Maspalomas Is The Gay Paradise

MASPALOMAS

GRAN CANARIA ISLAND

GAY GUIDE

#1 Gay Tourism Worldwide

Maspalomas is one of the best, if not THE best, destination for gays to spend their vacation, or gaycation as many like to say. Its’ the gay paradise.

While straight people have Cancun, Acapulco, Mallorca or Aruba, the gays have Gran Canaria.

Here, we have compiled an overview of why is Maspalomas in Gran Canaria Island is so popular with the gays and pretty much became the gay mecca. It’s pretty much on top of the gay world map along with Madrid, Barcelona, Puerto Vallarta, Mykonos, Tel Aviv, Sao Paulo, Fort Lauderdale and Berlin which are all on the gay circuit.

Bookmark this page as it also serves as a quick cheat-sheet guide of what to do and where to go when you are here.

Why go to Maspalomas in Gran Canaria Island?

Because it is the most popular and warm destination for the gays all year round !

So many reasons dude! it is the hottest place to be for any gay out there, aside of the fact that it has tropical features (island, amazing weather and landscapes, etc…) is that, and let’s start with what makes Maspalomas so unique: it is the only place on Earth with a gay themed resort park, shopping & party center. Its name is Yumbo, a whole gay world of its own, home of an abundance of gay bars, restaurants, cruising bars and stores. Some call it “the gay Disneyland” or “gay party central”. More on that below after a quick weather channel intermission. Watch videos of Maspalomas here.

The Exquisite Weather

While the North and South sides of the equator have opposite seasons, the closer you get to the equator line, the more uniformly warm it gets. The island is conveniently located so that its weather feels like a forever perfect summer. Check this, very pleasant dry temperatures, avering 25° C (77° F) during day time, and 20 °C (68° F) at night, and this, all year! It has no winter temperatures at all, never! All that, with a clear blue sky and almost no rain in Maspalomas.

Gran Canaria as you understood… has a more than an enjoyable climate.

This is what’s giving a clear edge to Maspalomas compared to other “very gay” places on Earth which get cold in the winter.

Get ready for your gaycation, a holiday where you can just be yourself! Read on.

When to Go to Maspalomas ?

Maspalomas is famous because it is a gay resort party town. It has gay parties happening every single day & night of the year, as well as impressive internationally recognized gay festivals and prides.

During International Events, Prides & Festivals

On the gay circuit of the year, hundreds of thousands of gays from all over the world gather in Maspalomas several times per year for huge international events such as Maspalomas Gay Pride which opens Pride season for the world (May), Winter Pride which closes it (November), Freedom Festival (September), Fetish Pride (October), and Bear Pride Carnival & Maspalomas Carnival (March).

Each of them lasting 1 to 2 weeks of shows, spectacles and parties every single day.

All of these events are extremely popular resulting in the city being ultra crowded. During those times Maspalomas clearly become the gay capital of the world.

Find the calendar and info here. We told you, it’s the gay paradise !

Any Other Time of The Year

Since the weather is great all year, the gay activities happens all the time no matter what, but in different ways.

For those who want to experience a more laid-back chill island vibe, pick moments outside of the huge events weeks, so you will enjoy the gorgeous nature during the day while still enjoying a more normal gay nightlife at night.

The Gay Men’s Beach

Gran Canaria’s year-round super fantastic weather and long beaches with white sand dunes attracts over two million visitors a year. It is also extremely popular with British, French, German, Dutch and Scandinavian gay men who look to escape Europe’s cold winter weather. Gay Americans are only discovering lately.

The majority come here for the beach, the sun, partying and of course… the fun (or should we say… the hot men ! ). So get ready to meet new people!

The Maspalomas Gay Men’s Beach can be found by Kiosk 7 between the Faro de Maspalomas (the lighthouse) and Playa del Ingles. It’s about 15 minutes walk to get to it either walking from the lighthouse along the shore or from the Riu Palace (Playa del Ingles).

Feel free to drop all of your clothes as this beach is a nudist beach. Loungers and umbrellas are also available. If you’re feeling freaky, adventurous or curious, you can stop by the Dunes’s Bushes behind the beach for some cruising. Find more info about that and how to get there here.

If you feel adventurous, you can try heading over to the secret nudist gay beach: “Playa de la Loma”. Mainly with locals (rather than tourists).

Yumbo: Yummy Gay Bars & Parties

So let’s talk about Yumbo, the one and only gay party center in the world, a haven for tops, bottoms and verses alike. It is home to an abundant selection of bars, drag queens cabarets with cruise type shows, shops, restaurants, cruising bars (gay sex-clubs), and more.

At night, it is simply the hotspot for gay nightlife. With something for all type of gays, whether butch, fems, non-binaries, muscly, fit, slim, skinny or curvy, there’s a themed spot for you: the pop music fans, the bears, the reggaetton lovers, the kinky fetishists, the circuit music shirtless guys, the seniors, the house music heads, the French speakers, the Germans, the Scandinavians, the Irish etc…

Find the hottest gay spots in Yumbo here.

When to hang out at Yumbo?

Get ready for a load of fun

As most guys are at the beach, or by the pool, or doing activities on the island during the day, the bars are chill until 11pm. Going to Yumbo during the day is mainly for shopping (more on that below) or getting a haircut.

The bars start getting crowded around 11pm. The men tend to move onto dancing around 2am until 6am. (Yes, party in Spain starts late!)

To know where to go exactly, the best approach is to check on our site what floats your boat, or just walk around and decide on atmosphere, crowd & music which attract you.

We also made a “program of the night” suggestions and ideas guide here.

Drag Queen Shows

For fans of the Drag art, there are no less than four dedicated cabarets with Drag Queen cruise type shows every single night of the year!

They are performing, lypsyncing and dancing on the hit songs of your favorite divas, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Christina Aguilera and more. Guaranteed entertainment (hosted in English!). Find them here.

Gay Shopping

Yumbo has plenty of shops to buy whatever you need to tout during your vacation and beyond. The most comprehensive and stylish men’s fashion, underwear and swimwear can be found here.

It is the only place in the world where you will find this many gay stores (if at all if you live in a close-minded area, and as we told you above it is very open-minded here).

That includes the official store for gay brands ES Collection and AD as well as other stores who sell the major gay brands such as Andrew Christian, Pump, Modus Vivendi, etc…

There are also specialized stores such as the official one for the fetish brand Boxer (which also sells Puppy stuff) or even one for the bears: Big Bulky Bear.

By the way, sale taxes are much lower on the island, so you’re in for some deals when it comes to general stuff like perfumes and such. Find all of the stores and brands here.

Gay Resorts & Gay Pool Parties

Unlike anywhere else in the world, Maspalomas has exclusively gay (men only) accomodations in the form of resorts, hotels, vacation apartment complexes, and bungalows. Most with a swimming pool and… a bar right by it! And some even a cruising area!

This setup makes socializing and meeting new people super duper easy and fun. Expect to encounter many solo travelers. You can find all the Men-Only resort here.

During the prides the men-only resorts host huge pool parties. See more about this here. Definitely don’t miss the “Ice Cream” pool parties. By the way, the Away Events boat parties (only naked men every Thursday and LGBT+ on Fridays) are also a must.

Gay-friendly Resorts

If the gay-only accommodations are full (during pride events and festivals, you are lucky if you can score a spot if you don’t reserve ahead of time, they completely sold out about one month before the event), you can go for any of the outstanding gay-friendly resorts and hotels mentioned here. If you’re looking to be facing the ocean, check those rentals here.

In which area to stay exactly?

To get you situated, during the day, a great percentage of the guys are on the Gay Men’s Beach Kiosk 5-7, another lounge by the pool at their own gay resort, and the last third do activities such as watersports or visiting the island.

Then, restaurants serve dinner between 7 to 10 pm. You can dine anywhere in Maspalomas

Gay men only resorts which are more fun and loud are mainly in Playa del Ingles (V shape on the map above) where the nightlife is.

Gay friendly luxurious accommodations which are more quiet are in Meloneras where the gay beach is.

Make your decision according to your preferences and situation.

For example Gay-men only spots tend to be much more freaky since many (not all) of them are clothing optional (nudism).

While Gay-friendly accomodations are more appropriate for monogamous couples in their honeymoons for example.

Check all that’s available here.

Cruising Bars

Amsterdam has its Red Light District, Maspalomas has its Cruising Clubs (or cruising bars), the “proper” way to say gay sex clubs. And better than Amsterdam, sex is free between men.

Optional for some, a main attraction for others, as horny people travel from the other side of the world to Maspalomas just for that, skipping everything else, the cruising scene is a Maspalomas landmark.

Indeed, it is so popular here that more and more locations are birthing year after year, reaching a good 10 of them as of right now, each club with its own thing and theme nights, covering all fetishes possible and imaginable. That makes Maspalomas second worldwide after Berlin, the Germans even calling it “Berlin Beach”.

If that’s like you, pack your jockstaps, harnesses, leather, puppy and nakedness ready, because they’re all on the menu. Better yet, get brand new ones from Boxer, who specializes in all things men fetish .

Check all the cruising bars in Maspalomas here. Look out for Fetish Pride every October and Rubber Fest in February.

And there is also, of course, the cruising in the dunes by the nude beach.

What the Gays Visit in Gran Canaria

The main attractions of Gran Canaria Island other than the gay party center Yumbo in Maspalomas and the Gay Men’s Beach are: the mini desert “The Dunes” a mini natural replica of the Sahara desert-like landscape which is over 6 kilometres of very fine sand (also in Maspalomas); the charming little pitoresque towns of Puerto de Mogan and Firgas, the views of the Roque Nublo, the cruises, the Poema del Mar Aquarium, Palmitos Park Zoo, the popular beaches of Amadores (gay friendly) and Playa de La Loma (beach with a nudist gay section), the natural pools, such as the one of Charco de San Lorenzo in Moya, the capital city of Las Palmas and more.

Check out this link for a comprehensive list of the best things to visit in Gran Canaria.

The landscapes of the island of Gran Canaria are amazing, impressive and diverse. In the North, for example, you will mostly find laurel forests. The hilly landscape hosts also the well-known Canary pine trees.

There are also the most beautiful beaches (not gay exclusive), a coastline which totals for 236 km (146 miles).

Adrenaline Induced Beach Island Adventure & Activities

Being a beach resort leisure and pleasure island, you can of course enjoy watersports such as rent a jetski, a boat, a watertaxi, and more. Check and reserve activities directly from this link.

You can also go on adventure coastering, kayaking, scubadiving, surfing, or go see dolphins, or go on a naked gay cruise or go for high adrenaline activities such as skydiving or parasailing.

You can also go for a gay massage, a thalasso or one of the island’s specialty: Golf!

You can even ride a camel ! Possibilities are endless.

Languages

The Spanish and English languages are pretty much understood across the entire island. Most signs are in both languages so it’s pretty easy to get around and communicate. Most of the guys you’ll meet also speak English.

Not only Gran Canaria is considered a “mini-continent” because all of the various types of landscapes condensed within short distance, but also it is a sort of a “mini gay European Union”. You will indeed find facilities from people who moved from European countries such as France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Scandinavia . They operate as if they were in their own country with their respective language and specialties. Don’t worry, except for the French establishments, they also speak English.

About the Canary Islands

Quick Geography & History of the Canary Islands

Gran Canaria is one of the seven islands that make the “Canary Islands”. They are Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, El Hierno, La Palma, La Gomera and Lanzarote. They are located in the Atlantic ocean.

According to the legends, the Canary Islands (with the Portuguese Azores Islands) are in fact bits of the the East side of the legendary Atlantis, the lost continent which was infamously submerged by water. The lands where the Canary Islands are today match Atlantis’s highest altitude.

In more recent recorded history, the island was populated by the Canarii since -500 BC. They used to call it Tamarán or Land of the Brave. After centuries of European attempts to conquer this territory, it became part of Spain in 1483 which named it Gran Canaria.

This came as a blessing as Spanish people are of the most open-minded (and “caliente”!) people in the world! Indeed, Spain was one of the firsts to legalize same-sex marriage on Earth. The third one to be exact (right after The Netherlands and Belgium). This was in 2005. Over the years, the country has been building its gay destination: Maspalomas which has gone hugely popular amongst gay Spaniards and the rest of European guys. There’s even a whole economy around gay honeymoons.

Canary Islands’ role in Christopher Columbus finding America

The Canary Islands played a crucial role serving as a pivotal point in the renowned explorer Christopher Columbus preparation to the historic expeditions that led to the discovery of the Americas and ultimately shaped the course of world history.

The Canary Islands, particularly Gran Canaria, played a significant part in his journey. These islands served as stopping points and provided valuable resources for his voyages. The knowledge and experiences gained during his time in the Canaries contributed to its success.

During the 15th century, the Canary Islands, including Gran Canaria, under the control of the Kingdom of Castile. Columbus, who was born in Genoa, Italy, moved to Portugal before eventually settling in Spain. It was in the Spanish city of Palos de la Frontera that Columbus found support for his plan to reach Asia by sailing westward, convinced that the Earth was round.

Before setting sail on his famous voyage in 1492, Columbus made several trips to the Canary Islands. They served as a strategic stopover for resupplying provisions, repairing ships, and gathering supplies necessary for the transatlantic crossing. Moreover, the knowledge and experience gained during his time in the Canary Islands were major for Columbus’ navigation and exploration. He studied the currents, winds, and navigational techniques employed by the local sailors known as “Canarios.” These insights and observations greatly influenced his navigation strategies during his subsequent voyages.

Columbus’ connection with the Canary Islands extended beyond practical considerations. It was during his visit to La Gomera that he met Beatriz de Bobadilla, the widow of the governor of the island. Columbus established a romantic relationship with Beatriz, and it was through her connections that he gained access to important circles of influence in the Spanish court.

Currency & Payment

As part of the European Union, the current currency is the Euro. The vast majority of businesses accept credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) and contactless payment such as Apple Pay.

All you need is your phone or your watch to pay pretty much anywhere.

Who still carries cash nowadays anyway ?

Traveling Around

You’ll do a mix of walking and taxis. Thankfully, taxis are very cheap and you can pay them contactless with your phone.

Or rent a car to enjoy your stay in Gran Canaria freely. They are many car rentals companies everywhere in the streets. Parking is free here.

Airport Transfer

The island’s airport is located on the East coast approximately, 20 km from Maspalomas. There are both buses and taxis from the airport to Maspalomas.

There is at least one bus per hour for about €5 each way. A taxi or airport transfer services costs around €30-40.

Buses info here.

There you go, if you haven’t already, now is time to book your hotel and flight to the gay paradise Maspalomas!

We created this site as a guide to help you with your journey. Head over to our front page to see everything that’s here in Gran Canaria in details at maspalomas.paradisr.com . Feel free to browse around and contact the various businesses if you have any question.

Want to move to Gran Canaria? Check our expat info here.