5 things to do in Cali, Colombia
Cali from Cerro de las Tres Cruces
Cali, known as the “Sucursal del Cielo” (Heaven on Earth) by its people, as well as the capital of salsa due to the passion they feel for this music.
Cali is located in Valle del Cauca department, to the southwest of the country and it’s the third most populated city with 2.4 million inhabitants.
Cali has an average temperature of 25 degrees celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s at 1,000 meters above sea level.
Every year Cali celebrates the city’s carnival which goes from the 25th of December until the 30th. During the carnival the city is full celebrations, concerts, cultural events, and many parties. In reality, it doesn’t matter when you visit Cali, as you will always have a great time and be able to enjoy the happiness of its people.
Here we show you 5 things you can do while in Cali:
1. Walking along the river and the “boulevard del rio”
The Cali river crosses the eastern part of the city and has an adjacent sidewalk that allows people to walk, exercise, and run along the river. We suggest starting the walk at the sculpture of the name of the city. You will see the four letters C.A.L.I which are painted by a local artist. This sculpture was donated by a construction company called Melendez as a gift for the city’s 482th birthday. It was opened to the public on June 2018. The sculpture is located in a very iconic house called Casa Obeso Mejia which was built in the 40’s and is part of the Tertulia museum.
Here you can take a few really cool photos and start walking northbound along the river until you start to see colorful cat sculptures and farther down the big cat known as the river’s cat or El Gato de Tejada. This cat was donated in 1996 by Hernando Tejada, Colombian painter and sculptor, as a way to support the progressive work that was being done along the river. 10 years later, the city started a project to surround the big Tejada’s cat with smaller cat sculptures painted by local artists. This project was called “The cat’s girlfriends” and it also consisted on doing a citizens’ poll to see which cat sculpture was the most beautiful and unique. To everyone’s surprise, the poll returned a greater number of votes than the most recent elections to select the mayor of the city.
Next to the big cat you’ll see a bridge where you go into 2 different directions (see map below)
Option 1 is going back along the river until you get to the Tertulia Museum where you can visit art galleries or simply take pictures from the outside since it is very photogenic. There is also a cinema inside that shows very independent films.
After visiting or taking some pictures of the museum you can keep going and take option 2 which would be heading north. You can make another stop at The Obelisco Restaurant and eat some of their famous little empanadas, you’ll eat many of them! They also have local drinks such as the Lulada and Champus.
Option 2: From the big cat, going north you get to the River’s Boulevard (known as El Boulevard del Rio). On the way, you can also stop at Iglesia La Merced, an old and beautiful church that has a museum next to it bearing the same name. Otherwise, continue to the boulevard and enjoy walking the whole trajectory.
The Boulevard was completed in 2013 with two objectives: One was to make the existing road an underground road, facilitating traffic and making it more efficient. The second objective was to create a pedestrian road where people could walk and enjoy of all the touristic spots along the Boulevard, as well as serve as a place for cultural activities and events where citizens can congregate.
You will see many restaurants, bars, hear loud music, teenagers and older adults conversing and drinking beers, and then at the end of the Boulevard you’ll see the beautiful church La Ermita, which is the emblematic church of Cali. If you feel like walking a bit more, cross the street going over the Ortiz bridge (which was built in 1945 and became a national monument) where you arrive at the Retreta park, known as The CAM. Continue to the Plazoleta Jairo Varela, built in 2014 as homage to one of the most important composers and directors in Colombia, who lead the famous salsa group called Grupo Niche.
2. Walk around San Antonio
San Antonio is one of the most traditional residential neighborhoods in Cali, distinguishable for its colonial architecture. It was in the early 90’s that San Antonio became a more trendy place to be. With the arrival of coffee shops, high scale restaurants, hostels, boutique hotels, and bars, San Antonio became a tourist destination for anyone visiting Cali.
A perfect afternoon plan would be to go to San Antonio and walk around, drink, eat, and take some photos of the panoramic view of Cali. You could start off your afternoon by walking from the Loma de La Cruz where you’ll find many artisans selling crafts and paintings. It just takes approximately 15 minutes to get to San Antonio (to the church which is the highest point) from here.
After having some coffee, eating local food, and maybe a delicious ice cream, head over to the Church which is located on top of a hill to watch the sunset, which should be at around 5:30 to 6:00 pm. From here you’ll enjoy a beautiful view of the city and experience the refreshing breeze. Up here make sure to listen to the “storytellers” or cuenteros as people call them. They are an organized group of artists that are knowledgeable of the history of the area as well as of mythical and funny stories that will entertain any person regardless of their age.
3. Dance some Salsa!
You basically haven’t been to Cali unless you either dance Salsa or go to a Salsa show. People from Cali are known for dancing salsa by moving the feet really fast, faster than any other salsa dancing country, at least that’s what they say! Here are some of the best places to go see it in action or even get on the floor and dance some salsa.
Tintindeo: Known since 1987 as a very traditional place to dance salsa. We recommend going on a Thursday which is the day when foreigners attend to learn some steps and you can even get to practice with a fellow traveler. Saturday is when most of locals go, and that day you can really get to appreciate the skills they have for dancing. You might even think they are professionals.
Zaperoco: Another traditional location in Cali. Our perception is that it’s not as casual as the others, so we really recommend to go with a partner or in a group.
El Habanero and some of the nearby locations in Alameda Park, are also known for their good music, but are mostly for big groups, couples, or experienced salsa dancers.
Nowadays, La Topa Tolondra has gotten much attention due to its Monday salsa dancing classes which you can attend for $5,000 COP ($2 USD), it’s laid back and it has a young crowd. Next to La Topa Tolondra you will find Punto Bare, which is one of our favorite places to go in Cali, specially on Wednesdays when “The Big Band” plays latin Jazz. This Wednesday night is one to only listen to music, and not do any dancing. The rest of the days you should be able to dance as they always have live music.
You can also check two of the most famous Salsa shows in the city: Delirio or Ensalsate.
4. Going up the “Tres Cruces” hill.
This is a great activity for those who like to do exercise. Every day we see more and more people climb this hill as exercise, sometimes on the weekends or early mornings during the week.
Just like the Cristo Rey hill, this is another iconic symbol of cali. It is located at the Northwest of the city at an altitude of 1,480 meters a.s.l. The ascent takes approximately 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how fit you are. It is important to go with confortable shoes and proper hydration and some cash, as you’ll see vendors on the way selling fruits and water. If deciding to go during the week, we recommend starting the climb no later than 7am. On the weekends you can go at a later time, and also some groups are getting together to go up at night. This night groups are led by Puro Corazon Trail. This way you can really get a cool view of the city at night.
At some points the ascent can feel very challenging and you’ll have the option of taking two routes. One is a longer yet easier route. The other is the one known as “the wall” which is very steep and difficult, hence the name. As you go up you can enjoy the perfect city views, and once you reach the top, feel free to drink some fresh fruit juices made right on the spot. If you still have more energy left, you can visit the rustic/outdoor gym located at the base of the three crosses.
5. Try Cali’s gastronomy
Just like you can’t leave Cali without dancing some salsa, equally, you can’t leave without doing a gastronomic tour of the local food.
It’s important to clarify that most of the food is fried, so make sure you have a healthy stomach because In cali we eat a lot! First of all we eat a lot of “pam” which is how people call bread in Cali; obviously this is not how you should say it, you should say “pan” with an N, but we tend to change the N for an M when we speak. We eat it in the morning for breakfast, or in the afternoon (between lunch and dinner). The breads you need to try are, the pandeyuca, pandebono, and the almojabana. One our favorite bakeries are El Molino, or La Casa del Pandeyuca.
Don’t forget we mentioned The Obelisco earlier which is where you can try the small but delicious empanaditas or the Lulada. Or you can go to San Antonio where there is an array of places where you can try this food. Here we recommend El Zaguan de San Antonio which has a terrace with a nice view of the city and you can enjoy a nice cool afternoon or night there. It is not the cheapest place, but its food is really good (keep in mind they only accept cash). What you need to try here are, empanadas, marranitas, aborrajado, arepa de choclo, and the Lulada or “poizoned Lulada” (this one comes with aguardiente to give it an extra kick!), as well as the refajo (beer and a local soda) as a great complement for greasy food. It is definitely a place to share food as the platters are really big.
One more place is JJ Fritanga, which we haven’t visited yet but we hear is really good, and is also located in San Antonio.
One food that you should try is the chontaduro, which is loved by locals, but not so much by foreigners, mostly due to its consistency, but you only live once, so try it! We normally eat it with salt, or salt and honey. If you would like to try something else, we recommend the Mango biche, which is very common in cali.
The sancocho is a very popular soup in Cali. If you are feeling adventurous feel free to visit the Galeria La Alameda for a good Sancocho, or if you want a more upscale location go to Hacienda El Bosque where you can find also other local dishes. Just make sure you only go on a Sunday since it’s the only day they sell it. On the outskirts of the city, in a town called Ginebra you’ll find some of the best locations to try this dish.
Mazorca: which is basically corn on the cob, you can try this one by the Sebastian de Belalcazar Statue, who was Cali’s founder and where you’ll have a nice view of the city.
Lastly, you can go to Canchas Panamericanas during a hot day and enjoy a Cholado, which is a delicious bowl of shaved ice, with fruits, and condense milk. It is located on 9th street (calle novena) and you’ll have many vendors selling it when you get there.
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We hope you visit Cali and Colombia soon!
Love,
Seb & Clau