Argentina is undoubtedly one of the most gay friendly countries in South America, if not the most. The capital, Buenos Aires, is of course the centre for gay life in the country with many gay cafés, clubs, saunas, hotels and events for the LGBT community.
But outside the capital, there are other places which are particularly gay friendly, such as Bariloche, the main town in the country’s lake district just a 2.5 hour flight southwest of Buenos Aires, and also reachable by weekly train from the eastern city of Viedma.
Situated on Nahuel Huapi Lake, one of Argentina’s largest lakes, and at the base of the Andes, Bariloche is set in a beautiful location, picturesque in winter or summer.
What to do
In winter, the main activity will be skiing on the nearby slopes, but in summer the range of possible pastimes is greatly increased.
Take a bus out of town, rent a bike and go cycling around the circuito chico, take the cable car up Cerro Catedral for amazing views of the surrounding area or hire a kayak and go out on one of the smaller lakes.
Where to stay
I stayed with my husband at Kospi Boutique Guesthouse run by the lovely Juan and Lucia, which had only recently opened during our visit and they were promoting themselves as a gay-friendly hotel, so there was no occurrence of the dreaded double bed conundrum.
Where to eat
If in Bariloche, don’t miss out on sampling some of the chocolate from the many cute cafés, but for a specifically gay-friendly meal, head to Covita, a restaurant which advertises itself as “vegetarian for those who aren’t” and proudly displays a rainbow flag in their window.
