Visiting Gay Bogota, Colombia – Keep Calm and Wander

Visiting Gay Bogota, Colombia - Keep Calm and Wander

Visiting Gay Bogota – From La Candelaria to the Gold Museum

Bogota, the vibrant and lively capital of Colombia, offers a wealth of exciting things to do and see for visitors who are only in the city for a day. From its rich cultural heritage and vibrant nightlife to its breathtaking natural beauty and bustling street markets, there is something for everyone in this diverse and dynamic city. Here are some of the top things to do in gay Bogota for a day.

First, take a stroll through the historic center of the city, known as La Candelaria. This charming neighborhood is filled with colonial-era buildings, cobblestone streets, and vibrant street art. Visit the historic Plaza de Bolivar, the heart of the city, and the stunning Catedral Primada, the oldest cathedral in Colombia.

Next, head to the gold museum, known locally as the Museo del Oro. Located in the heart of La Candelaria, this museum is home to one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian gold in the world. The museum offers fascinating insights into the history and culture of the indigenous people of Colombia.

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Bogota Gay Travel Resources

Visiting Botero Museum in Bogota – Keep Calm and Wander

Visiting Botero Museum in Bogota - Keep Calm and Wander

The Botero Museum in Bogota is a must-see destination that will blow your mind away. It’s not your regular museum infested with European paintings but with the works of Colombia’s living artist – Fernando Botero. Even if you’ve never heard of his name, you have seen some of his works.

The first time I read about Fernando Botero was on a 30-minute train ride from Bratislava to Vienna. Someone left a magazine on a seat next to mine, and I found a feature of Botero’s paintings and sculptures. His works are definitely one of a kind, something you should see before your naked eyes.

Visiting the Botero Museum in Bogota

Botero is, perhaps, fascinated with oversized characters of humans, animals, and objects. You could describe them as fat, plump, or chubby. Or others might say, cute. And one thing I notice is that – all his subjects have flawless, smooth skin!

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Bogota Gay Travel Resources

Visiting Gay Monserrate in Bogota, Colombia – Keep Calm and Wander

Visiting Gay Monserrate in Bogota, Colombia - Keep Calm and Wander

Visiting Gay Monserrate in Colombia

Visiting gay Monserrate in Bogota was the first on our itinerary when we happened to have a 16-hour layover in Colombia. We left the airport at 7:30 in the morning, and our tour guide was already waiting for us at the gate, and he whisked us off immediately to our first destination – 10,000 feet above sea level.

There are two ways to reach Monserrate: on foot or by taking a funicular or a cable car. We opted for the former because we wanted to see more in such a short time.

When we arrived at the ticket booth, we were among the few tourists going up. There was no line-up, so it was easy breezy for us. As we started our ascent, the views of the city slowly revealed through broken clouds. We were really hoping that the clouds would be gone by the time we arrived at the top of the hill.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Bogota Gay Travel Resources

Gay Colombia – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Colombia - The Nomadic Boys
  • Gay mega clubbing with 5,000 Colombian boys in Bogota? Tick!
  • Swimming in a rainbow river, the Caño Cristales? Tick!
  • Remote paradisiac Caribbean Islands like Providencia? Tick!
  • Partying in the most exciting Carnival of South America outside of Rio? Tick!
  • Sniffin’ up tons of fresh cocaine in Pedro-Escobar-heartland: Medellin? Ti…no wait…

…you may also have been inspired to visit this incredible country from Netflix’s Narcos series, but as every Colombian will rightly tell you, the awful cocaine industry that gripped the country with an ugly civil war for decades is now ancient history. And good riddance to it!

Colombia has evolved to not only become one of the best and safest tourist destinations in all of South America, it has also become one of the most gay friendly.

We spent 6 months travelling in Colombia during our big trip in Latin America, using Medellin and Bogota as a base. We cannot rave enough about it! We were captivated, mesmerised and totally impressed. Colombia is such a rewarding destination offering beaches, culture, gay scene, loads of partying, beautiful landscapes, and some of the hottest people to walk our planet!

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Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Medellin Gay Hotels – The Nomadic Boys

Medellin is Colombia’s second city. What used to be the capital of a billion-dollar cocaine industry has now transformed into an exciting, super modern and buzzing gay friendly metropolis.

The Paisas (the nickname of people from Medellin) often compete with the Rolos (the nickname given to the people from Bogota) as to who is better. A common joke is that Medellin has the best weather (the “City of Eternal Spring”) and unlike Bogota, has managed to build a successful public transport system – honestly, mention that to them and it will spark a whoooole long conversation about it!

In terms of the gay scene, however, Bogota wins for us hands down simply because of the incredible super club, Theatron! The gay scene of Medellin is just as vibrant to explore, of course, particularly around El Poblado, where the majority of the city’s best nightlife can be found.

We spent almost a year living in Medellin and during that period we were fortunate enough to try out various different places to stay. We’ve put together our 6 best gay friendly hotels in Medellin for gay travellers, where you can feel confident you’ll be welcomed as a queer traveller and won’t have any problems getting a double bed.

Where to base yourself in Medellin

The majority of the best gay bars and clubs of Medellin can be found in and around El Poblado. This was definitely one of our favourite parts of Medellin as you’re close to the main gay bars as well as to the city’s best restaurants. The majority of the best luxury hotel brands are in Poblado, but the downside is that it is not cheap: this is one of the most expensive parts of the city!

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Medellin Gay Travel Resources

Medellin Gay Bars – The Nomadic Boys

Whilst Bogota in Colombia is home to the largest gay club in South America, Medellin is notorious for having the most beautiful guys…the famous hot singer, Maluma, is a Paisa boy…just sayin’…

The people from Medellin and the area around it are nicknamed “Paisas”.

Mmm mmm! Gimme some of that sweet Maluma sugar any day of the week
They are a proud and fun bunch who live in a city notorious for having an “eternal spring” weather throughout the year. As such, it makes it a popular base for digital nomads and startups. We based ourselves in Medellin for almost a year because of this.

Medellin also has a fun gay scene to explore. Whilst it’s not as big as the Chapinero gay scene of Bogota, there are still plenty of awesome Medellin gay bars to check out, which we’ve summarised in this article. For more, be sure to check out our comprehensive gay guide to Medellin.

Where are the Medellin Gay Bars?

The majority of the gay bars of Medellin are located in the “El Poblado” area. This is the touristic beating heart of Medellin, where the city’s best hotels, restaurants and nightlife can be found. It’s a lot of fun here. There’s always an electric and young vibe, particularly at weekends. The Paisas love to party and will quickly embrace you.

Outside of El Poblado, there are gay bars dotted around in other neighbourhoods of Medellin, particularly in the downtown “Candelaria” area and the more residential “Laureles”, which is where we based ourselves.

Gay Medellin – The Nomadic Boys

Medellin used to be considered the crime capital of Colombia, this is the city where drug lord Pablo Escobar reigned during the 70s and 80s. However, over the past 15 years, it has undergone a huge transition to become one of the safest and most advanced places in the entire country.

Medellin is a very gay-friendly city. The paisas (people of Medellin) are very welcoming and love to meet foreigners. Whilst its gay scene is not as big as Bogota’s, there are still loads of gay hangouts, largely based in Poblado. What impressed us the most was a public sign we spotted in our hotel, which sets out the various police fines you can get: one of them was for homophobic abuse, which carries a fine of 657,000 Colombian pesos ($224). The fact that this is so prominently displayed in a public area speaks volumes about safety here for LGBTQ travellers!

We spent 4 months in Medellin, using it as a home base during our big trip in Latin America, and we loved it. This is our gay guide to Medellin featuring all our favourite gay bars, clubs, gay-friendly hotels to stay at and things to do.

Is Medellin safe for gay travellers?

Medellin is Colombia’s second-largest city. It is very modern and extremely progressive. While Colombia is a majority Catholic country, and quite conservative in some ways, big cities like Medellin are becoming very accepting towards its LGBTQ community. Nowhere is this more evident than during Medellin’s gay Pride festival where the entire community takes part to celebrate and support gay rights in a truly Latin fiesta style!

We never felt unwelcome or experienced any hostility from the locals during our time in Medellin, although be aware that some areas of the city should be avoided, particularly at night time, whether you are gay or straight.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Theotron, the Ultimate Gay Club – The Nomadic Boys

Theotron, the Ultimate Gay Club - The Nomadic Boys

5,000 Colombian gay boys partying away in the same club? What’s not to love…!

Theatron makes theatre out of a clubbing experience. From the castle-like architecture to the epic dancefloor production, Theatron grabs its patrons by the throat and thrusts them into an experience they’ll never forget. It’s where all the gay folk of Bogota end their Saturday evening and serves as the ultimate finale to a night out.

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Gay Bogota – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Bogota - The Nomadic Boys

Ever been to a club with 5,000 other gay boys with 13 rooms spread across 5 floors?

Neither had we until we went to the huge Theatron gay club in Colombia’s capital city, Bogota. The gay scene here is all about this infamous mega-club, which is the largest in Latin America. It’s like no other place we’ve ever been to and is certainly the largest gay club we’ve visited.

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Gay Cartagena – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Cartagena

Lonely Planet calls Cartagena the undisputed queen of the Caribbean coast…well that was before these two queens sashayed their way into Colombia’s most touristic city!

The fifth-largest city in Colombia, Cartagena’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We adored the city’s mix of old and new architectural design. A sprawling maze of cobblestone alleys, colourful colonial-style buildings, and vines of shrubs climbing down the sides of ancient walls could be found on one side. Towering silver skyscrapers and industrial catwalks can be seen on the other.

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