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Cali [1] is a city in southwestern Colombia, capital of the Valle del Cauca department. It has about 2 million inhabitants and it is a significant industrial and commercial center of activity in Colombia. Being at around 1,000 metres above sea level, it has a warm, but not excessively hot climate.
It's best known for its salsa music.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By bus
From the Terminal de transportes you have the choice of many different regional, national and domestic destinations.
From the Alfonso Bonilla Aragon International airport, about 20 minutes from the city, the taxi trip costs 10 dollars. or just 2 dollars Bus drive. Recommendation: Travel only by certified transport companies, like Expreso Palmira, Bolivariano o Expreso Brasilia. This companies bring you safety and comfort for you and your luggage. You may bargain with other companies, but the trip may be very uncomfortable.
A modern bus system similar to Bogota's famous Transmilenio is currently under construction; for this reason many streets are now blocked or closed.
[edit] By plane
Cali's International Airport is settled 16km north of the city an can be reached by Bus or Taxi. All domestic and some international destinations can be reached.
[edit] Get around
[edit] By taxi
Taxis are a fast and affordable way to get trough the city. Only use official cars and try to call for one if possible (your may call the local numbers 444 44 44, 555 55 55 and ask for one, your name and destination will be registered in the head office). Make sure the meter runs. The meters counts by units, not for Money. i.e: A trip that the meter marks 48 Units, you pay around USD1. Recommendations: Do not leave your luggage inside the taxi while you are not. Sometimes happens that drivers get off as soon as you are out the taxi and your luggage is still in the trunk. Anyway, many of the taxi drivers are nice and gentle people and have some good story to tell, so make sure you speak or understand Spanish anyway.
[edit] By bus
There are 23 urban transport companies to travel around the city. You may ask someone for a route, People are very gentle to help. the regular trip costs $1.400 local currency, close to USD.80
Masivo Integrado de Occidente - MIO: The city is building a massive transport solution who will brings a better and safer transport conditions. Their operations estimated to start in the first semester of 2009.
- Museo del Oro, Calle 7 No. 4-69. Small collection of pottery and gold. There is also a small art exhibitions. The entrance is free and it's open Monday till Saturday.
- Museo Arqueologico La Merced, Located in the downtown, shows pre-Hispanic exhibits and religious art.
- Cristo Rey A statue located in the top of a hill, similar to Cristo de Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. offers a great city view and a good exercise climb the mountain. Do not walk alone. It's not a real safe place.
- Estatua de Belalcazar, Like the city of Popayan to it's south, Cali was founded by a Spaniard named Sebastian de Belalcazar. There is a statue in Belalcazar's honor in a nice residential area of Cali, where you can look out over the whole city. It's much safer than Cristo Rey.
- Zoologico de Cali, This is an excellent zoo with many animals from around the world. The premises are very well kept and, surprisingly, it is located in an up-scale side of town. The animals generally have lots of space for themselves. Do not miss: the Bengal tigers, the butterflies, and the birds.
- Culture Cali had may of cultural offers, like the Teatro Municipal Enrique Buenaventura, Centro Cultural Comfandi, Teatro Jorge Isaacs, etc.
- Nice places: Lake Calima (one and a half hour drive from city) nice place to stay for about 30 dollars night also one of the best places for windsurf in south America
- Shopping Centers: Walk around Chipichape a big indoor/outdoor shopping center. It provides nearly everything and especially the possibility to have a drink at various outdoor bars, and to see many calenas. Its the best place to meet other foreigners, immigrants and English speaking natives. Others shopping centers you may want to visit, Palmetto Plaza, Cosmocentro, Unicentro and Jardin Plaza. All of them had their own Movie Theater Complex.
- Soccer Matches: In the Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero is the Host place of the local teams of the city, Deportivo Cali and America de Cali. regularly each Sunday one of them plays a Match for the National Championship. Between the months of May-June and November-December they are in playoffs, so the matches are more exciting. It is recommended that tourists sit on the west side section, "Occidental", of the stadium. Under no circumstances should a tourist sit at the south side of the stadium as this is where the popular barras for both teams are located.
- Mountain Biking: Excellent tracks there, get information at BTT de Colombia Bike store (yellow pages ask for Julio).
- Wind or Kite surfing: The best place in south America, wind blows virtually 365 days a year find information at http://www.velasyvientos.com
- Salsa Dancing: Cali is one of the most famous or popular places for salsa in the world. You can find people dancing in the streets and every single night find a club open for salsa dancing. These clubs have live salsa music, with popular groups as "La Sonora Carrusel".
- Universidad del Valle - public university of the Valle del Cauca department. Well know for their high level in Health Careers.
- Parque Artesanal: A place to buy artesanal figures and other stuff
- Shopping Centers: See 'Do' Section above.
- Cholados- a delicious mix of shaved ice and exotic fruit with rasberry and sweet condensed milk sauces and a wafer cookie. Often sold from vendors that have stands that display fruit and shaved ice, and best found in Jamundi, about a 15 min drive from the southern neighborhoods of Cali.
- Pandebono - baked rings of cheese bread which is quite typical of Cali
- Buñuelos - sweet fried doughnut balls
- Sancocho de gallina - a very popular chicken soup, best found in a town called Ginebra, about one hour drive from Cali
- Manjar blanco - a candy made from cooked sugar and milk, similar to dulce de leche (Milk candy)
- Chontaduro or peach palm fruit - a local delicacy that is sold on the street, topped with salt or honey
- Mango viche - green unripened mango, which is sold on the street and eaten with salt and lemon juice
- Guarapo - a deliciously refreshing drink of freshly pressed sugar cane juice (usually the seller has a machine and extracts the juice right in front of you) served with ice and a squirt of lemon juice
- Grosellas - small sour fruits which are sold on the street in bags and are eaten with salt
- Arroz atoyado - one of Valle del Cauca's most delicious dishes, almost like a risotto with chicken, sausages and potatoes
- Empanadas - corn pastries filled with meat or chicken and eaten with hot sauce (aji)
- Jugo de lulo or lulo juice - the most delicious of all local fruit juices
- Aborrajados - fried cheese-filled plantains
- Dulce de Guayaba con queso - a delicious dollop of guava paste on top of a fresh slice of local 'cuajada' cheese
- Marranitasis a delicious mix of plantain with "chicharrón" (pork`s skin fried)(The best ones are in "El champus de Lola" in San Antonio hill.
- Guarapo - the juice of sugar cane which grows in the Cauca river valley
- Aguardiente - one of the favorite alcoholic beverage in Colombia, with each region has its preferred brand - the local brand is Aguardiente Blanco del Valle and is sweet and licorice-flavored
- Chicha - slightly-alcoholic beverage made of fermented pineapples
Cali's nightlife is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. There are some good clubs and bars to go out.
Visit Avenida Sexta Cali's Broadway at day- & nighttimes. some low level Cali's discos are located there, some bars and banks are settled here closed at night and so crowded that is not safe.
- Alterno Bar is more like a crossover type of bar, its pretty good and you can meet a lot of people there.
- Blue Amigos Cafe & Bar [2] at Cali Plaza Hotel has free wi-fi.
- Chango is a popular salsa club in the famous Juanchito sector in the other side of the Cauca River. Best salsa party in town.
- Cucaramacara is a great local club with excellent mix of Latin music and good looking locals. Get a bottle and a table and enjoy.
- El Faro is the place to go if you like classic rock/heavy metal. Located in "El Limonar" A "Jirafa" (Lot of beer) is about USD3.
- Eliptica is an outside bar settled on a hill at the outskirts of Cali. The views are beautiful and this is a good place for an after party. Open till six or till the police shuts it down.
- Fanaticos Sport's Bar is the IN place @ Palmetto Plaza Shopping center, where college guys and young professionals meet to watch their favourite sports games. Great beer and good prices, open every day until 3AM.
- Flores Frescas is a renowned cabaret just off Avenida Sexta, with lots of good looking local girls. 15,000 COP entry, beers 5,000 COP a can.
- Forum is a popular club for electronic music with an energetic atmosphere.
- London Bar is busy only on a Thursday night when there is a live salsa band playing.
- Praga is a popular club which plays mix of all types of music called crossover.
- Tin Tin Deo is a very comfortable and almost magic place where people can enjoy the classic salsa music and other Caribbean rhythms.
- Blues Brothers Bar Av.6AN No 21-40 is a big and popular bar, live music at the weekend
- Iguana Hostel, Calle 21N & Avenida 9N No. 22 - A welcoming hostel opened in 1998 by swiss owner (Urs Diethelm) has dorm beds from 14,000 COP and single occupancy from 24,000 COP. Can get pretty full at the weekends due to travellers coming for "the Rumba". Internet, Self-catering kitchen & Cable TV
- Calidad House, Calle 17N & Avenida 9A No.39 - Opened in 1999 by English/Colombian couple (David & Emma), This hostels is a popular hangout for backpackers. Prices range from 14,000 COP to 32,000 COP for a private double room. Internet and Self-Catering kitchen & Cable TV is also a big plus.
- Cali Charm Bed & Breakfast [3] is located in one of the best parts of Cali, La Flora. Just four blocks from Chipichape mall and five minutes from avenida sexta and Menga Night Life. The Cali Charm House has been remodeled to Western standard and the best part is very!! affordable.
- Cali Plaza Hotel at the corner of Calle 15N and Avenida Sexta, in the heart of Cali, is an American owned hotel with apartments and 24 hour security.
- Hotel Dann Carlton - excellent, too; one block from the Hotel Intercontinental.
- Hotel Four Points by Sheraton - Member of the Sheraton Hotels. Five-star.
- Hotel Intercontinental - excellent place to stay; five stars safe, good location.
[edit] Stay safe
Keep your eyes open at night or take a taxi.
Night at Avenida sexta is not safe at all, try not walking at night specially alone.
Like any other capital city, don't walk with jewelry or let people around you know you have cash on you. Most places around hotels are safe.
- Try not to talk on cellphones while walking through streets, that might lure in robbers.
[edit] Get out
- The little hamlet of San Cipriano is a good day trip. Most people visit this place only for the ride to it, but it is also possible to stay overnight. Enjoy a swim in the various river beaches, or enjoy a tube ride down the river.
- City of Buga 1 hour drive. Visit "La Basilica", a major pilgrimage site in Colombia (Ask for Dulces del Valle best place for traditional Dulces). Also, Buga is more tranquil and cleaner than Cali.
- Parque Cafe. Approx 3 hr drive from Cali ( approx 2 hrs from Buga, listed above). This is an amusement park, and the Colombian Coffee Museum, complete with the history of Colombian coffee and Juan Valdez. See the theatrical show there that explains the local culture celebrating coffee.
- City of Jamundi half hour drive (ask for Cholados that Jamundi is famous for-a delicious mix of shaved ice and exotic fruit with rasberry and sweet condensed milk sauces and a wafer cookie. Often sold from vendors that have stands that display fruit and shaved ice. There is a traffic circle roundabout near the city entrance with many Cholado stands)
- Popayan is about two hours away, and a nice place to stay for a couple of days.
- Isla Gorgona is a remote Island in the pacific reachable from Cali via Buenaventura (2.5 hrs to the west). Gorgona is a national park, specially known for scuba diving expeditions because of the great diversity in fauna.
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