9 Gay Hikes Hardy Homos Will Love

From killer Kilimanjaro to panoramic Patagonia, Out Adventures has been hosting gay hikes up the world’s most notorious treks and trails since its inception. Despite the sore muscles, altitude sickness, and the occasional blister or bruise, surmounting some of the highest summits on Earth is an experience you’ll remember for a lifetime!

Below you’ll find 9 of our most popular upcoming gay hikes.

Sweat and schlep in the Peruvian Andes on this gay hike.

Transport yourself from Peru’s bustling colonial capital, through the charm and history of Cuzco, into the stunning Sacred Valley, and along the epic Inca Trail. All before arriving at famed Machu Picchu on our Peru: The Inca Trail & Machu Picchu tour. There may be hiking involved, but we certainly won’t be roughing it, as we’ll stay at 3- and 4-star properties en route, with a few nights of ‘glamping’ thrown in (it’s sort of like camping, only with guides, porters and cooks pampering our tender souls). PLEASE NOTE: Inca Trail Permits typically sell out 3-6 months in advance, so plan as far ahead as possible.

Challenge yourself on a gay hike to the summit of the world’s tallest freestanding mountain.

Over the last decade, we’ve led countless fellows on a slew of sensational adventures. But few of our tours have required the brawns necessary to tackle our Tanzania: Kilimanjaro Gay Climb. On the climb, we’ll take the lesser travelled but exceedingly spectacular Lemosho Route, which also gives your body more time to acclimatize (and results in a higher summit success rate). Starting in dense rainforest, we’ll encounter six different ecological zones en route to our summit, followed by a two-day descent. As a group, we’ll take it step-by-step, supporting and encouraging each other the entire way.

Touring Bhutan is like stepping back in time.

Begin by discovering Thimphu, the world’s only capital city without a traffic light! We’ll travel through spectacular Dochula Pass, explore the Punakha Valley, and hike a nature trail in rural Gangtey before our grand finalé: the picturesque Tiger’s Nest monastery outside Paro. Along the way, we’ll stay at Bhutanese resorts built in harmony with their natural surroundings. This Limited Edition tour sold out almost immediately when we launched it, so we’ve added a second departure (which is itself almost full).

Find out why travellers looking to ‘get off the beaten path’ love Mongolia.

Feel like a nomad on our Mongolian expedition as we traverse the North Asian country by foot, camel and horseback. Together we’ll make sand dunes ‘sing’, haggle with vendors in chaotic markets and witness eagle hunting competitions during the Golden Eagle Festival. Mix in some extraordinary hikes, a few nights of glamping, and a swig of fermented mare’s milk, and you’ve got a grand adventure on your hands.

Hike, kayak and *gulp* bungee jump in New Zealand’s south island.

It should come as no surprise Sir Edmund Hillary—one of the first two men to ever surmount Everest—was a proud Kiwi. On this all-gay South Island adventure we’ll explore Hillary’s very own backyard, hiking the same mountains, gorges and temperate rainforests the famous mountaineer did. We’ll kayak both a glacier-fed lake and a stunning sound, keeping our eyes peeled for pods of bottlenose dolphins and sunbathing fur seals. And for the real adrenaline junkies, we’ll have the opportunity to bungee jump and/or hang glide in Queenstown, aka The Adventure Capital of the World. Now what’s the Māori word for “yeehaw”?

Challenge yourself on a gay hiking expedition through the most rugged landscape on Earth.

On this all-gay hiking expedition we’ll tackle one of the world’s most famously rugged destinations, Patagonia. So famously rugged, the world’s largest outdoor clothing company is named after it. Our adventure starts in cosmopolitan Santiago, the country’s capital and beating heart. After a visit to the arid Atacama Desert, which features some of the best star-gazing in the world, we’ll fly far south to mix and mingle with other flannel-wearing, axe-totting outdoorsmen with their thick beards and brawny bod and musky sce… *trails off incoherently*. Sorry, where were we? Ah yes! We’ll arrive at Torres del Paine National Park to discover Patagonia as it once was. We’ll bid adieu to our luggage and begin hiking from campsite to campsite along the same trails used by guanacos and prowling pumas. 

Join like-minded men on our new Balkans adventure.

Find out why the up-and-coming Balkans are making waves among the travel cognoscenti on this big gay sweaty scamper. Things kick off in UNESCO-listed Kotor Bay, where we’ll tour Medieval monasteries and photograph fortified island cities. Then we’ll swerve inland to enjoy the relatively untouched mountain forests of both Montenegro and Albania—one of the last reserves for brown bears and wolves on continental Europe. It’s here we’ll spend the bulk of the tour losing our breath during scenic hikes, private boat tours and one particularly exhilarating white water rafting experience. 

Hike, sail, and zipline on this active Central America adventure.

On this all-gay Costa Rica adventure you’ll discover the meaning of the country’s official tag line, ‘pura vida’ (the pure/simple life). The tour kicks off in burgeoning San José before swerving into the humid rainforest. It’s here we’ll hike around active volcanos and zipline across tropical canyons. On guided tours, naturalists will point out the country’s unique flora as well as all things fanged, feathered, or furry.

Discover gorillas and volcanoes on this gay safari extension.

Our Tanzania Gay Serengeti Safari just got even more wild with this 4-day extension in to the gorilla habitats and mountains of Rwanda. The trip includes a day in the capital city of Kigali. Then we’ll venture into the Virunga Mountains to seek out these endangered gentle giants. They share 98.3% of their genetic code with humans, but only 1,000 of these great apes remain on Earth. This gay hike and gorilla visit is sure to leave an everlasting memory

For a full list of Out Adventures’ upcoming gay tours, click here.