Cali Travelers Recommend

Three days in Cali allows you to explore Colombia’s third-largest city at a relaxed pace and see the surrounding countryside. Master the art of salsa dancing, admire colonial architecture, get your nature fix in a cloud forest or coffee plantation, and sample local life through markets and food. Here’s how to see Cali in three days. 

Day 1: Sights and Salsa

Devote day one to the essential Cali experience, which involves sightseeing and salsa dancing. Get your bearings on either a walking or bus tour that provides an introduction to Cali for first-time visitors. Tours tend to cover top Cali attractions such as the National Palace, Plaza Caicedo, and San Antonio Church and Museum. 

Then, dive straight into dancing with a salsa lesson in the salsa capital of the world. Choose between a shared or private lesson and upgrade to include a traditional Colombian meal and an admission ticket to a salsa performance. Top off the evening with a visit to the nightlife district of Sixth Avenue, where you find a plethora of salsa clubs and bars that stay open until the early hours.     

Day 2: Escape the City

Spend your second day exploring the historic and natural highlights within driving distance of Cali. Better known as the Ciudad Blanca (White City), Popayán is among Colombia’s best preserved colonial cities and is home to one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious universities, which counts 16 Colombian presidents among its alumni. Day trips here prove ideal for history buffs and typically include round-trip transfers and lunch. 

Another popular day trip option is Salento, Colombia’s coffee country. The region, which is also home to the giant palms of Cocora Valley (Valle de Cocora), is comprised of lush coffee plantations and can be visited as part of a day trip or a 2-day tour, most of which include accommodation and transport by minivan. 

Day 3: Nature and Culture

Dedicate your final day to enjoying Cali’s culture and nature. Kick-start your morning with a trip to the city’s top shopping spots including Parque Artesanal Loma de la Cruz, home to artisan shops and vendors; Alameda Market, where local Colombian dishes are in abundance; and Chipichape mall, one of the largest in the region.

In the afternoon, choose between going birdwatching in a cloud forest, admiring native flora and fauna at Cali Zoo, or getting views of the city from high above on a paragliding experience. Then, once the sun sets, embark on a night tour of Cali, which provides a safe way to travel between sights at night. Tours typically include the bohemian neighborhood of San Antonio, the gastronomic district of Granada, the nightlife hub of Sixth Avenue, and Sebastián de Belalcázar hilltop.

Colombia’s third-largest city, Cali is also renowned as a salsa-dancing capital. There are numerous ways to immerse yourself in its lively salsa culture: take a dance class, attend a high-energy dinner-show, follow locals to the salsa bars that line Sixth Avenue, and more. Here’s how to bust a move during your next Cali trip.

Highlights

• Make a pilgrimage to Cali—often called the salsa capital of the world—to learn all about the dance’s origins.
• Watch a talented salsa troupe perform as you dine on traditional Colombian dishes.
• Take inspiration from the professionals, and head to the dance floor to practice your own salsa steps.
• Discover the city's stylish salsa bars on a tour that includes buzzing Sixth Avenue.
• See dancers perform salsa numbers—as well as bachata and merengue dances—in a high-energy dinner show.
• Combine a Cali tour with an introductory dance class, and discover what makes the city’s brand of salsa unique.

As the world's salsa capital, Cali is more famous for lightning-fast dance moves and nonstop nightlife than it is for fashion, but Colombia’s third-largest metropolis is also a top choice for shoppers, with unique markets and malls all around the city.   Loma de la Cruz Artisan Park Just southwest of downtown Cali, the Parque Artesanal Loma de la Cruz is a lively public park filled with artisan shops and vendors. There’s a varied selection of art and handicrafts from the Amazon, Pacific Coast, and Andean regions, as well as plenty of street food. The market is open daily, but the most exciting time to visit is Thursday evening, when there’s live music and dance performances to entertain the crowds.   Alameda Market Cali’s main food market is the place to experience local life and sample regional specialties. Held daily in the Alameda district, Alameda Market (Galeria Alameda) has dozens of stalls selling exotic fruits, fresh meat and seafood, vegetables, herbs, traditional medicines, and fresh flowers. There’s plenty of delicious street food on offer, but the marketplace is also renowned for its seafood restaurants.   Chipichape Mall Just north of downtown, Chipichape is one of Cali’s biggest shopping malls, with stores selling everything from high-end street fashions and beauty products to toys and music. There’s also a cinema and a selection of restaurants, bars, and salsa clubs that stay busy until midnight.   Unicentro Mall About 30 minutes south of the city, the enormous Unicentro mall offers more than 200 shops, plus a casino, supermarket, multiplex cinema, and a range of cafés and restaurants.

In addition to soaking up the salsa-spiced atmosphere of Colombia’s third-largest city and exploring its historical highlights, two days in Cali gives you time to venture out to some of Colombia’s best historical and natural destinations. See below for how best to spend 48 hours in Cali. 

Day 1: Salsa and Sightseeing

**Morning:**Orient yourself in Cali’s historic center during a sightseeing tour, which tend to cover top sights such as Plaza Caicedo and San Antonio Church and Museum. Opt for a walking tour for a more intimate glimpse into the colonial Old Town, or cover more sights in less time on a bus tour. 

**Afternoon:**Spend your afternoon hitting up some of Cali’s top shopping spots. Explore the Loma de la Cruz Artisan Park, home to stalls and vendors selling local crafts, or get a taste of local life and culinary delights at Alameda Market, considered the kitchen of Cali.  

**Evening:**Devote your first evening to Cali’s most famous pastime—salsa dancing. Opt for either a private or shared class to master basic moves, and then enjoy a traditional Colombian meal and a salsa performance before heading to Sixth Avenue for a cocktail. 

Day 2: Venture Afield

**Day:**Escape the city on a day trip to enjoy the natural and cultural highlights surrounding Cali. Opt to spend the day at Hacienda el Paraíso, a carefully restored 19th-century plantation near the town of Buga. Today the mansion houses a museum, but it’s best-known as the setting for Colombian romantic writer Jorge Isaacs’ novel, María. Alternatively, get your wildlife fix on a birdwatching tour in a nearby cloud forest, or spend the afternoon at Cali Zoo, home to species native to South America. 

**Evening:**Spend your final evening enjoying the diversity of Cali’s nightlife on an evening tour that takes you to the neighborhood of San Antonio, the gastronomic district of Granada, and the nightlife hub of Sixth Avenue. Conclude your visit at the hilltop Sebastián de Belalcázar overlook for the best city views.  

With a culture rooted in salsa dancing, Cali is characterized by a vibrant and cheerful atmosphere. With some advance planning, you can see the sights and learn this sensual dance in the salsa capital of the world. Here’s how to make the most of just one day in the southern Colombian city of Cali.  

Morning: City Sightseeing

Devote your morning to checking off Cali’s major sights, which include the National Palace, Plaza Caicedo, and the San Antonio Church and Museum. Though the historic center lends itself well to walking tours, a panoramic tour by bus lets you cover more sights in less time, making it ideal for travelers with time constraints. For a more personalized experience, opt for a private city and shopping tour that gives you time to shop for clothes and souvenirs at your own pace at places such as Loma de la Cruz Artisan Park. 

Afternoon: Salsa, Salsa, Salsa

No visit to the world’s salsa dancing capital would be complete without taking part in a dance class. Regardless of your experience or ability, classes provide a fun way to experience an important part of Colombian culture. Choose between a shared or private class—during which you’ll receive the undivided attention of your instructor—or opt to combine your class with a traditional Colombian meal and a seat at a salsa performance.   

Evening: Cali by Night

After the sun sets, Cali really comes into its own; the strains of salsa music drift across the city, and locals fill bustling bars to practice their moves. The safest way to get your bearings in the city after dark is during a nighttime tour, which typically cover the bohemian neighborhood of San Antonio, the gastronomic district of Granada, and the nightlife hub of Sixth Avenue. Some tours take you to the hilltop Sebastián de Belalcázar overlook, and you can top off your visit with sweeping views of the city by night.