Peru Gay Travel Guide: Everything you need!

Out Adventures is arguably the best gay tour operator out there. They organize exciting gay group tours to a plethora of destinations. In Peru, be sure to check out their Inca Trail and Machu Picchu trek. This hike however is pretty intense, so be prepared to rough it for 4 days! This package also includes time in Lima, Cusco, and the Sacred Valley.

Out Adventures also offer a Peru gay trip that packs a lot of sights into one sexy package. Their Amazon and Machu Picchu group tour includes time spent exploring the Amazon Jungle while staying at a stunning jungle lodge. You'll get to spot monkeys, butterflies, otters, macaws, caiman, sloths, and more wild critters while on safari – then spend each night with pisco sours at cocktail hour. After the Amazon, this tour also heads to Machu Picchu – without the gruelling trek though!

If you want to explore Machu Picchu but don't fancy all the hiking and sleeping on the ground, then He Travel offers a fantastic alternative. Their luxury tour to Machu Picchu includes time spent exploring Lima, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, as well as leisurely bus and train travel to Machu Picchu itself. The whole tour also includes accommodation at deluxe hotels so you can truly relax. On the way back you can even upgrade your trip to include a ride on the elegant Hiram Bingham train.

For those who relish a physical challenge, He Travel also provides the option to join an all-gay hike of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This tour traverses the Inca Trail via the Salkantay trail, which travels through both a glacier and lush tropical rainforest. Most Inca Trail hikes go via the classic hike, but the Salkantay option is pretty incredible. It is, however, more strenuous and longer than the classic route so we'd recommend this if you are really physically fit. The Salkantay route is much quieter than the famous classic Inca Trail and also comes with a payoff of some breathtaking scenery.

Coda Tours offers small gay group tours that specialize in luxury and boy do they deliver with their Deluxe Peru tour! With small group sizes, you'll have plenty of one-on-one time with the knowledgeable guides and also become close friends with the other people on the tour. This tour in Peru only stays at four or five-star establishments in Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu so you won't need to sacrifice comfort to see the best of Peru's historical sites. Travel on the luxurious Hiram Bingham train is also included, so you'll feel like royalty throughout the trip!

For a gay group trip to Peru which includes all the big must-sees like Machu Picchu, Lima and Cusco PLUS a fabulous beach getaway, you can't go past this 12-day tour by Detours Travel. As well as time spent in the capital and visiting the ancient Incan sites, you get to explore the beachside town of Paracas. This town is surrounded by sand dunes and palm trees, plus you'll be staying at a stunning beachside hotel with an incredible pool to boot. It's not many trips that let you experience so many different sides of beautiful Peru!

This group tour by Zoom Vacations is perfect for American travelers looking for an epic experience during Thanksgiving, as it takes place at the end of November and even includes a special Thanksgiving dinner event! Everything about this trip is pretty special and luxurious, from dinner with cocktails on the Hiram Bingham train to the optional excursion to see rare orchids in the private grounds of the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. There are lots of other optional extras for this journey as well and the lovely Zoom staff will ensure your experience is unforgettable.

The gay scene of Lima has a whole bunch of gay bars and clubs, largely found in touristy Miraflores, trendy Barranco, and in downtown Lima. The most popular ones to check out include Open Deck and Andel. There is also a groovy hot weekend fiesta in the San Borja neighborhood called “La Cueva”, which includes the best drag shows in town and the hottest GoGo boys vying for your attention. Lima also has several gay saunas like 240Club, and 69Classico, as well as annual LGBTQ events like Marcha del Orgullo in June/July and the Out Fest Peru gay film festival in June.

Lima is well known throughout South America for being a foodie capital, home to some of the greatest restaurants in the world. The best way to get a taster of Lima's exciting food scene is on a foodie tour. We recommend joining this amazing tour which took us to some of the best restaurants in Miraflores and Barranco. Our tour with them also included a Pisco Sour making session and learning to make a jungle inspired ceviche at Amaz restaurant.

We advise starting out here before heading off to Cusco, which is 3,500 meters (11,480 feet) altitude. No matter how old or young, fit or unfit you are, you will inevitably be affected by the altitude. Some of the villages in the Sacred Valley, like Urubamba, are several thousand feet lower than Cusco, which makes them the perfect base to acclimatize. One place we tried and LOVED is the opulent, gorgeous, and super luxurious Sol y Luna Relais & Châteaux in Urubamba – a traditional Andean village. Read more about it in our detailed gay guide to Cusco.

Let's be honest, Machu Picchu is the main reason most people want to come to Peru – and for good reason! This stunning UNESCO listed Inca site stands 2,430 meters (7,970 feet) above sea level. It was built by the Incas in the 15th Century and is recognized as their most impressive creation. And honestly, believe the hype. You'll be spellbound from the moment you enter! The ruins are so impressive that even after 600 years, they still look like something nature created. Pro tip: to avoid the crowds, we recommend staying overnight at the lush Belmond Sanctuary Lodge which is just 300 feet away from the doorstep of the famous Inca ruins. The following day you'll be the first to enter and see Machu Picchu in all its glory before the crowds arrive. Just make sure you book your Machu Picchu tickets at least 6 months in advance as numbers are restricted.

Trekking in the Andes mountains was our favorite memory from Peru. The views of snow-capped mountain peaks, cloud forests, and the many Inca ruins you pass along the way is what makes it so rewarding. This is one of the most popular treks in Peru, culminating at Machu Picchu after a 4-day hike through the Sacred Valley. The Inca Trail was very important to the Incas because it was part of their route of pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. It has become so crowded over the years that the government now limits spaces to just 200 a day. To avoid disappointment, make sure you book it at least 6 months in advance. Read all about our experience in our write up of our own Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu.

This multi-colored layered mountain is like nothing you've ever seen before! Vinicunca is the mountain's official name, or Montaña de Siete Colores. The seven different colors that can be seen in the mountain are caused by its unique mineralogical composition – try saying that seven times fast! Each layer is composed of a different mineral, the pink is from red clay; the white from quartzose, sandstone, and marls; the red is from claystones (iron); the green comes from phyllites and clays rich in ferro magnesian; the brown is from fanglomerate composed of rock with magnesium; and the mustard yellow color comes from calcareous sandstone. The Rainbow Mountain can be visited as a day trip from Cusco and involves a 2-hour trek at 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) altitude.

Whether you're visiting Machu Picchu as part of the Inca Trail or as a day trip, we recommend getting there and back from Cusco in style on board the Hiram Bingham Belmond luxury 1920s Pullman-inspired train. The experience includes a 3-course gourmet meal, unlimited drinks, attentive (English speaking) waiting staff, and a live band on board. The ticket also allows you to skip the queue and head straight into Machu Picchu on arrival. Just remember to go easy on those Pisco Sours at those high altitudes…seriously!

There's a colony of sea lions at Palomino Island, located off the coast of Callao just a few hours boat ride from Lima. We visited as a day trip to swim with the sea lion colony living there and can't recommend it highly enough. They're adorable and super playful, like puppies in the water! There are several tour companies that offer this experience. We chose Mar Adentro Excursiones because they had the best Tripadvisor reviews. They organized our entire day, including hotel pickup, lunch, photography, and wet suits! The Pacific waters are freezing cold so you'll need that wet suit!

Lake Titicaca (try saying that with a straight face!) straddles the border of Peru and Bolivia at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,500 feet). It is not only the world's highest lake but also one of the oldest – over 1 million years old. It's also home to many indigenous communities like the Uros, Taquile, and Quechua communities. Over the years Lake Titicaca has become a bit of a tourist trap, particularly around the islands close to Puno (the main transport hub). However, by staying overnight at one of the more remote islands, like Amantaní, you get a more authentic and rewarding experience. We stayed at the charming Amantica Lodge on Amantaní island and loved it! It felt like we had the entire Titicaca all to ourselves. We'd wake up every morning with an impressive view of the vast lake and nothing else around – just us, nature, and a few locals going about their day-to-day lives.

OutFest Peru is the country's only gay film festival and takes place in the week just before Lima pride. If you're in Lima at the end of June then we recommend you check out some of the best LGBTQ movies of the year that are screened. Along with film screenings the festival program includes Q&A sessions with directors, workshops and a prize-giving ceremony that's like attending the Oscars! Check out the details for the next OutFest on their website.

Also known as Marcha del Orgullo, Lima's gay pride week takes place at the end of June/beginning of July. There are a variety of parties and performances held during the week with the parade taking place on the Saturday. The parade is, of course, the highlight – with thousands of attendees coming to watch or take part in the colorful walk that usually starts at the Campo de Marte park in the Jesus Maria neighbourhood and heads north all the way to Plaza San Martin in Downtown Lima.

Ceviche is possibly Peru's most famous food, a raw-fish speciality that's also the country's national dish. While it's made from raw fish the fish is cured in citrus juices which effectively cook the flesh, although it still needs to be served and eaten fresh in order to avoid any risk of food poisoning. The marinade for cooking ceviche also includes chilis, onions, coriander and salt along with the citrus juice. If you want to try your hand at making ceviche you can also check out our own ceviche recipe!

Ceviche is Peru's national dish and it pairs perfectly with the country's national drink – the pisco sour! It's made from a base of pisco, a type of brandy from Peru, mixed with freshly squeezed lime juice, syrup, ice, egg white and Angostura bitters. It was invented by a man named Victor Vaughen Morris in the 1920s at his bar, Morris Bar when he decided to try adding egg whites and Angostura bitters to pisco. The pisco sour even has its own national holiday in Peru, the Día Nacional del Pisco Sour (National Pisco Sour Day) which is celebrated on the first Saturday of February.

Chinese immigrants first arrived in Peru in 1849, brought over to help work as manual laborers on sugar plantations, railway lines and the like. With them, of course, they brought their own food traditions which were then adapted by local Peruvians and became known as chifa. Arroz de Chaufa is one such dish as it's basically the Peruvian version of fried rice. It's made by frying rice, vegetables and meat in dark soy sauce with plenty of ginger. If you're in Peru and have a hankering for some fried rice, look for arroz de chaufa on the menu!

Tacu tacu is another delicious fusion dish, this one influenced by Africans brought to Peru as slaves. It's made by mixing together leftover beans and rice with other ingredients to make a simple but filling meal. The leftovers are fried in oil with things like egg, meat and spices, then usually formed into a sort of patty shape. The result is toasty, golden and extremely yummy; plus it's a great way to repurpose leftovers!

Another mouth-watering meal we had in Peru was lomo saltado, which also owes much of its deliciousness to Chinese influences on Peruvian cooking. Basically, lomo saltado is the Peruvian adaptation of Chinese stir fry, a delicious and fiery version! It's made with marinated strips of sirloin steak, onions, tomatoes, chilli and soy sauce served with rice or French Fries. Don't be surprised if you see actual flames coming out of the pan while it's being cooked either, the spectacle is half the fun!