It was late one night in Havana and Cuba's popular queer party El Divino was heating up. Audience members, all dressed to impress, walked up the stairs to the stage to pay tribute to a performing drag queen with a dramatic performance. need on each cheek and a handful of pesos folded into a false neckline.
Truth be told, Cuba has never been at the top of my list. Friends had told me the food was disappointing and the LGBTQ scene was virtually non-existent. But when I finally visited the island, with 12 other gay men, on an educational group tour organized by Verano Forever Travel, we found a place full of delicious food and fun parties with drag queens.
This is proof of how much has changed in recent years, explained Carlos Gonzalez, founder of Travel the way artists do and one of our guides for the week. Twenty years ago, he continued, events like El Divino would have taken place in secret to avoid police raids.
Today, El Divino is on Instagram – and LGBTQ Cubans can legally marry, adopt children, and access free gender-affirming care. Rather than deporting LGBTQ foreigners, as Fidel Castro did with American poet Allen Ginsberg, the government now runs two hotels specifically aimed at queer visitors.
The country's struggles are also a driving force for change. In 2021, Cuba has sparked some of the largest protests since the revolution, due to ongoing economic difficulties. In response, the government relaxed rules on private enterprise, leading to the opening of more bars, clubs and other small businesses, said Alejandro Almaguer, founder of Verano.
LGBTQ bars in Havana, including PaZillo And XY, regularly organize queer parties that last until the wee hours. Then there are mixed places like King Barwhich, on a crowded Friday night, featured a saxophonist jumping on tables while playing along to the DJ's salsa tracks.
Not that we only focus on nightlife. One afternoon we had a private screening of the work of Alejandro Cañer, an up-and-coming queer digital artist. “You won’t find his stuff in the official galleries here,” Gonzalez told us. As we enter the pop-up, in a small studio in a residential building, we understand why.
“I would describe my work as sexually deviant propaganda,” Cañer explained, as I admired a work depicting a flexing Che Guevara wearing a harlequin-print thong. “I like to manipulate the history of my country, play with the symbols and concepts that accompany it and make it scandalous.”
We also had the chance to explore beyond Havana. In Viñales, our group took a short horseback ride through the countryside before arriving at a private tobacco farm, where we learned how to make fresh sugarcane juice and puff cigars. Lunch was a farm-to-table feast Restaurante El Cuajani, which serves dishes such as bruschetta and fresh pumpkin soup.
Towards the end of our week, Gonzalez surprised us with a pig roast in the countryside outside Havana. With the ground still wet from the rain, we danced barefoot in the mud alongside our hosts until a drag show began. During a Lady Gaga medley, a queen named Salma de Armas hoisted me into the air—an impressive feat considering all the pork, tostones, and yuca I'd just eaten.
“Come with a sense of adventure,” Gonzalez said, “and you’ll have a great time.”
What you need to know before you go
U.S. citizens can legally visit Cuba as long as they meet permitted travel categories, such as “educational activities” and “support of the Cuban people,” established by the Treasury Department. Tours such as those from Verano Forever Travel qualify, as do other organized programs emphasizing cultural exchange.
Americans must also purchase a visa – available from airlines or Cuba Travel Services – and fill out a digital form, D'Viajeros, within three days of arrival. Americans are prohibited from spending money in public establishments; the State Department maintains a list of “restricted entities.” American credit cards generally don't work on the island, so bring plenty of cash.
A version of this story first appeared in the June 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the title “The new frontier”.
