July/August 2005 | 10 Gay Adventures of a Lifetime

The Adventure: Palau’s islands are mere specks in the tropical Pacific, but the country has made its mark on the scuba world in a huge way, with many seasoned divers claiming that it has the best diving in the world. Plop your head into the crystal-clear waters to view over 1,500 species of fish and 700 species of coral and anemone—including manta rays, giant clams, sea turtles, chamber nautiluses, manatees, and yes, sharks! (Don’t worry, most are harmless reef sharks.) The 200-plus rock islands in the country’s southern region are mostly uninhabited and brimming with empty beaches and huge mushroom-shaped limestone formations. The southern island of Peleliu was the site of a dramatic battle in World War II, and it offers excellent wreck diving. Palau has under 19,000 inhabitants but sports a modern infrastructure using the U.S. dollar, and everyone speaks American English. When to Go: Palau is always tropically warm, but avoid the stormy months of June and August (February and March are best for avoiding showers).

How to Go Gay

Undersea Expeditions (800-669-0310) organizes worldwide gay and lesbian scuba journeys, with weeklong dive trips in Palau on small live-aboard boats for $2,695 (not including airfare).



Horseback Riding in Mongolia

The Adventure: An awesome expanse of space and magical light is what an adventure in Mongolia is all about. Horses are everywhere—some say that Mongolians invented horseback riding—and what better way to see the countryside than in a saddle? You can buy your own horse for about $150 (some serious riders even bring their own saddles), or rent a horse for $10 a day, or the easiest option: join a group tour. One of the main attractions is the sacred Khövsgöl Nuur, an alpine lake with a surface area of over 1,000 square miles near the Russian border in a national park. It’s surrounded by dozens of mountains over 6,000 feet high and replete with thick pine forests and lush meadows with grazing horses and yaks. Camp out with your horse under a planetarium-like sky or in a yurt, the traditional round tent of Central Asia. When to Go: The only good time to visit Mongolia is summer, from June to September. July is the month of the not-to-be-missed Naadam Festival, a national holiday celebrating the Three Manly Sports of archery, horseback riding, and wrestling, performed by beefy, briefs-clad contestants.

How to Go Gay

Mongolia-based Mongolia Gay Travel (011-976-9923-4132) organizes customized tours for gay visitors, including horseback trips. U.S.-based gay-marketed Snow Lion Expeditions (800-525-8735) has an 18-day tour of Khövsgöl Nuur (including 9 days on horseback) for $3,900. And Toronto-based Footprints Travel (888-962-6211) also customizes gay adventure tours of Mongolia.



Cruising Down the Amazon

The Adventure: The world’s second-longest river is part of a basin containing thousands of square miles of tributaries and jungle that spans eight countries. With over 2,000 navigable miles, you can hop aboard one of the double-decked, shallow-bottomed river boats complete with air-conditioned cabins, private bathrooms, and canopied observation decks up top. There’s even a washing machine for you clotheshorses who need a constant rotation of outfits! These boats tow 22-foot canoes for expeditions on the smaller tributaries for bird watching, fishing, or photography. The best route is upstream from Manaus, Brazil (a city of 1.8 million people in the middle of the basin), up into the unspoiled Indian-populated Rio Negro. The sloths, monkeys, and butterflies show you why this natural treasure should be saved. And rejoice: The river’s tannic acid prevents mosquitoes from breeding and sucking the life out of your vacation. When to Go: The Amazon doesn’t experience much seasonal variation, although the river is at its lowest around November, allowing for more exploration on foot.

How to Go Gay

Alyson Adventures (800-825-9766) offers the only gay 13-day cruise on the Amazon and Rio Negro for $3,395 including airfare from Miami. South America Gay Travel (866-724-2988) has simple Amazon cruises starting at two nights for $460. Ecuador-based Zenith Travel (011-593-2-252-9993) is a gay-operated agency that books Amazon lodges starting around from $460 for five nights, including flights from Quito.




Rafting the Grand Canyon

The Adventure: The most spectacular natural masterpiece in the United States, the Grand Canyon approximates a time-travel journey to the primeval center of the earth. The inner canyon is accessible only by hiking, by mule, or by rafting the Colorado River, which snakes 277 miles through this colossal chasm with over 70 major rapids. Many rafting expeditions depart from Lee’s Ferry, located at the narrow northeast corner of the park, and travel over 200 miles into the canyon. (Because temperatures can soar to 118 degrees at the height of summer, we recommend the more hydrating option.) Infinite shades of pink, red, and brown stratified rock, some nearly two billion years old, tower a mile overhead as you stop to camp on the riverbanks, exploring Anasazi ruins and breathtaking waterfalls along the way. When to Go: The North Rim is closed from mid October to mid May due to snow, but the South Rim is open year-round. The best time for river rafting is April through October.

How to Go Gay

Toto Tours (800-565-1241) offers a weeklong Family Values (ages 16 and up welcome) expedition for $1,795. And Alyson Adventures (800-825-9766) is gearing up for four 10-day trips this summer (and possibly five next year) at $2,595 each. If you’d rather stay dry, Olivia Outdoors (800-631-6277) offers a women-only Grand Canyon biking and walking tour.



On Safari in Botswana

The Adventure: The southern African nation of Botswana is the gold standard for well-heeled safarigoers. Why? English-speaking, Texas-size Botswana has forgone the ultrapackaged and crowded (six vans around one lion) safari tours of East Africa by choosing instead a higher-priced, lower-impact, and more down-to-earth form of tourism, limiting the number of tourists and allowing for more of a virginal experience of the Kalahari Desert, one of Africa’s great open landscapes. The nation’s progressive government is tough on poachers and hunters and has set aside a whopping 17% of the country as parkland. Botswana also has Africa’s most far-reaching publicly funded AIDS health care program. When to Go: Avoid the muddy summer wet season and head to Botswana in its winter (April through August), since wildlife congregate at specific water sources during this drier season.

How to Go Gay

Gay2Afrika (866-429-2237, ext. 207) offers half a dozen safari packages to Botswana, starting at $2,695 including airfare from the United States, while Coda International Tours (561-791-9880) combines a South Africa and Botswana safari package for $5,095, excluding airfare. Gay-owned Heritage Tours (800-378-4555) has a weeklong Botswana safari starting at $1,995, and South Africa–based Africa Outing (011-27-21-671-4028) customizes gay safari trips in Botswana as well.



Bike tour of Cuba

The Adventure: One of the final travel frontiers for Americans, the Caribbean’s largest island has sumptuous scenery, culture, 10 million fairly miserable (yet still charming) people, and paradoxically the world’s most gay-tolerant dictatorship. Cuba is a time warp stuck in the ’50s—so touring it the old-fashioned way on a one- or two-week bicycle trip out of Havana is the perfect means to see the city’s decaying architecture and the lush countryside of waving sugar cane, plus bicycles make organic sense given the languid tropical setting and the slow pace of island life. You’ll also be surprised how robust Havana’s ambiente (gay scene) is. Just head to the corner Yara cinema in the Vedado district any Thursday through Sunday night and the queens will be more than happy to tell you about the gay fiesta for that night—in venues as varied as a prerevolution country club and a banana field, with hundreds of party boys (and some girls) anxious to meet foreigners. When to Go: Winter is delicious, but avoid the wilting heat from May through August. Keep in mind that June through November is hurricane season.

How to Go Gay

The federal government’s hard line against travel to Cuba has forced U.S. travelers to carefully go via other countries, not getting Cuban stamps in their passports nor stating Cuba as a destination to U.S. immigration. If you want to fly through Canada, try WoWCuba (800-969-2822), which offers gay-friendly bike tours of four to 12 people for roughly $1,820 a week including meals, hotels, bikes, and guides. The only organized gay tours to Cuba can be booked through Canada–based Cuba Education Tours (877-687-3817), which hosts gay-themed educational trips starting at $700 a week.



Kayaking Alaska’s Prince William Sound

The Adventure: Alaska’s remarkable Prince William Sound—yes, the same one made famous by the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989—is one of the country’s greatest wonders, with sea otters, seals, whales, and glaciers breaking off in apartment building–size chunks of Windex-blue ice as well as hundreds of uninhabited islands and hidden bays. Despite the environmental catastrophe of the past, the sound is a naturalist’s and camper’s delight, and a slow kayak trip is the only way to experience the area up close and quietly, stopping for frequent breaks on its empty beaches. When to Go: Mid May to August is the only time to kayak the sound, and the best time to visit Alaska is the always-daylight summertime (but be warned: the flies can be ferocious).

How to Go Gay

From the funky, tiny (population 300) town of Whittier—just a half day’s drive from Anchorage’s gay bars and B&Bs—Out in Alaska (907-347-2214) offers one day of kayaking on Prince William Sound as part of their eight-night, $2,450 Copper Canyon Adventure (which also includes visits to national parks and rafting). In the town of Valdez, try the lesbian-owned boat charter Wild Iris (907-474-4047), which can ferry you and kayaks to the sound.

The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. We suggest that you confirm all details directly with the establishments mentioned before making travel plans. Please feel free to e-mail us at update@outtraveler.com if you have any new information.