Cali Colombia. Gateway to the Colombia Pacific.
Cali the home of salsa music (& fast feet), ambition, hard work and an incredibly bright future. A city that frequently gets overlooked by travelers focused on the more well-known Colombian destinations, Cali doesn't disappoint with nightlife and beautiful people.
Where to stay:
Caelum Hostal (28COP/$9 USD): this place is an urban oasis. Opened in 2014 by an ambitious Caleño, Alvaro, this mid 18th century stone-cut building features a massive outdoor garden/patio/backyard with a full bar, stage for performances and dancing, three-stroy wall for projecting futbol matches and Nintendo 64 games alike. It features a 4-star restaurant with chef Pipe cooking fairly priced delicious meals. Two lovable dogs roam the place, Terry and Caela. They love going to Tres Cruces and on walks thru the city. Best of all, Alvaro has done an exceptional job creating a space where native Caleños want to come and do business meetings and class projects during the day and then hang out at night for dinner and drinks. This makes it a great place to meet locals, practice Spanish and get a better immersion into Cali's culture. For example, during one of my six weeks in Cali, Alvaro took 12 guests from the hotel to a music festival at Lago Calima (see below) where we joined 12-15 Caleños at a huge finca for an unforgettable weekend of fun. Good luck finding another hostal owner who will do half this much.
Caelum is an Oasis.
Caelum has an amazing outdoor space for drinks, dancing, socializing & relaxing.
Caela inspects the social scene @ Caelum.
Where to eat:
Ware Areparia: best arepas in Colombia- HANDS DOWN (and I'm happily taking credit for publicizing this place to the travel community). Instead of a flat-bread with some cheese on top, Ware offers 20 types of arepa balls stuffed with carne, chicken, mushrooms, corn, jalapenos, pork, avocado and lots more. They're the size of a tennis ball so you only need 2-3. At 3COP per arepa this was my go to once a week. DO NOT MISS THIS. It's located at 26th and 2nd next to San Antonio.
Ware Areparia. Best in Colombia. Guaranteed.
Pargo Rojo: located in the popular San Antonio neighborhood, this place is popping(!) during lunchtime with Caleños. Having met the first rule of thumb for identifying good authentic local cuisine, I ate here 2 times during my stay in the Salsa Capital. For 12k COP you can get one of two almuerzos (that's spanish for "lunch" and a common offering across the country includes soup to begin, an entre and a juice/soda): pescado apanado (breaded fish) or an amazing fish in coconut sauce (ask for "Enconcado con salsa De coco"). It's wonderful and I suggest both. If you're going only once, get the Enconcado.
@Pargo Rojo get some Corvina in coconut sauce.
Poteo: opened within the last year, owner/chef Jorge Marcovich has built a great tapas restaurant within the Peñon section of Cali (Peñon is quickly emerging as the hottest part of the city. Boutiques, restaurants, beautiful people, great socializing and shopping- it's the Soho of Cali). A dinner for four with 2 bottles of wine was $120USD (460 COP) and we had 6 dishes plus dessert. Strongly suggested for a date night or if you want to treat your taste buds for a little more money.
Poteo. Living walls, live music and great eats.
Chef Burger: in El Peñon neighborhood; solid burgers and fries from an expanding Medellin startup. Feeling the need to connect to that gringo food in the USA, this is your spot. I found you the joint, you know what to do from here.
Bogota Beer Company: Opened its first location outside Bogota in September 2016 and chose Cali's El Peñon as it's promising spot to plant roots. Colombia's largest microbrew has 7-10 delicious beers available on tap in a great setting. Good for a day beer or something early in the evening (tho I suspect this will quickly become a great spot for nightlife).
La Diva: An amazing, family-owned Italian restaurant with growth throughout the country (4 restaurants in Barranquilla, 1 in Bogota and their latest opening in Cali in late 2016). La Diva offer an exclusive space for enjoying an authentic Italian food. It is located in El Peñon with a nice terrace and great wine collection.
To do in Cali:
Tres Cruces: don't miss this strenuous 45-60 minute hike to the top of Cali. The view is magnificent and you can even use their outdoor gym if you want to lift weights atop the city. My best time was 29 minutes and the record is 17 (which seems impossible because you may finding yourself on all fours, scaling the rocks like an animal). Fear not, out of shape gringos: I saw Caleños of all ages and weights conquering the hike. If you stay at Caelum, take the dogs with you!
Cristo Rey: the other big mountain in Cali features a massive monument of Christ with arms outstretched over the city (think Cristo Redontor in Rio De Janiero). It's a beautiful view. Closes at 6pm and can be dangerous at night although I went at 6 and felt completely safe. Your call. After, head to Parque San Antonio for dinner and drinks.
LEARN SALSA: Cali is the home of salsa and beautiful women. The best way to enjoy both is through lessons so you can actually feel confident in the dance floor. Caleños take dancing seriously so you'll be intimidated at first, for sure. I suggest linking up with Victor and Dorilein at Rumba y Salsa. They're both phenomenal dancers and great teachers for dancers of all skill level. Over the course of an intensive week, they taught this gringo how to feel good on the dance floor and it's been a great decision as all of Latin America dances salsa. An hour-long class is 40COP; 5 hours: 35COP per hour; 10+hours is 30COP per hour. (Victor's whatsapp: +57 3137781713)
Indigenous Dancing (every Thursday night 7-9 in San Antonio): free to enter, this is an event to see and participate in. Indigenous, regular Caleños and tourists alike join in the song and dance. Do this and then walk to Ware for arepas!
Day Trips:
San Cipriano (4COP to enter): this is a MUST DO for any visitor to Cali. Best when you do two days and one night. It's 2 hours northwest of Cali and offers an awesome lazy river for you to cruise down plus rope swings and river side dining. Super popular with locals on the weekends so go during the week. That said, I went over a weekend and didn't find it overcrowded at all. I took a car but you can easily get there by taking the bus towards Buenaventura and exiting at the 1st San Cipriano stop. The coolest part may be the way you enter the park. San Cip is off an old, still functioning railway line and the enterprising Colombians have created platforms with benches that you sit on and then mounted the front of their motorbike to the platform, leaving the back wheel touching the rail. They drive you at 20-30MPH along the rail line for 12-15 minutes to get you to the entrance of the park. This was exhilarating for an adrenaline junkie like me! Renting an inner tube to float is 5COP for the day. All said, you can do this trip for under $80COP (100 if you get a hotel for the night). Watch the video below
Riding the "Train" into San Cipriano
Charco Escondido (50COP): a secret lagoon with a waterfall and 3-story high cliff jumping is only an hour away from Cali. We had the place to ourselves until 2 Caleños arrived. One told me he was surprised to seeing anyone else, let alone gringos because no one knows of this hidden gem.
Lago Colima: One of the best spots in the world for wind sports, 360 days a year of constant wind makes this place the paradise for young Caleños. There is a new hostel Local House where you will find a beautiful country house with view to the lake and different activities in the area. Kite Surfing is big here.