Hello. I have a couple of friends who are gay and who had been planning to rent a car and travel on their own from Cape Town for a week. They have been told by others that this isn't a safe thing for a gay couple to do. Someone even said, 'they kill gays there.' They are very nice, educated, polite and well-travelled and certainly not flamboyantly gay in any way. Does anyone have any information about travel in S.A. for gay couples? Any help would be most appreciated. By the way, they and my husband and I and a number of others are travelling together in a group for 11 days, ending in Cape Town. Then the group is splitting up, all of us going our own ways, some returning home, some continuing on. These two friends have another week before flying home.

I think you will be astounded by South Africans capacity to enjoy visitors from all walks of life. It is one of very few countries in the world to allow gay marriage. It has one of the finest constitutions in the world. I believe that gay travellers are as safe there as they are anywhere else in the world.

What information are you sepcifically looking for? Our society is working at being non-discriminatory, so not sure what your friends need that you do not?

Sorry I can't comment on all aspects of your question, but I do know that the Waterkant area of Cape Town is very gay friendly....lots of gay owned businesses and restaurants, etc. Kind of like a Cape Town Soho (NY)

Here is one such hotel/lodge I came across: http://www.thevillagelodge.com/

We stayed at a guest house in Dec for our last 2 days, they list themselves as gay friendly. We had a great time there, very quiet and a very helpful owner, I highly recommend it
http://reservations.bookhostels.com/...a373qjleg6jgfg

Thank you all for your replies. Mkhonzo, you ask what information I'm specifically looking for. I think it is this: is some one more likely to be a victim of a crime in S.A. because of his/her gender, race or specifically, sexual orientation? And is the situation the same outside of Cape Town as it is within that area?

Julia, the short answer to your last question is no. But in just about any country, wierd or out-of-date opinions can persist in backwaters. You don't state your natinality, but perhaps it's like trying to make a blanket statement that covers the whole of the U.S., or Australia. And despite "Brokeback Mountain" and "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", there will be "redneck attitudes somewehere!