Snorkeling Gay El Nido in the Philippines – The Nomadic Boys

Snorkeling Gay El Nido in the Philippines - The Nomadic Boys

Is this Paradise? Yes, it is. We’ve found it. Right here at the northern tip of Palawan Island in the Philippines: El Nido!

We came to gay El Nido during our big trip in the Philippines and ended up staying for a few weeks. It turned into a big underwater adventure – we went one time and wanted more and more. It is an underwater lover’s wet dream. It has many healthy coral reefs, underwater landscapes and an abundance of marine life with over 800 fish species. Almost every time we dipped our head into these turquoise waters it was like we were entering a whole new world – so many colors, fish and even a few turtles and rays passing by!

Snorkeling Gay El Nido

Joining one of the four famous snorkeling tours in El Nido (A, B, C or D) is the most accessible way to get a flavor of this magical underwater world: no diving experience is required, it’s fully guided and very secure.

In this article, we’ve summarised our experience with each of these four snorkeling tours of El Nido to help you pick the best one for you.

Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

Gay Boracay – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Boracay - The Nomadic Boys

“Stefan, let’s go to Boracay and become beautiful mermaids!”

The thing is, Seby wasn’t joking when he said this to me as we were planning our Philippines trip. He showed me the Boracay Mermaids Instagram profile and exclaimed proudly – “this is going to be us!”

And sure enough it was!

Along with our mermaid adventures along Boracay’s gorgeous White Beach (more about this below!), this tropical Filipino island offers so much for LGBTQ travellers. It has an exciting (albeit small) gay scene to check out with many excellent gay friendly hotels, secluded beaches and highly rated restaurants.

Boracay used to be infamous for being a crazy party island where anything goes! However, things got so raucous and out-of-hand that the government decided to close it for a big 6 month clean up in 2018. Post-clean up, Boracay is as buzzing as it was before, but a lot cleaner, with stricter rules in place to adhere to in order to keep it clean.

Following our visit to Boracay, we’ve put together this detailed gay guide summarising the best gay hotels to stay, places to go out, things to do and other practical tips for LGBTQ travellers. We’ve also included a section about the rules in place in Boracay after the big 2018 cleanup.

Is Gay Boracay safe for travellers?

Absolutely!

The Philippines is generally a gay friendly country, particularly by Asian standards: we’d certainly rank it as one of the most gay friendly countries in Asia. This is largely down to the fact that despite being a very Catholic country, the Filipinos are extremely hospitable and welcoming. They are eager to please and show off their country, especially to foreigners.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

Gay Friendly Philippines – Nomadic Boys

Gay Friendly Philippines - Nomadic Boys

We absolutely fell in love with the gay friendly Philippines. It was the big surprise from our big trip around Asia. Most travellers backpacking around Asia also told us the same thing – they came to the Philippines with low expectations but ended up leaving completely besotted with the place!

The Philippines has 7,641 islands of which only 2,000 are inhabited. That’s a shed load of tropical beaches to discover. The country also straddles the Coral Triangle, which makes it a paradise for underwater adventurers – we had some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving experiences here, particularly in the waters around Palawan.

And, it’s super gay friendly! We rate the Philippines as one of the most gay friendly countries in Asia. Whilst it has a long way to go with its LGBTQ laws (as does almost every country in Asia), this was one of the rare countries in Asia where we felt super welcome as a gay couple.

We put this down to the Filipinos. They are extremely friendly, warm and fun-loving people – the “Filipino hospitality” is a thing which they highly value.

We were fortunate to make many LGBTQ Filipino friends during our travels, both in the gay friendly Philippines and elsewhere. We reached out to them to give us their opinion on why they think the Philippines is so gay friendly and awesome! We specifically asked each of them to answer these 2 questions and have printed their answers below.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

The Dinagat Islands – Keep Calm and Wander

The alarm wakes me up at three in the morning. It’s time to get up and catch the 3:30 bus for Surigao City from Butuan City. By 7, the early morning breeze kisses me as I sit in a motorized boat. Today, I am crossing the Pacific Ocean through Surigao Strait. I’m on my way to explore the mythical group of islands in Caraga Region in the Southeastern part of the Philippines.

The Dinagat Islands

They say that traveling to this place must be done early in the morning to avoid big waves. I’ve heard a lot of stories on how beautiful Dinagat is – unpolluted air, crystal oceans, and white beaches. I was intrigued by all the adjectives my friends used to describe this place – and I can’t wait to see it myself. They told me, too, that there’s an abundance of seafood – and I’m planning to devour as much as I could. 

Our first stop was at San Jose, the island’s capital and center of commerce and trade. If you are planning to discover the entire island or go island hopping, you should buy the things you need from here.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Kasawan Falls in the Philippines – The Globetrotter Guys

Kawasan Falls - The Globetrotter Guys

The Philippines are incredible and one of our favourite places that we have travelled to in South East Asia. The Philippines has some of the most beautiful beaches, islands, crystal clear waters and also some of the best adventure activities. One of our favourite adventure activities during our time in the Philippines was going to Kawasan Falls and canyoneering in Cebu. It is a must!

Here is everything you need to know about Kawasan Falls and canyoneering in Cebu (specifically Badian).

About Kawasan Falls, Cebu

Kawasan Falls are considered to be the most famous and one of the most beautiful sets of waterfalls in the Philippines.

Kawasan Falls can be found on the island of Cebu, 130km southwest of Cebu City in the mountains of Badian. People are drawn here by the vibrant turquoise waters, the lush jungle and the chance to have an adventure, including of course, canyoneering Kawasan Falls!

Most people will do a day trip to Kawasan Falls to spend the morning canyoneering and the afternoon relaxing by the falls. You even have the option of jumping on-board a bamboo raft and floating under the falls themselves!

Gay Philippines: Local Gay Stories – The Globetrotter Guys

Gay Philippines

In 2018 we visited the Philippines for our honeymoon and fell in love with the country. From a tourist perspective, as a gay couple in the Philippines we had no problems at all. However, we are always interested to learn about what it is like to be LGBT in a country from a local perspective and not through a rose tinted tourist lens.

This is why we got in contact with Brix, a Filipino local to learn more about what it is like to be gay in the Philippines. Check out his interview below!

Hi Brix, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Thank for the opportunity to share a bit of my life experience and insights on LGBTQ travel in the Philippines and my hometown. My name is Ruel Perez, my friends call me Brix. I may look young but I am 30 years old. I used to work in tourism & hospitality and trading in different parts of the world. After traveling around 30 countries I came back to my town, built a farmhouse and became a gardener. I am currently running for town Mayor to fight against corruption and raise awareness for LGBTQ rights in the Philippines.

By Sion and Ben – Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

 

A Gay Honeymoon in the Philippines

gay honeymoon - the Philippines - The Globetrotter Guys

Deciding on the perfect gay honeymoon destination when we got married in 2017 was difficult to say the least. You want to go somewhere beautiful, a once in a lifetime destination where you can openly be yourselves and enjoy the first few weeks of married life together.

The last thing that you want to experience on your gay honeymoon is any form of discrimination or prejudice, which is why it can be tricky to find that perfect place. Many of the stereotypical ‘go to’ honeymoon destinations such as the Maldives or Mauritius aren’t safe for gay couples. In these places same-sex activity is actually illegal, with severe consequences, and that’s not something you ever want to have to worry about, let alone on your honeymoon.

However, after lots of research we did find the perfect gay honeymoon destination for us: the Philippines!

It ticked every single box for us. Stunning beaches, perfect turquoise waters for scuba diving, lots of islands to explore, and a great mix of adventure and relaxation. Plus there are lots of romantic places in the Philippines making it perfect for honeymooners! Taking into account that the Philippines has been ranked as one of the most gay friendly places in Asia, we knew we were onto a winner.

We spent three weeks in the Philippines – one week on the island of Cebu (Mactan Island), one week in Palawan (El Nido) and one week in Boracay. Read on to learn everything you need to know. Fair warning – by the end you will want to book a flight right away!

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

Queer Boracay, Philippines – Gay Star News

queer Boracay, Philippines

The Philippines is a fascinating country. Consisting of over 7,000 islands, this is a part of the world that you can spend months exploring. However if you only have limited time and you’re wanting a bit of a beach holiday, then you are going to end up at queer Boracay.

Boracay is one of the best beaches in Asia, and when you are looking at beach holidays in the Philippines then Boracay is probably the easiest one to get to – normally about a one hour flight from the capital Manila. I was in Manila in June 2014 – spending time with my friends Silba and Deanna (and their young son Harvey).

Caticlan is the airport that services Boracay. Once you land at Caticlan you have to take a short bus trip and then a short ferry ride in order to get to Boracay.

We were staying at Jony’s Beach Resort – friendly and modern, just across the road from the beach. After a couple of margaritas looking out over the water, we strolled along the beach to find somewhere for dinner. The beach is full of bars and restaurants – it reminded me a little bit of Koh Samui in Thailand.

By Gareth Johnson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

The Gay Philippines – Gay Star News

Manila - Gay Philippines - Pixabay

The Gay Philippines is the most gay-friendly country in Asia, whose gay community has developed its own culture. ‘Bakla’ means homosexual in the Filipino language, while gay people are often considered a 3rd gender.

The LGBT community of the Philippines enjoys the majority of the human rights, especially compared to other Asian countries. Same-sex marriage isn’t legal there yet unfortunately, but it has been discussed several times by the Congress.

In addition to the good living standards of the country’s gay community, Philippines is an excellent destination for gay vacations. You could take your friends or your other half. Gay families are also welcome. The resorts are capable of giving you a full experience of the destination featuring a wide diversity of activities that you can do with your family.

Keep reading to discover some of the most popular gay destinations in the Philippines, and see some of the best gay-friendly hotels and resorts!

By Paraskevas Sklavos – Full Story at Gay Star News