TripOut Gay Travel:
Bogota

Colombia’s one step ahead of you. It knows what you think, and it’s out to prove you wrong. Hence a recent TV PR campaign that opened with the ominous warning, “You’re at a risk when you come to Colombia…” which literally scared the bejeezus out of me on my first morning in Bogota. Fortunately, after a montage of the country’s myriad glories, the real truth was revealed: “The only risk is wanting to stay.”

One day Colombia will be able to put its recent past fully behind it, but for now it knows it’s still shaking off its perception as a lawless land of anti-government rebels and drug kingpins. Bogatanos are refreshingly frank about their not-so-distant history, when as little as a decade ago one literally couldn’t travel on the highway out of town for fear of being attacked by FARC guerillas. But thanks to intense (and indeed ongoing) efforts by the country’s much-beloved President Alvaro Uribe, those days are gone, and it now seems all of Colombia is re-energized and ready to move headlong into the bright future the country so deserves.

What that translates into for the Bogota visitor is a seven million strong city that not only feels completely safe, but is shockingly rich in its line-up of gayrific offerings, with lively and wildly diverse scenes in music, art, fashion, dining and nightlife, just to name a few. While the rest of the world looked the other way, Bogota quietly continued building on its reputation as the Athens of South America, home to a heady mix of universities, museums and high culture. Cap all that with an exploding LGBT scene, proximity to the U.S. (just three hours from Miami, five and a half from New York), superb side-trip options (magical Medellin, Caribbean-cool Cartagena, etc.), and a huge dose of gracious Colombian hospitality, and in Bogota you’ve got all the makings of a Next Big Gay Destination.

Need recommendations on hotels, restaurants, and other points of interest?

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