay nightlife of Lima but it has a few gay hangouts. The city is easy to navigate with most of the restaurants and bars located around the central Plaza de Armas.
Gay Arequipa is small but there are a few fun places worth checking out:
Imperio / Freetown Disco / Open Mind: the main and only gay club in Arequipa. It has 3 different names, (Imperio, Freetown or Open Mind) but most refer to it as just Imperio. It’s the place to come on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening after 11pm with drag shows and themed nights like Sailor Night. It goes on till late, closing at 6am. Imperio is located at Calle Jerusalén 201i, just a few blocks from Plaza de Armas.
We made it! A magical memory from our Nomadic Boys journey we will share forever. This was what was going through our minds, whilst sat atop Wayna Picchu mountain, peering down at the Inca world wonder beneath us.
After an intense 4 days trek along the acclaimed Inca Trail through the Sacred Valley in the Peruvian Andes, we finally reached the climax point. This is our Inca Trail review of our 4 days trek to Machu Picchu with Journeyou.
Machu Picchu is the highlight of most people’s itineraries to not only Peru, but also to the entire continent. It receives over 1.2 million visitors annually, most of who come by train as part of a day trip from Cusco.
The famous Inca site is 2,430 metres (7,970 feet) above sea level. The name Machu Picchu means old mountain in the Quechua language and was initially built in around 1450 at the climax of the Inca Empire. It was then abandoned in 1572 when the Spanish invaded, until 1911 when it was discovered by the American explorer Hiram Bingham.
“Stefan look: it’s Cusco gay pride – rainbow flags everywhere!!!”
Seby wasn’t wrong. One of the first things you notice arriving in Cusco are all the Inca rainbow-like flags flying proudly all across the city. But to Seb’s disappointment, it has nothing to do with the LGBT community. This is the Inca flag, which has an extra blue stripe added.
Cusco is famous for being the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 1200s until the mid 1500s when the Spanish invaded. It’s now Peru’s most popular draw, with 2 million visitors every year. It’s a must on everyone’s Latin America itinerary as well the base to visit Machu Picchu.
This is our gay travel guide to Cusco including gay friendly places to stay, gay bars, hangouts and things to do.
CUSCO GAY MAP
Although Cusco is a small city, it has a handful of gay hangouts, especially around the central Plaza de Armas square and in the San Blas neighbourhood.
Foodies love Lima and we sure love her back. Just as Penang is the foodie capital of Asia, Peru’s capital city is famous throughout Latin America as the melting point of many different cuisines.
Lima is also a pretty sweet base for gay travellers. There are around 9 million people living here. That’s statistically almost 1 million gay boys waiting to have a few Pisco sours with you.
GAY MAP OF LIMA
Miraflores and Barranco are the main touristy areas of Lima, where the best restaurants and the majority of the Lima gay scene are based. The other two areas you will want to take note of are San Isidro (the business district), conveniently located close to the airport and the Centro Historico (or Downtown Lima), where you find the majority of the museums and sightseeing attractions.