Latin America Gay Pride – The Nomadic Boys

Latin America Gay Pride - The Nomadic Boys

During our travels in Latin America, we went to some pretty awesome gay pride events, particularly in Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay.

The most famous is of course in Sao Paolo, which is the largest in the world – these guys sure know how to put on a decent party. Here are our top gay pride events we discovered in Latin America during our travels, which you also need to check out.

São Paulo Pride in Brazil

In all lists about the largest gay pride events, the “Parada do Orgulho LGBT de São Paulo” always comes out top: it is famous for having the largest gay pride festival in the world, with estimates of around 5 million people attending – simply incredible!

It all began in 1997 as a modest political march by the LGBTQ “Paulistas” (local nickname for the people of São Paulo). Today the São Paulo Pride has mushroomed into one mammoth colourful pink event, whilst still retaining a strong political stance, particularly in light of the high levels of homophobic violence across the country.

São Paulo Pride takes place in June. We recommend checking their Facebook events page for the most up-to-date information about the next event.

We got excited when one of our favourite Netflix shows, “Sense8” used Sao Paolo pride for sexy Lito to come out, then publicly kissed Hernando in front of everybody. The cast even attended the 2016 parade and had their own raunchy float.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Argentina – The Nomadic Boys

gay Argentina - The Nomadic Boys

We love Argentina. Yes it has some of the sexiest guys on this planet, and some delicious culinary highlights, but above everything else, it’s an easy country for gay travellers.

Despite the strong influence by the Catholic Church, Argentina is one of the most gay friendly countries in Latin America, and arguably, the world. It was the first country in the continent to legalise gay marriage in July 2010, which also included full adoption rights. This made it the 2nd in the entire continent (after Canada) and 10th in the world. The right to change legal gender has been in place since 2012, and in the same year, legislation was introduced adding life imprisonment to hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

We were also love the fact that most of the big cities in Argentina have fun gay scenes, particularly in Buenos Aires, Rosario, Córdoba and Mendoza. Even smaller cities like Puerto Madryn are popular gay hotspots. This is our country guide to Argentina for gay travellers, based on our experience travelling here during our big trip in Latin America.

When to Visit Argentina

Argentina is a 365 days’ destination because despite the time of year, there is always something going on. It is a huge country – the 8th largest in the world, therefore has varied landscapes ranging from the sub-tropical in the Northeast (Igauzu Falls), desert in the centre (Mendoza), the mountainous Andes climates along its west side, coastal along its east side, and of course the extreme cold in Patagonia.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Queer Buenos Aires – Gay Star News

Buenos Aires - pixabay

Considering a trip to South America? Although Rio De Janeiro’s famed carnival brings thousands to Brazil, it’s the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, that takes the honor of being the most visited city in South America. The Argentine capital has just become considerably more accessible for visitors from the UK. Norwegian Airlines opened up a new, direct route from London Gatwick to the Argentine capital in mid February. Prices start from £275 (one-way). The new route appears to have proved an instant hit. I took advantage of the Premium Economy section of its 787 Dreamliner. The flight duration is 14 hours, so I did appreciate the generous legroom and opportunity to recline and grab some sleep.

A couple of important recommendations when planning your trip. Argentina Pesos are a pretty rare currency in the UK – not available at most British airports or banks. If you like to exchange money in advance, either take US dollars (accepted by taxis), or make sure you change your currency well ahead of your flights. Secondly, Buenos Aires taxis at the airport have a reputation for ripping off tourists. Book yours in advance for a set price. Reputable firms include Taxi Ezeiza, Transfer Express and Tienda Leon. Taxi Ezeiza charges AR$895 from airport to city – which is around £32 ($44/€36)
With your transport and transfers covered, you can now set about enjoying what Buenos Aires has to offer.

By David Hudson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Argentina Gay Travel Resources

The South American Top Ten – The Nomadic Boys

South America - The Nomadic Boys

South America is a destination that will make you fall in love with life. The Latino soul is addictive, with music and dance so deeply ingrained at the heart of everything.

After our big trip in Asia, we spent a further 15 months travelling in South America and absolutely loved it. We found it an enthralling destination, with something to capture everything we love when travelling. Most countries are extremely gay friendly, with places like Bogota in Colombia having the largest club we’ve ever been – Theatron, and Sao Paolo Pride attracting over 3 million people making it the largest pride event in the world.

As foodies, we loved the culinary scene of Argentina and in Lima, Peru. For culture, indigenous traditions can be seen everywhere, particularly from the Incas in Bolivia/Peru, as well as the Maipuche Indians in Chile. And finally, for trekking adventures, Patagonia is a must. These are our 10 favourite highlights from South America following our big trip there in 2016/2017.

#1 The Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, around 600 miles (1,000km) from Ecuador’s coast. This is one of the few places in the world where you can get so close to wildlife. There’s also a rich underwater world to discover – we saw sharks, rays, turtles and many tropical fish each time we went snorkelling.

The islands here also have some very dramatic landscapes, which are crying out for a space in your Instagram gallery. We loved the Galapagos Islands so much, we visited twice during our big South America trip. Check out our video from our trip here:

#2 Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (Peru)

For us our Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was a definite highlight of South America. It’s a tough 4 days trek through the Sacred Valley, reaching altitudes of up to 4,215m (13,828 ft).

The Inca Trail is one of the most famous treks in the world. It is 27 miles (44km) long, and 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. It also had religious and ceremonial importance to the Incas as it was part of their route of pilgrimage to Machu Picchu.

The real highlight of course is on the final day when you finally reach Machu Picchu.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

South America Gay Travel Resources

El Chalten or Torres del Paine? – Nomadic Boys

EL CHALTEN OR TORRES DEL PAINE

Patagonia is synonymous with adventure, mountaineering and wallpaper-like landscapes. If you love trekking, this should be high up on your bucket list of places to visit.

We love our trekking adventures, having spent ample time discovering the Himalayas during our Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, trekking to the Rinjani volcano crater, the 4 days Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and trekking to Ella Rock in Sri Lanka.

Patagonia has two trekking highlights to add to our list: Torres del Paine in Chile and El Chaltén in Argentina. Both offer stunning vistas, images to decorate your Instagram gallery and satisfying trekking adventures you’ll never forget. If however your time is limited, we compare the two to give you an idea of which is best to choose.

Trekking in Torres del Paine: Chile

Torres del Paine is one of the highlights of anyone’s Patagonia itinerary. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was voted one of the 8 Wonders of the World by VirtualTourist.com in 2013 beating off 300 entries from 50 countries.

The trails
The most popular trail is the famous W Circuit, so named because the trail on the map is in the shape of a W. This is normally done in 5-7 days. The climax is reaching the base of the famous Paine towers.

If you don’t like camping, you can instead stay in a nearby hotel and still visit the highlights of the W Circuit as part of day trips. Popular day trip treks include Glacier Gray, the French Valley (Valle del Frances), Mirador Los Cuernos, Mirador Condor, trails around the picturesque Pehoe Lake and the big one, the Base Torres trek.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Chile Gay Travel Resources

Gay Patagonia: Top Ten Highlights – Nomadic Boys

Gay Patagonia

Planning a trip to gay Patagonia is overwhelming. It’s a massive chunk of land: some 1.043 million km² to be exact. This sparsely populated region lies across Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America, with a mix of Andes mountain landscapes, desert, grasslands and ocean. We spent a month travelling across Chubut, Santa Cruz in Argentina and Torres del Paine in Chile. To help inspire your trip, we’ve put together our 10 favourite experiences and things to do in Patagonia.

Stay in a yurt in Torres del Paine

Since our travels in the Gobi desert in Mongolia where we got to stay with nomadic families in their yurts, we really wanted to do this again, but in a luxurious way. Staying in a yurt at the Chile Patagonia Camp is a unique and memorable way to experience the Torres del Paine National Park. Located near the entrance of the Torres del Paine National Park by the shores of Lake Toro, the camp is surrounded by spectacular landscapes. The yurts are absolutely lush. They have a private bathroom, comfy king sized beds and even central heating. You can read more about our yurt glamping experience in our 5 gay friendly hotels to stay in Chile.

Have a conversation with a penguin

Punta Tombo on the coast of the Chubut province in Argentina is home to the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in Latin America. They are around half a meter tall and absolutely adorable! Around 1 million Magellanic penguins gather in Punta Tombo between mid September and mid April where they come to nest, mate, breed and molt (shed their feathers). Interestingly, between April-September they migrate to the warmer climates in South Brazil, where they stay in the water the entire time, even when sleeping. When you meet them, they study you in a way where they turn their head from side to side. This is because their eyes are located on the sides of their face so they need to do this to maximise their field of vision.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Chile Gay Travel Resources

Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Gay Patagonia Hotels – Nomadic Boys

Gay Patagonia Hotels

Gay Patagonia is the place to come if you love adventure and are passionate about wildlife.

We spent 1 month travelling across Patagonia on both the Argentinian and Chilean side in Esquel, Puerto Madryn, El Calafate, El Chalten and Torres del Paine. Along the way, we stayed in some pretty unique places, which most importantly of all, welcomed us as a gay couple.

This is our top 8 favourite gay Patagonia hotels, which we tried, loved and recommend to all LGBT travellers.

#1 Dazzler Hotel in Puerto Madryn (Argentina)

We are one of the many who’ve been dazzled by the Dazzler. It’s a classy and modern hotel located by Las Ramblas, the fun sea front promenade of Puerto Madryn, which is always buzzing with life. When you see the eye candy waiting for you at reception, you appreciate just how gay friendly this place is!

It’s worth spending a couple dollars extra to get the ocean facing rooms so you can enjoy some killer sunrise views. Dazzler is also minutes walking distance from some of the best restaurants in Puerto Madryn, such as Nautico Bistro de Mar and En Mis Fuegos. For more information, check out our gay guide to Puerto Madryn.

Rooms at the Dazzler Hotel start from $65/£52 a night. You can check availability and read more about it on Tripadvisor.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Patagonia – Chile Gay Travel Resources

Gay Patagonia – Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Ten Facts About Gay Patagonia – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Patagonia

Patagonia! That massive chunk of land on the tip of the American continent, split between Chile and Argentina. This is the place for adventure travellers, home to some of the most incredible landscapes we’ve seen, exciting treks as well as a wide variety of wildlife. After a month travelling across this vast region, here are our 10 interesting facts about gay Patagonia we learnt on this stunning journey.

#1 Patagonia means ‘Land of the Big Feet’

The story goes that when Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, first set foot here in 1520, he found large footprints of the natives. Later when he met them, he alleged they were almost twice the size of normal human size, measuring around 4 metres (13ft)! Future explorers also wrote about meeting Patagonian giants, but later criticised for being exaggerations. Fantasy or not, the myth of the giant natives inspired the name for the area, which has been used ever since.

#2 It has the second longest living species on Earth

At 2,600 years old, the Alerces Tree is an interesting fact about Patagonia because it is the second longest living species on our planet. The oldest is the Methuselah (White Mountains in California, USA), which is almost 5,000 yrs old. This famous tree is located in the UNESCO listed Alerces National Park on the Western side of Chubut, Argentina Patagonia, near the Chilean border. The National Park was created in 1937 to protect this family of ancient trees. Can you believe this tree is older than Jesus Christ?

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Patagonia – Chile Gay Travel Resources

Gay Patagonia – Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Killer Whales in Patagonia – Nomadic Boys

Killer Whales

Peninsula Valdes is one the best spots in the world to see killer whales (orcas) in the wild. This is the place they come to hunt and entertain their enthusiastic audience watching on.

Orcas love this particular part of Argentina because of the large abundance of one of their favourite food prey: seal pups. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the orcas close up when they come right up to the beach to catch their supper.

Despite their name, killer whales are not dangerous and there is no evidence of them ever having attacked humans in the wild. Killer whales is the nickname given by the Spanish whalers in the 1700s when they noticed that orcas were hunting whales for food. They have no known predators, so they freely hunt without fear of being attacked by another marine animal. They feed on seals, sea lions, penguins, fish, dolphins, sharks and even whales.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Chile Gay Travel Resources

Gay Puerto Madryn, Argentina

Gay Puerto Madryn - Nomadic Boys

Puerto Madryn is THE super gay friendly destination of Patagonia. We absolutely loved this city in the Chubut region of Argentina and had to feature it on our blog.

Why?

Ring deprived Stefan was quick to point out to Sebastien that gay Puerto Madryn was one of the first cities in Argentina to introduce a Casamiento Express (Express Marriage) package for gay couples in which anyone can get married, with all the formalities in place in just 5 days.

On top of this, there’s so much to do here: you can swim with sea lion pups, have a few conversations with the cute Magellanic penguins, watch orcas, whales, get up close to Commerson’s dolphins and relaxing on the beach. This is our gay travel guide to Puerto Madryn featuring the gay hangouts, places to stay and activities to do.

Map of Gay Puerto Madryn

Argentina has inverted seasons to the US and Europe, so the summer months are between December to February and winter is from June to August. During the summer months you’ll have the warmest weather and optimal beach time. Despite this, Puerto Madryn is a destination you can visit all year round, depending on the wildlife you want to see:

The life and soul of Puerto Madryn is centered around the city’s beautiful promenade, extending from one end of the city to the other.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Argentina Gay Travel Resources