Cali is an underestimated city, few travelers include it in their Colombian travel itinerary, and yet… Cali is surely the most dynamic city in Colombia. It’s a city with a party culture that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else in the country.
Cali has seduced us with its warm climate, unique cultural sites, numerous museums, salsa dancing venues and a unique Colombian atmosphere!
We were fed up with paying fees abroad
So for several years now, we’ve been using a free bank debit card specially designed for travelers, and we don’t pay any more fees abroad – no more!
Cali General information
Cali Travel Guide
Cali is home to Colombia’s largest Afro-Colombian community. Just 2 hours from the coast and the port of Buenaventura, the city is permeated by Pacific culture.
Cali can be considered Colombia’s cultural capital for the dynamism of its Caleña cultural scene and its carnal relationship with music and cinema. Cali has often spearheaded avant-garde artistic movements in the country.
- Foundation: July 25, 1536
- Natural region: Andes
- Department: Valle del Cauca
- Population: 2 million
- Average altitude: 1000 m
- Climate: temperate tropical mountain
- Averageminimum temperature: 18 °C
- Average maximum temperature : 29 °C
- Dry season: December to March and June to September
- Rainy season: March to May and October to November (peak in April and October)
Best things to do in Cali
Cali Travel Guide
Cali is the capital of Salsa, but not only!
It’s also the stronghold of alternative cultures, and many artistic movements have developed in Cali, notably in cinema and photography.
Today, the San Antonio quarter is the most touristic and pleasant area to stroll in complete safety in a city that requires a certain vigilance when night comes.
More info on not-to-be-missed sights
You’ll find all our tips for sightseeing in Cali in our dedicated posts. Click below for lots of ideas.
Visits we recommend in Cali
- La Merced Church
- Boulevard del Rio
- La Tertulia Museum
- San Antonio district
- Loma de la Cruz market
- Alameda Market
- Salsa Museum
- Cerro Cristo Rey
- Caliwood Museum
Guided tour of Cali in English
Natalia, a Colombian woman born in Cali, offers community-based tourism that benefits local residents and initiatives.
Best thing to do around Cali
Cali Travel Guide
Situated in the Cordillera Oriental, but very close to the Pacific coast, Cali offers a wide variety of possibilities for discovering the surrounding area, both in terms of nature and heritage.
Sightseeing around Cali
- Pance
- Los Farallones National Nature Park
- San Cipriano
- Pacific beaches
- Popayan
- Silvia
- Puracé National Nature Park
- Buga
- Guapi
- Isla Gorgona
More information on things to do around Cali
Click below for information on things to do around Cali.
All posts about Cali and surroundings
Cali Travel Guide
Where to stay in Cali
Cali Travel Guide
Generally speaking, the most obvious areas to stay in Cali are located around the historic center:
San Antonio
This is the favorite district for travelers, with its atmosphere, restaurants, bars and abundant cultural life.
El Peñon
North of San Antonio, a safe neighborhood where you’ll find more upscale hotels.
Miraflores
A quieter, more residential district to the south of San Antonio, close to the main points of interest.
Granada
Another of Cali’s fashionable districts, more upscale and quieter, even if it does boast a number of bars and restaurants.
As you can see from the map, all these districts are more or less in the same area. As far as the historic center (Plaza Cayzedo) is concerned, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this area, as you need to be more careful at night.
Our suggestions for hotels and hostels in Cali
Here’s a selection of places to stay in Cali, hotels and hostels that we’ve tested or that have been recommended by our friends and readers, and that have very good recommendations on the web.
Cali, Granada
Hotel
Hotel Casa del Hidalgo Cali
La Casa del Hidalgo is located close to the Rio Cali in the Granada district. With its refreshing swimming pool and Turkish bath, this hotel offers a tastefully decorated ambience. A good option, highly rated by travelers.
Cali, Granada
Hotel
Leclerc Hotel Boutique
A boutique hotel in the Granada district, perfectly located and offering quality service. Good breakfast, warm welcome and comfortable rooms, what else?
Cali, Miraflores
Hostal
Oasis Cali Hostel
L’Oasis is a classic budget hostal with an established reputation. You’ll find the good atmosphere of a hostal in the Miraflores district
Cali, San Antonio
Hotel
Moonshine Hotel
The Moonshine Hostel is a great option for those who want a nice double room with a great terrace all to themselves! Ideally located in San Antonio, the Moonshine was our second accommodation option in Cali during our stay.
Cali, San Antonio
Hotel
Hotel Magic Garden
This is where we stayed during our stay in Cali, and we recommend it with our eyes closed! Superbly located right next to the park in the San Antonio district, Cali’s best neighborhood, it feels like home, the breakfasts are top-notch and the view from the terrace is brilliant.
Cali, Miraflores
Hotel
Blue Garden House
If you’re looking for a hotel on a quiet street and in a quiet neighborhood, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, Jardin Azul is surely an option for you. A simple, clean hotel in the Miraflores district, with the sweet advantage of a small swimming pool! And in Cali’s heat, that’s something to be appreciated!
Cali, San Antonio
Hostal
Hostal Ruta Sur
A hostel recommended by our readers, located near San Antonio Park in a superb colonial house. Friendly staff, cleanliness, comfort and above all peace and quiet! Lots of private rooms available, and a dormitory area too. No restaurants on site, but the neighborhood is full of them!
How to get to Cali
Cali Travel Guide
Cali may not be the best-served destination in Colombia, but its role as regional capital and being one of the country’s largest cities, it can still be reached by all the usual means of transport: by bus and plane, or by car if you’ve chosen to rent a car in Colombia.
More info on how to get there
Click below for more information on how to get to Cali.
Getting to Cali by bus
Bus terminal
- Website: terminalcali. com
- Address: Calle 30N 2AN-29
- Phone: 57 (2) 668 3655
- Mail: info@terminalcali.com
Cab to/from the Bus Terminal
The Bus Terminal is about a 15-minute cab ride from downtown Cali.
Getting to Cali by plane
Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport (CLO)
- Website: aerocali.com.co
- Address: Palmira, Valle del Cauca
- Tel: 57 (2) 280 1515 / 57 (2) 441 7041
- Email: acliente@aerocali.com.co
Cab to/from airport
- Duration: approx. 50 minutes
- Fare: approx. $60.000 COP
- Official company: Asotaba
Bus to/from airport
- Duration: approx. 40 minutes from bus terminal
- Fare: approx. $7.0000 COP
- Companies: Expreso Siglo XXI / Rápido Aeropuerto / Líneas Cónsul / Expreso Palmira
Online payments on Colombian websites
Refusal to pay often happens when you want to pay online. For example, this has happened to us several times on the San German Express site, on the Satena site and on the Avianca site. We solved the problem by using our VPN and locating it in Colombia. This enabled us to bypass local restrictions and the payment was accepted.
Getting around Cali
Cali Travel Guide
Cali is a huge city which has been trying for some years to coordinate its transport system to make it more convenient.
The MIO integrated transport system
Created in 2008, the MIO is a global mobility system for the city of Cali, integrating different transport lines (Transmilenio reserved lane, standard bus and cable car). It operates with a rechargeable transport card that can be used throughout the network.
Cab
Cali’s official cabs are yellow and numbered. This is the easiest and safest way to get around. We recommend ordering cabs by phone (ask at your hotel) or via an app like Cabify.
More info on how to get around Cali
Click below to read our full post on transport, how to get around by metro, cab and airport transfer.
Uber
Uber is now legal and authorized in Colombia. It’s the world’s leading VTC service, and once you’ve downloaded the application and entered your payment details, you can order a VTC anywhere, anytime.
Rent a car
Renting a car to discover Cali’s surroundings can be worthwhile, although we recommend extreme vigilance on the roads throughout the region to the south of Cali, where there are recurrent safety problems.
Some examples of distances to places to visit in the surrounding area:
- To Popayan: 140 km and around 3 hours’ travel time
- To Purace: 170 km and approx. 4 hours travel time
- To Buga: 70 km and approx. 1h travel time
- Buenaventura: 120 km and approx. 2h30 travel time
Rent a car In Colombia
To rent a car, we advise you to use the Rental Cars comparator, which gives you a complete overview of the different rental companies in Colombia.
Safety in Cali
Cali Travel Guide
Generally speaking, it’s best to keep an eye on things in Cali… the city has a fairly high level of delinquency. That said, with the necessary precautions, it’s quite possible to wander around during the day without any problems.
At night, however, it’s a different matter: simply avoid wandering around the city center. This doesn’t mean you can’t get around at night, but the advice is simple: take a cab to a specific address and leave by the same means without loitering in the area.
To sum up, here are the safest places to stroll at night (while remaining vigilant):
- San Antonio
- Barrio Granada
- La loma de la cruz
- Barrio Normandia
- Along the Bulevar del Rio
- The section of the Quinta where the Topa is located.