Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [203]
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Nightclubs
Av Sexta is full of bars and clubs. They all suck. The best nightclubs are a taxi-ride away. The hippest new spot in town is Parque del Perro, where bars and restaurants surround the park. There are also bars near El Gato, and just outside the Cali municipal boundary is Menga, where numerous discos (not constrained by the ley zanahoria, see boxed text) are open till dawn. Further afield is Juanchito, where several big salsatecas (salsa dance clubs) cluster.
Cali is more socially conservative than Medellín or Bogotá – caleños go out to dance, not to meet new people. If your goal is to meet new people, try Chipichape’s many tiny bars in the early evening, or the slopes of Parque San Antonio on the weekend.
Changó ( 662 9701; Via Cavasa, Juanchito; 2pm-6am) The most famous salsateca in Juanchito, this huge, sophisticated club has candlelit plush booths and a big, smoking-hot dance floor. Most of the week there’s no cover charge (Sunday costs COP$5000), but it’s a COP$10,000, 20-minute taxi ride from town. Sometimes there are dance shows.
Kukaramakara ( 653 5389; Calle 28N No 2bis-97; cover COP$10,000; 9pm-2am Thu-Sat) This big disco is famous for its live music, usually salsa. Come early if you want a table, or hang out on the 2nd-floor interior balcony, looking down at the band below.
Praga ( 691 4646; www.clubpraga.net; Km1 Antigua Via a Yumbo; cover COP$8000-10,000; 9pm-6am Thu-Sat) The biggest, most expensive nightclub in Cali, Praga attracts the richest and most beautiful people – if you’ve got it, this is where you come to flaunt it. On Thursday there’s no cover charge, plus domestic liquor is 2-for-1 till midnight.
Tienda Vieja ( 513 4444; www.tiendavieja.com; cnr Autopista Sur & Carrera 43; 4pm-1am Thu, 4pm-3am Fri & Sat, 2pm-2am Sun) This happy, well-worn but well-loved Cali institution plays salsa and Colombian crossover. Seating is in small, colorful wooden chairs – they’re not comfortable, but then you came here to dance, right? In the same complex there’s also a good grill restaurant, Rancho de Jonas.
Tin Tin Deo ( 514 1537; www.tintindeocali.com; Calle 5 No 38-71, San Fernando; cover COP$10,000-15,000; 7pm-2am Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat) This rocking salsa joint attracts some of the best dancers in Cali. Posters of famous salsa singers look down on you from the wall, and industrial fans keep the room from overheating. Drinks are moderately priced, and the cover charge is consumible, that is, you get it back in drinks at the bar. Also sometimes plays música del pacífico (music from the Pacific coast).
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Cinemas
Cali’s many shopping malls all have cinemas, including Chipichape (www.chipichape.com; Av Sexta No 39N-25), Cosmocentro (Calle 5 No 50-00), Palmetto Plaza (www.palmettoplaza.com; Calle 9 No 48-51), and Unicentro (www.unicentro.com; Carrera 100 No 5-169).
For more thought-provoking fare, check the program of the Cinemateca La Tertulia ( 893 2939; Museo de Arte Moderno La Tertulia, Av Colombia No 5 Oeste-105), which generally has two shows daily from Tuesday to Sunday. Attracting large crowds for its weekend art-house screenings is Lugar a Dudas ( 668 2335; www.lugaradudas.org; Calle 15N No 8N-41; admission free; 11am-1pm & 2-7pm Tue-Sat). It serves coffee and snacks.
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Theater
The city’s oldest existing theater, Teatro Municipal ( 684 0593; Carrera 5 No 6-64), was completed in 1918. Today it’s used for various artistic forms, including musical concerts, theater and ballet. Frequent free concerts are held at Teatro al Aire Libre Los Cristales ( 558 2009; Carrera 14A No 6-00), an open-air amphitheater.
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SHOPPING
Parque Artesanía( 10am-8pm)