Be Informed about Gay and Lesbian Issues in Africa
An excellent place to get information about gay and lesbian affairs in Africa is a web site called Behind the Mask. Click on a country you are interested in traveling to and you will get the latest information about the legal status of homosexuality, arrests and other criminal activity against homosexual tourists/locals and more (depressing) information.Another good gay news web site with Africa coverage is The Gully. You can read some rather sad reports about what it's like growing up as a gay man in Africa as well as the latest news on gay-bashing around the continent.
Despite the discriminatory laws many gays and lesbians still travel to Africa and have a great time. Laws commonly do not reflect the attitudes of local people. If you are afraid of being discriminated against then just be discreet or travel to South Africa. Another safe way to travel is with a group or tour that offers gay-friendly vacations in Africa. Here are some options:
Gay and Lesbian Tours to Africa
- 9 Day Tour to South Africa from Gay Travel. This luxury tour includes Cape Town, Johannesburg and visits to several game lodges. Price per person starts at $3195.00.
- 7 Day Tour of Cape Town. The tour will show off all Cape Town has to offer in an extraordinarily gay-friendly environment. Dine on gourmet meals, marvel at the spectacular view from Table Mountain, enjoy the finest wines South Africa has to offer and to top it all off you can end the tour whale watching at Hermanus.
- 11 Days "Land of the Pharaohs" Tour of Egypt. This tour is run by Mantrav Vactions, a gay-friendly tour operator, and covers the basic historical sights in Egypt. The tour includes Cairo, Luxor, a cruise down the Nile, Abu Simbel and of course the Pyramids of Giza.
- 11 Day Tour of Morocco. This tour is run by Mantrav Vacations, a gay-friendly tour operator based in the US. The tour includes Morocco's imperial cities of Marrakesh and Fez and the beautiful town of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.
- Gay 2 Afrika an American based tour company offers a wide range of tours and safaris to several destinations in East Africa, Southern Africa and the beautiful beaches of the Indian Ocean islands including Madagascar and the Seychelles.
- Hermes Tours is a gay and lesbian tour operator which offers several tours to Africa including Egypt, Kenya and Uganda. These are comfortable, guided tours with a good mix of culture and adventure in a gay-friendly environment.
Gay and Lesbian Travel Sites to Africa
If you prefer to travel independently there are also plenty of gay and lesbian travel sites to help you research your trip to Africa. Here are a few examples:
- Gay Egypt. This site offers gay guides to Cairo, Alexandria, Sharm-el Sheik, Aswan, Daha and Siwa. The site also offers an extensive bulletin board separated per country. You have to be 18 years old to post.
- Gay Morocco - Myths and Realities from a UK based Gay travel site. This is a good article about traveling to Morocco and what you can expect as a gay tourist.
- Gay Guide to Capetown from capetown.tv the city's top gay guide. Cape Town is probably the friendliest city in Africa for gays and lesbians. Gay and Lesbian rights are written into the South African constitution (the first country in the world to do so) so you can be out and proud without having to worry.
Of course there are also plenty of sites offering bulletin boards for their members to meet other gay people from all over Africa. Given the fact that homosexuality is illegal in many countries it would really benefit you to get in touch with local gay men and lesbian women to find out where the gay-friendly bars, restaurants and hotels are in the respective African countries.
Gay and Lesbian Travel Bulletin Boards
- Behind The Mask has a good bulletin board for gay and lesbians in Africa. There's a general discussion board as well as separate ones for the ladies and the men.
- GayEgypt has bulletin boards separated by country (Egypt, Morocco and other Arab countries).
- Lonely Planet Gay and Lesbian travellers bulletin board. Covers questions from all over the world, not just Africa.
- Travelook.com is a gay and lesbian site geared to finding gay-friendly hotels, travel companions and more. Not Africa specific but a good place to ask your Africa related questions and perhaps someone to travel with.
Tips For Gay and Lesbian Travelers to Africa
- Be discreet. African culture is generally socially conservative and public displays of affection (regardless of sexual orientation) is considered offensive. Hand holding between male friends is common but is just a sign of friendship.
- Be careful. If you are planning to meet local gay men or lesbian women be careful about where you go with them so you don't end up getting robbed or worse. Remember most Africans are much poorer than you are so sex may come at a price.
- Be safe. Always use precautions if you are planning to have sex while traveling in Africa. HIV/AIDS is very prevalent especially in East, Central and Southern Africa.
