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
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.