Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

Cape Town has become one of the great international gay destinations -- like sister cities San Francisco, Sydney, and Miami, this is a sexy seaside spot with a variety of queer things to do. Promoted as "The Gay Capital of Africa" (South Africa's constitution is the only one in the world to expressly protect the rights of homosexuals), Cape Town's queer tribes are rich and varied, with different events and venues catering to their needs. The international stereotypical GWM (gay white male) subculture exists here as elsewhere, with a mix of musclemen, fashion victims, fitness freaks, and a handful of drag queens. Local lesbian life is more low-key -- more along the lines of ceramics classes and having meetings about making documentaries about women.

Most gay-friendly venues are situated in and around the City Bowl, particularly the "De Waterkant Queer Quarter" in Green Point, Sea Point's Main Road, and the mountain end of Long Street. The "De Waterkant Queer Quarter" -- west of the city in Green Point, centered on Somerset Road and running up the slopes of Signal Hill to Loader Street -- is where you'll find the best selection of clubs, bars, bathhouses, cafes, and guesthouses. Check the local press, the annually produced The Pink Map (available from tourism bureaus), or visit www.cape-town.org for more information. Wanderwomen (tel. 021/788-9988; www.wanderwomen.co.za) is a personalized women's-only travel agent; for events and parties for women who love women, check out www.lushcapetown.co.za.

A Gay Night Out

Traveling from town to Green Point, the first stop worth considering is buzzy Manhattans, 74 Waterkant, corner of Dixon (tel. 021/421-6666), a friendly, chatty bar with a good-value restaurant, which gets busy after 9pm nightly. (Sunday roast specials are also recommended.) Farther along is Village Café, corner of Napier and Waterkant streets (tel. 021/421-0632), a charming little coffee shop/restaurant, good for a relaxing breakfast; just down the road is the more trendy Dutch. You can walk from here to Somerset Road, where you'll find Bronx, corner of Napier and Somerset Road (tel. 021/419-9216), a very popular late-night bar with an entertaining dance floor; open from 9pm to 4am nightly, with different events (like karaoke on Mon). Nearby is Cruz, 218 Somerset Rd. (tel. 021/425-4010), where topless barmen provide great eye candy along with, ahem, cocktails. Bar Code, 18 Cobern St., off Somerset (tel. 021/421-5305), is a men-only leather cruise bar with slings, dark rooms, a maze, and more -- ask at the bar about the underwear parties and leather nights when a strict dress code applies. In the same area but even steamier, the Hot House, 18 Jarvis St. (tel. 021/418-3888), is a European-style men-only leisure club, with sauna, steam room, and outdoor sun deck with spectacular views over the city and the harbor.

Back in town you'll find On Broadway, 88 Shortmarket St. (tel. 021/424-1194), a great cabaret and theater restaurant with excellent shows. Moving to Long Street, Lola's, corner of Long and Buiten (tel. 021/423-0885), is the queerest vegetarian joint in town, with an Afro-trash crowd and slip-sexy music.

Best Beaches

Clifton's Third Beach is where you'll find international male models parading in garments so tight you can tell what religion they are. Sandy Bay is Cape Town's nudist beach, with discreet cruising at the far end of the main beach. But beware: The freezing ocean will bring you down to size.

Gay Events

Cape Town's biggest queer celebration and Africa's biggest gay circuit party is the annual MCQP Costume Party, held during the MCQP Festival. It's a massive fancy-dress costume ball held at great venues and attended by thousands of queers of all ages and persuasions, with some 10 dance floors playing a rich variety of music. A new theme is explored each year. (For details, go to www.mcqp.co.za). Cape Town Gay Pride is a 10-day festival in February (www.capetownpride.co.za) and includes Gay Shebeen Tours, Pink Race Day, and The Pride Book Faire. Also worth planning around is the Pink Loerie Festival, held at the end of May, when some 5,000 camp revelers take to the streets of Knysna, on the Garden Route -- a welcome extension to a trip to Cape Town, with plenty of gay-friendly places to stay along the way. Call tel. 044/382-1610.

Recommended Guesthouses & Tours

A variety of options can be had in De Waterkant Village, which is in the heart of the "Queer Quarter," within easy walking distance of clubs and bars. Alternatively Amsterdam Guest House, 19 Forest Rd. (tel. 021/461-8236; www.amsterdam.co.za), is an extremely popular men-only guesthouse on the slopes of the city, with a pool, Jacuzzi, and sauna. Other good men-only options are Guesthouse One Belvedere (tel. 021/461-2442; www.onebelvedere.co.za), also on the slopes, with a balcony overlooking the city, and The Glen (tel. 021/439-0086; www.glenhotel.co.za) in Sea Point. Parker Cottage, Carstens, Tamboerskloof (tel. 021/424-6445; www.parkercottage.co.za), is a neat, graciously decorated Victorian home that will suit the older traveler. Alternatively, you can peruse the options listed elsewhere in the guide, all of which are gay-friendly. And if you feel the need to clear your head and get out of town, Shisa Guest Farm (www.shisafarm.com) in Tulbagh is just 80 minutes away. There are plenty of competent tour operators in Cape Town, but if you want to make friends, book with Friends of Dorothy Tours (tel. 021/465-1871; www.friendsofdorothytours.co.za) -- they cover pretty much everything in Cape Town as well as the custom 3-to-5-day tours of the Garden Route.

-- Andre Vorster, Cape Town's most celeb queen and original "mother" of MCQP (Mother City Queer Projects)