Gay And Lesbian Destinations In South And Central America
When is the best time for gays and lesbians to travel to South and Central America?
What are popular gay and lesbian destinations in Mexico?
What are popular gay and lesbian destinations in Argentina?
Argentina - Buenos Aires is the most popular gay and lesbian destination. I was there in the month of February. Your dollar goes very far - for shopping, for hotels, restaurants, Buenos Aires is really it. If you want to go skiing, there are some great skiing destinations as well, but you have to go in what is their winter, which is our summer, and if you want to, Las Lenas is a skiing destination in Argentina. The other destination that I would highly recommend in Argentina is Iguazu Falls; you can either go on the Brazilian side, or the Argentinean side. The Argentinean side is actually a better value, because of the exchange rate. Iguazu Falls is one of those once in a lifetime places that you need to see.
What are popular gay and lesbian destinations in Chile?
If people are going to Chile, you really want to go for an active vacation. Santiago is a great city, but it's probably a couple of days city. You don't want to go to Santiago for a week. If you go south of Santiago, Chile, fly fishing, mountain biking, and hiking is where you want to go. If you're going to Chile, you want to get out into the countryside.
What are popular gay and lesbian destinations in Brazil?
People often forget how big Brazil is - it's a massive country. You have to make those decisions on what's important to you when you're traveling. There's a safety factor in anywhere that you go in Brazil, so you have to take that into consideration. Rio is Rio. It is a place that is overwhelming - the beaches are spectacular and the nightlife is exceptional. That's Rio. On the other hand, you can go to Recife in the north, or Salvador in the north, where there are beautiful beaches and a great community. It is safer, and a lot easier to get to. Going back to Igazu Falls, you could go on the Brazilian side as well, although it's a better value to go on the Argentinean side. The other thing is The Amazon, go to Manaus and go up the Amazon. There's some very nice eco-lodges that are out there and that are welcoming to gays and lesbians. That's a totally different experience. If you want to go to the Amazon, you'd better be ready.
What are popular gay and lesbian destinations in Peru?
Peru is an up and coming destination, and there are some wonderful organized trips to Peru. In fact, a good friend of mine just got back from one and said it was the best vacation of his life. Lima is the capital city, and it's a large city with exceptional restaurants. If you want to try some unique food, the cuisine of Peru is really up and up, on it's way up. If you're going to go to Peru, you have to go to Machu Picchu. It is one of the great cultural sites in the world and can be combined with active vacation as well. White water rafting and hiking. If you are going to Machu Piccu though, if you are sensitive to altitude, it's something to keep in mind.
What are popular gay and lesbian beach destinations in South and Central America?
What are some money-saving tips for gays and lesbians traveling through South and Central America?
Now is the time to go to Central and South America. For example, Ecuador - the currency of Ecuador is the dollar, and your dollar goes very far. It's a really good time to go to the Galapagos Islands. Do your adventure vacations in Ecuador. Because of the peg of the peso to the dollar, this is also the time to go to Argentina because your dollar goes so far. Guatemala, Honduras, go to the ruins of Copan. You can stay in wonderful four-star hotels for $150 a night. The other thing on money saving is that those are great destinations for spa services. If you really want facials or massage, it's a third of the price of what you'd pay in this country.
What are some safety tips for gays and lesbians traveling through South and Central America?
One of the shocking things when you go into Central and South America - and it will be shocking, and people need to know this - is that most stores, banks or gas stations have armed guards in front of them, because there are places where crime is tough. Guatemala City is a very difficult destination, although you need to go through Guatemala City to get to places. Avoid big cities, if you can. You really don't want to go to Central America. Certainly Central America, you don't want to go to the big cities. You're going to those places to either see the ruins or go out and have your active vacation. When it comes to South America, again you do have to be really careful of the big cities. Lima is a very difficult city, but any of the big Brazilian cities are tough. I don't want you to avoid them, but use common sense. Talk to the people at the hotel, and listen to the local people on what you should do. If you follow that, you're going to be fine.
What are some lesser-known gay and lesbian destinations in South and Central America?
When you look at secondary cities in Latin America, or secondary countries like Ecuador or the Galapagos Islands, people are going, it's a great active - and your dollar goes a long way. Uruguay - people don't often think of Uruguay, but there is a resort destination in Uruguay called Punta del Este. It's where the Argentineans go, so half of Buenos Aires gets up and leaves. It is a rocking destination, and beautiful. I was there a couple of months ago - there are exceptional restaurants, and a very good value. Most people have never been to Uruguay, and I would recommend it. One of the destinations that's really up and coming is Panama. Panama City's interesting - it can be a little dangerous, but if you're careful it is fine. It's the adventure side of Panama, to get out into the countryside of Panama, that's a good time for people to go, and you should consider it.
What South and Central American cites should gays and lesbians avoid?
I haven't really talked about Venezuela, and I haven't talked about Columbia. Venezuela has Eastland Margherita, which is off the coast of Venezuela. If you're going to go to Venezuela, go to Eastland Margherita. Caracas is just a difficult city. The big cities of Columbia are probably to be avoided for a lot of reasons. Back to Brazil - in those big Brazilian cities you have to be very, very careful.
