Gay and Lesbian Travel in Africa

Behind the Mask, a website dedicated to gay and lesbian travel in Africa, is a great resource. When you click on a nation you want to visit, you’ll obtain the most up-to-date information on the legal status of homosexuality, arrests and other criminal behavior against homosexual visitors and residents, and other (depressing) details. The Gully is another outstanding LGBT news website that covers Africa. You may read some very depressing accounts of what it’s like to grow up homosexual in Africa, as well as the most recent news on gay-bashing on the continent.

Despite restrictive legislation, many gays and lesbians travel to Africa and have a wonderful time. Ordinarily, laws do not represent the sentiments of the people in the area. If you’re worried about discrimination, keep your distance or travel to South Africa. Another safe option is to join a company or tour that specializes in gay-friendly vacations in Africa. Here are several possibilities: 11-Day “Land of the Pharaohs” Tour of Egypt. This tour is run by Egypt Fun Tours, 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.

Gay and Lesbian Travel Sites in 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, Dahab, and Siwa. The site also offers an extensive bulletin board, separated by 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 Cape Town from Cape Town.tv is 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 gays 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 Travelers Bulletin Board. Covers questions from all over the world, not just Africa.

Travelook.com is a gay and lesbian site geared toward 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, so avoid public displays of affection. People often hold hands as a sign of friendship, especially between men.

Be careful. If you plan to meet local gay men or lesbian women, choose your locations carefully to avoid getting robbed or worse. Most Africans are much poorer than you, so sex may come with 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.

A Royal Commission The History of Al-Rifa'i Mosque

Highly recommended

Salam, This company is very responsive and accommodating. From the moment we started to chat via email, to the moment we left Egypt at the airport, these fellows were very professional. The tour covered most of what we wanted to see! We customized it to our needs and added some

Like two days of touring in one day!

I had a 12 hour stay in Cairo- and had made no plans on how to spend it until 8pm the night before departure. I emailed Egypt Fun Tours in a panic and they responded immediately. They made it incredibly easy to arrange a tour and we made arrangements via

Layover tour of Cairo Pyramids

On a recent trip, I had 8 hours from the time I landed in Cairo to when my next flight was scheduled to leave. Luckily, I arrived in the morning and left in the afternoon, so, not being one to sit around an airport for 8 hours, I visited the

My Dream Came True

I had waited 60 years to get to Egypt; in fact, it was my 60th birthday gift to myself. I went with my oldest daughter, and the experience was excellent. It was meticulously planned by the tour company and was designed for me and my daughter. I never had a

Pyramids in the Mist, Egypt Adventure

Our long drive from Cairo turned into a terrifying flight through Alexandria’s impossibly crowded streets. Our minivan miraculously avoided hitting pedestrians, donkey carts, and old Lada cars. We arrived at the port gates with only 10 minutes to spare. But the guards ignored our U.S. passports, and they refused to