Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [197]
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HIGHLIGHTS
Learn to swivel your hips and boogie in the sweaty salsa joints of Cali
Soar above the waves amid green mountain scenery while kitesurfing Lago Calima
Spend the night stargazing in Colombia’s tiniest desert, the Desierto de la Tatacoa
Take a boat ride on Laguna de la Cocha and visit cloud-forest-clad Isla Carota in the middle
Hike the hills of Tierradentro to visit ancient tombs and gawk at the stunning scenery
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Climate
The climate varies dramatically by region and altitude. Cali is hot and humid, the border reaches with Ecuador are cooler and drier. In the Desierto de la Tatacoa the mercury sometimes hits 50°C.
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National, State & Regional Parks
The archaeological sites of San Agustín and Tierradentro are both protected areas, whose topography is even more stunning than the archaeological stuff. Laguna de la Cocha and Laguna Verde outside Pasto are worth a visit, and the Parque Nacional Natural Farallones de Cali, outside of Cali, offers numerous hiking opportunities.
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Getting There & Away
Cali’s airport receives flights from North and South America and Europe. Efficient buses connect the area to the rest of the country. Click here for more on travel to/from Colombia.
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Getting Around
Buses can take you everywhere you want to go in Southwest Colombia. Click here for more details on domestic travel.
CALI
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2 / pop 3.5 million / elev 969m
Cali is not an immediately likable city. For one thing, it is muggy and hot. For another, it’s an industrial and transportation hub whose business is business, not tourism. Caleños shrug off criticism of their city with the saying, ‘Cali es Cali y lo demás es loma, ¿oís?’ (Cali is Cali, and the rest [of Colombia] is just mountain, ya hear?).
Those who dig deeper and spend some time here will find a welcoming, friendly city with great nightlife, good restaurants, and plenty to do, especially in the evening, when a cool mountain breeze dissipates the heat of the day.
Go to San Antonio, the old colonial center, and linger over a beer or ice cream in the park, or better still, a champú or lulada, both fruit drinks made with lulo, a unique Colombian fruit typical of the Valle de Cauca, of which Cali is the capital. Wander through Barrio Granada’s many upscale restaurants and boutiques, or hang out at Chipichape shopping mall and marvel at the local plastic surgeons’ prowess.
Nowhere are Colombia’s racial diversity and harmony, and the incredible beauty of Colombian women, more apparent than here. Cali women are nationally renowned for their sense of style and beauty, and the way they carry themselves .
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HISTORY
After helping Francisco Pizarro conquer the Incas, Sebastián de Belalcázar (also known in Latin America as Benalcázar) quarreled with his former boss and moved north to strike out on his own. After founding Quito and Popayán, he arrived in the Valle del Cauca in 1536, where he dubbed his new settlement Santiago de Cali.
Over the centuries Spaniards shipped in thousands of African slaves to work the valley’s sugarcane and cotton plantations. The Valle remains a major agricultural producer, and in higher regions also produces grapes and coffee.
Cali was a small town in orbit to departmental capital Popayán well into the 20th century, when railroads, and later highways, overtook the rivers as the dominant form of transport. To this day more than half of Colombia’s exports pass through Cali on their way to Buenaventura.
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ORIENTATION
Cali is built along the western edge of the wide Valle de Cauca. The city center is laid out in a grid plan around the Plaza de Caycedo. This is where you’ll find most of the historic churches and museums.
Southwest of the center lies San Antonio, the colonial heart of Cali. North lies the bustling, upscale Av Sexta (Av 6N), and nearby Av 9, where you’ll find