Gay Rio

Just the mere mention of Rio’s name evokes images of sun drenched beaches, samba parades, a laissez faire attitude to life and muscled bodies to die for. This is a city that simply pulsates with energy and yet effortlessly maintains a sultry guise. It is a city of true contrasts - amazingly beautiful, dangerously intriguing and sexy as hell!

City Overview
Rio is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro and also the undoubted cultural and cosmopolitan centre of Brazil. Situated just North of the Tropic of Capricorn the climate is tropical all year round with an average temperature of 24 degrees.

This exuberant city is tucked between the mountains and the sea and has a natural beauty which is scarcely matched by any other city in the world; truly there is something here which will appeal to everyone.

The local residents of Rio, known as ‘Cariocas’, are a friendly bunch who will be more than happy to share their knowledge of the city with you and everywhere you’ll find people approachable and welcoming.

The main language is Portuguese but most people you’ll come into contact with will also have at least a rudimentary grasp of English, so communication should not be a problem. Some basic Spanish will also help and you’ll soon find that body language is a universal language that is spoken very effectively here.

Gay Rio
Gay life in Rio is mainly centred on and around the beach districts of Copacabana and Ipanema, which makes finding your way around a breeze even for first time visitors.

With plenty of hotels to choose from Copacabana makes the perfect base and you’ll find a whole host of gay venues including bars, restaurants, saunas and nightclubs. The beach here also always features as a major part of Rio life. Called ‘Bolsa’ it’s mainly frequented by the bear and trans crowds.

Ipanema is smaller, but has a more classy atmosphere and you’ll find world class shopping where you can browse for bargains or simply find a café where you can browse the beauties who also congregate here. Beach life also thrives at the ‘Farme’ gay beach, just East from the crossroads of Farme de Amoedo. This is Barbie land, a term used to describe the buffed, beautiful and rich gay men who favour this stretch of sand and come from the well off South Side of the city and who mix with local celebrities and the great and good of the city.

Sundays at the gay beach in Ipanema are a must, as are a pair of sunglasses to disguise your stares as the stunning pageant parades by.

Read More - Lodging

Lodgings

Even the simplest rooms offer a veranda with a keen beach view at gay-friendly Praia Ipanema Hotel (706 Veira Souto Ave., Ipanema, 011-5521-2141-4949, $143–$199). Rising 16 stories on the edge of upscale Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, close to the tony neighborhood of Leblon, the marquee on the building's side is a beacon for wandering beachgoers who would otherwise get hopelessly lost.

Recently renovated with spacious closets, luxurious beds, and Internet access; the gay staff, especially, are exceedingly helpful. Buzios: the Perola Buzios (222 Jose Bento Ribeiro Dantas Ave., Buzios, 011-5522-2620-8507, $136–$393) is a beautiful hotel just off the Rua das Pedras, the main beach drag in Buzios. With a two-level ellipse orbiting a convivial pool, it's impossible not to fall in love with the hotel's design and sophistication. Each room offers a stone waterfall shower, backyard garden, and poolside cabana with a hanging bed for outdoor cuddling. Hernan Saucedo, the hotel's gay-friendly Argentine manager, has infused the Perola Buzios with international cool: You can sip a cold fresh-squeezed passion fruit juice while you kick back to the house DJ and wait for your chocolate mascara facial. It also offers two Finnish steam baths and the best fitness center in Buzios.

Arraial d'Ajuda: Lesbian-owned and operated Pousada Verde Agua Praia (1893 Est. do Arraial d'Ajuda, 011-5573-3575-1453, $32–$50) is a romantic and warm Portuguese mission-style guesthouse in Arraial d'Ajuda on the Discovery Coast. Each rustic apartment has a small balcony or porch, and the house cats will be glad to walk you down the stone pathway to the beach. Close to the ferry from Porto Seguro and a five-minute bus ride away from the surfer shops and Bahian restaurants of downtown Arraial d'Ajuda. Perfect for an idyllic getaway.

Bars and Cafes

bars, cafes and dining

There's a party every night in the Brazilian summer, and in Ipanema there's a party on every block. For early evening caipirinhas (limes and sugarcane liquor: Think of a sweet but mintless mojito), follow the Speedo boys from the gay beach to Bar Bofetada (87A Rua de Farme de Amoedo, Ipanema, 011-5521-2227-6992). Then cab it to Copacabana to trash it up at Le Boy (92 Raul Pompea St., Copacabana, 011-5521-2513-4993) or Le Girl (102 Raul Pompea St., Copacabana), where you can slug down local lagers and get down and dirty with the city kids.

Track the latest happenings of gay and lesbian Rio at riogtravel.com or stop by the Rio G offices in Ipanema (25A Teixeira de Melo St., 011-5521-3813-4548). Patio Havana (101 Rua da Pedras, 011-5522-2623-2169) in Buzios offers a sharky whiskey club, a cigar bar, and live music, including salsa, samba, and blues. Meanwhile, romance is king on the Discovery Coast, where nightlife is only a prelude to bedroom athletics. Nuzzle the suede at Estrela Aipim Restaurante (Beco do Jegue, Arraial d'Ajuda, 011-5573-3575-3222) over ginger-pepper cachaças in a slick minimalist open-air lounge surrounded by lush banana trees.

Rio: It would be crazy not to avail yourself of the many juice stands in Ipanema, of which Jugo Suco (the corner of Garcia d'Avila and Prudente de Morais streets) is the best and cheapest: Order mango, coconut, or the luscious acai berry. If you like to be serenaded with sausages by beefy Brazilian waiters all night, try Porçao, a well-appointed churrascaria (218 Barao da Torre St., Ipanema, 011-5521-3389-8989). In Buzios, the Perola Buzios's resident chef, Marcello Sokolowski, whips up Brazilian-spiced seafood fresh from the Atlantic to the house DJ's drum and bass.

Also try Sawasdee (422 Jose Bento Ribeiro Dantas Ave., 011-5522-2623-4644), an intimate Thai restaurant in the heart of Buzios, for authentic Thai dishes and piquant Brazilian-Thai fusion. For after-beach crepes and coffee, hit Chez Michou (90 Rua das Pedras). In the old downtown of Arraial d'Ajuda, savor the historic Afro-Brazilian delicacies of Delicias Bahianas (along Rua do Mucugê, 011-5573-3575-3908), an open-air café, and watch the surfers mend their boards and the tourists wander freely as you savor menjorca (crispy yucca dumplings filled with meat and cheese), moquecas (stew) and feijoada (the Brazilian national dish, a hearty pot of ham and black beans over rice).

Rio Carnival

Rio Carnival

Carnival in Rio falls on the last 4 days and nights prior to Ash Wednesday which sees the whole country closing down for the massive celebrations which take place throughout Brazil. Rio hosts by far the largest and most flamboyant event in which the whole city explodes in a riot of drumming, dancing, costumes and street parades, a far cry from our very own tradition of tossing a few pancakes!

The ‘Parade Of The Schools’ sees the city’s famous Samba schools compete each evening in a truly remarkable spectacle as they dance through the purpose built stadium to delight the crowds. Tickets are notoriously difficult to get hold of but those lucky enough to attend are in for a unique experience that is hard to beat. Parties and balls also take place all over the city for every sector of the community, which of course includes some great gay parties, so even if you do you miss out on tickets for the parade there is still more than enough to keep you occupied.

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