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Colombia is one of our favorite countries in South America. So we decided to creat an LGBTQ+ travel guide to Colombia as well!
The country has beaches on the Atlantic as well as the Pacific side and the inland region has a lot to offer. Metropolitan cities like Bogota, Medellin, and Cali each offer their own vibe and specific culture.
Smaller colonial towns have a lot of character and are often used as hubs to explore the more rural areas and gems like the coffee region, Salento, and Guatape.
The North of Colombia is known to be incredibly hot and visitors usually travel through Cartagena to make their way to the beautiful beaches of Tayrona and the Cuidad Perdida ruins.
Colombia borders Panama in the North, but the passage is not a trip most tourists dare to undertake as it goes through the Darien gap, a vast jungle area.
One alinea won’t save me and I could talk for hours about the variety Colombia has to offer. This page will give you a little more information about LGBT Colombia!
Colombia has made a lot of effort to become one of the most LGBT friendly countries in Latin America.
Having Argentina as a competitor for this role, Colombia cannot stay behind.
We found that Colombia has a very modern and open-minded attitude towards every visitor, gay or straight.
Same-sex sexual activity and homosexuality are legal in Colombia since 2000.
The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity is 14.
Unregistered same-sex couples have the same rights, benefits and duties as unregistered heterosexual couples since 2008.
Same-sex couples can register for official domestic partnership since 2015.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Colombia since 2016.
Before 2015, only the adoption of a step-child was possible.
Since 2015, same-sex couples have the same adoption rights as heterosexual couples.
Changing your legal gender is possible in Colombia.
In 2015 the process to change your legal gender has been simplified.
At the end of June each year, you can attend the LGBTQ+ march in Bogota, the capital of Colombia.
You can find information about the event on their Facebook page.
The second largest city in Colombia also organizes a pride event in June.
You can attend Medellin Pride in June each year and it’s one big latin celebration of love.
They don’t have a website though.
The hot Caribbean city in the North of Colombia, Cartagena, also hosts a Pride event. The Cartagena Pride March takes place in August and you can find more information about this event on their official website.
Cartagena Pride is one of the largest Caribbean Pride events!
The city of Salsa, Cali, is also an LGBT hotspot and they organize a Pride March at the end of June each year.
Find more information about this event on their Facebook page.
Each year, at the end of February or the beginning of March, a huge carnival celebration is held in the city of Barranquilla.
An important part of this carnival is the Gay Parade, which has been an official part of the festival since 2002 and is also called: Gay Guacherna
Bogota is home the largest gay club in Latin America: Theatron. This gay club in Bogota is divided into a dozen of smaller clubs, each with their own style and charm.
Even though this club is mostly oriented towards men, there’s also a lot of room for girls and transgender visitors. Everyone is welcome here! For lesbian travelers in Colombia, Theatron is your best choice for a night out!
They also organize a Lesbian Pride and they host a massive party during Pride week. Find event dates in Theatron on their Facebook page.
Bogota is the gay capital of Colombia, so there had to be more than one massive LGBT club! And there is!
For men who want to go clubbing, there’s Punto 59 Club, El Mozo Club, Disco Jaguar, and probably a lot more we didn’t encounter.
Most of the LGBT venues in Bogota are located in the barrio around Theatron, in the Chapinero neighbourhood.
Medellin is one of these places where backpackers gather and there are a lot of fun things to do in the city and surrounding area. It’s also a great place to visit as LGBTQ+ traveler.
In Medellin, Teres Cafe is a bar for lesbians! They organize karaoke night, cinema nights and other events throughout the year. Check their Facebook page to see upcoming events.
Of course, there are also loads of gay bars and clubs in Medellin. There’s Viva Discoteca, Zero Nightclub, and a few more.
The LGBT scene in Cartagena is mostly oriented towards men, but very lesbian-friendly.
Bar Le Petit is one of the most popular gay bars in town.
Want to go to the beach? Playa Hollywood is unofficially recognized as the gay beach in Cartagena.
Colombia Diversa is a website dedicated to LGBT information about all things happening in Colombia. It’s not really a travel guide though.
Find more information about LGBTQ+ travel to Colombia on the IGLTA webpage.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression is illegal in Colombia.
This law that passed in 2011 is straightforward and clear.
It states that if someone is discriminated in public, the penalty will increase.
On the other hand, the penalty will decrease if the offender apologizes in public.
Colombian law also protects LGBT by stating literally that it is allowed to display their affection publicly.
Colombian cities felt very safe to us and we saw a lot of public display of affection between same-sex couples.
The country is safe to visit as LGBT traveler. We don’t expect you to encounter any difficulties.
Remember that everyone can have a different opinion and people in rural areas might be less tolerant than people in cities.
That’s the question!
We do things our way and everyone is allowed to do things their way, obviously!
For us, we like to keep a low profile when we travel. With this in mind, we also keep PDA, hugs, and kissed for our private quarters. This clearly depends on the country and the region we’re in. So this doesn’t count for the entire world.
Colombia is a reasonably safe country to visit as LGBTQ+ traveler. You very likely to be welcome everywhere and you won’t easily run into any trouble.
Most Colombians have an open attitude towards diversity and they tend to welcome people with a warm heart.
Don’t worry about being LGBTQ+ in Colombia and just book that flight!