Cali

Colombia’s “Salsa Capital”, with packed dance clubs and salsa schools every night, the old San Antonio neighbourhood, Cristo Rey and the cloud forests of Los Farallones, plus nearby haciendas and the San Cipriano rail motorbikes.

Cali (officially Santiago de Cali) is Colombia’s third-largest city and capital of Valle del Cauca department, set between the foothills of the Cordillera Occidental and the Cauca River valley at about 1,000 m. It is world-famous as the “Salsa Capital”, with more than a hundred salsa dance schools and clubs packed every night; influenced by the Afro-Colombian culture of the Pacific coast, its music, food and festivals are bursting with energy.

Climate: tropical and warm year-round, with daytime highs around 30°C and cooling mountain breezes in the afternoon. Dec–Feb and Jun–Aug are relatively dry and best for hiking and excursions. The Feria de Cali (Dec 25–30) features a grand salsa parade and bullfights and is the liveliest time of the year.

Where to go: downtown centres on Plaza de Caycedo, from where La Merced, the Torre Mudéjar and the Museo del Oro Calima are all within walking distance; follow the Cali River promenade west past La Ermita church to the Gato del Río sculpture and La Tertulia art museum. The hillside San Antonio neighbourhood is great for sunsets and evenings out. West of the city are Cristo Rey, the zoo and the botanical garden; to the south lie the Pance River and Los Farallones de Cali National Park. Classic day trips include the “brujita” rail motorbikes through the San Cipriano rainforest, Hacienda El Paraíso and the pilgrimage town of Buga, and Lake Calima.

Getting there: Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport is about 20 km northeast of the city, with flights to Bogotá, Medellín, the United States and elsewhere. In the city there is the MIO bus rapid transit system, and hailing taxis through an app is safer.

Recommended stay: 3–4 days. Tips: security in Cali can be tricky — avoid walking alone at night and keep valuables out of sight. Don’t leave without taking a salsa class and then trying it out in a club; the freshly squeezed street juices and “lulada” drinks are well worth a try.

Top sights

• San Antonio Neighborhood – Cali's best-preserved colonial neighborhood, with colorful single-story houses, cafés, and a hilltop chapel, and a traditional gathering of…
• Cristo Rey – A 26-meter-tall statue of Christ on a hilltop at 1,440 m, overlooking all of Cali and the Cauca River valley.
• La Ermita Church – A blue-and-white neo-Gothic chapel by the Cali River that looks like a fairy-tale castle, and Cali's most photogenic landmark.
• Cali Zoo – One of Latin America's finest zoos, with the Cali River flowing through it. It is known for Colombian native animals and a butterfly house.
• San Antonio Hill & Chapel – 18th-century small brick chapel on a hilltop park, the place where locals love to watch the sunset and take in views over the city.
• Bulevar del Río – Riverside promenade created by sinking the traffic lanes underground, linking La Ermita church, the old town and the Gato del Río park.
• El Gato del Río – Bronze cat sculpture by Colombian artist Hernando Tejada, joined by a dozen painted “cat girlfriends” created by other artists.
• La Tertulia Museum of Modern Art – Cali’s leading modern art museum, with collections of Colombian and Latin American contemporary art, an art cinema and an open-air riversid…
• Plaza de Caicedo – Cali’s main downtown square, shaded by tall palms around a statue of independence hero Caicedo, surrounded by the cathedral and historic bu…
• La Merced Church & Archaeological Museum – 16th-century church complex from Cali’s founding years, with an archaeological museum displaying pre-Columbian pottery.
• Calima Gold Museum – Small gold museum run by the Bank of the Republic, showcasing the gold ornaments and pottery of the Calima culture; free admission.
• Torre Mudéjar & San Francisco Church – 18th-century brick Mudéjar bell tower, considered one of Latin America’s finest Mudéjar buildings, attached to the Church of San Francisco.
• Teatro Municipal Enrique Buenaventura – A neoclassical theater that opened in 1927, with a richly decorated ceiling mural. It regularly hosts symphony concerts, ballet, and salsa…
• Cerro de las Tres Cruces – Three giant crosses crown a hilltop north of the city. It is a popular weekend hiking route for Caleños and offers views over the whole cit…
• Galería Alameda – Cali's most famous traditional market, with tropical fruit stalls and small Pacific seafood restaurants where you can taste authentic coast…
• Parque del Perro (San Fernando) – A small park in the San Fernando district, surrounded by restaurants and bars. It is where young Caleños go for dinner and drinks in the ev…
• Juanchito Salsa Clubs – The legendary salsa club district on the far side of the Cauca River, the most authentic all-night dancing experience in the 'Salsa Capital…
• Cali Botanical Garden – A tropical dry-forest botanical garden in the Cali River valley to the west of the city, with a suspension bridge, a bird-watching tower, a…
• Ecoparque Río Pance – A clear mountain stream on the southern outskirts of Cali, where the whole city comes on weekends to swim and picnic. It is also the gatewa…
• Farallones de Cali National Natural Park – Granite peaks and cloud forest rise to the southwest of Cali, with the highest summit above 4,000 meters. Visitors can hike, bird-watch, an…
• San Cipriano Reserve – Ride a homemade railbike, nicknamed the 'witch,' through the rainforest to a Pacific village where you can float and swim in clear river wa…
• Hacienda El Paraíso – The setting of the Colombian romance novel 'María,' a 19th-century sugar hacienda and garden in excellent condition.
• Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, Buga – One of Colombia's most important Catholic pilgrimage sites, where millions of believers visit each year to venerate the cross of the Lord o…
• Lake Calima – A mountain reservoir lake with steady strong winds all year, one of South America's best-known destinations for kitesurfing, windsurfing, a…

Where to eat

• Platillos Voladores – A Cali institution run by chef Vicky Acosta for over twenty years. Blends Pacific Coast ingredients with Southeast Asia…
• Ringlete – A Cauca Valley restaurant run by chef Martha Jaramillo. Fried plantain snacks and chicken plantain soup are good choice…
• Antigua Contemporánea – An open-air courtyard restaurant beside San Antonio Church. Its octopus dishes and mushroom crispy pork risotto are wel…
• Cantina La 15 – A lively Mexican bar and restaurant in the Granada neighborhood, with a Mexican street band performing live every night…