Things to do in

Valle del Cauca

Walk through one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Colombia, the so-called “Sultana del Valle” or “La Sucursal del Cielo”. Famous for its Salsa rhythms and acrobatic shows, Cali hides an enormous, fighting and brilliant past beyond that enriches our lives nowadays. Throughout this cultural walk, you’ll relive our historical process that led us into civil wars, hard moments of discrimination and bright minds who recite Cali in poems and songs about its pretty mountains, our beautiful women and beloved city. It’s important to know the current people’s feeling and situation after the pandemic to understand the resistant culture we represent for the whole country. From its colonial houses until the Jairo Varela Museum, you will recognize and taste the great “caleños” race we are: afros, indigenous and europeans! Important info: this Tour is a shared experience called "Free Walking Tour" and our job is based on tips, which means that you are the one who decides how much your Guides deserve for their work. We suggest $50,000 COP per person which we consider is a fair value for your Freelance Guide considering the cost of a regular Walking Tour. This voluntary tip that you give to your guide is their way of making a living and maintaining this exciting job.

Discover the history of salsa in Cali on a guided walking tour. Learn about the origins of this dance and music genre, and how it has become a symbol of the city's identity. Start your tour in Plazoleta Jairo Varela and head to the main spots between salsa culture and the street art scene in downtown Cali. Discover how salsa is part of the “cultura popular” of the people of Cali and is a social movement whose lyrics tell us moments of revolution, crazy loves, historical events, and social manifestos. From its beginnings in the Caribbean Antilles, through a great musical mix and its definition in New York, to the boom years of cultural development in Cali between the 60's and 80's, salsa has served as a means of connection between society and guilds, and has become a romantic, folkloric, and revolutionary art. See salsa characters painted on various murals in tribute to their musical and social contribution in the streets of Cali. Curiously close to them, find more radical and activist messages from other social movements linked to a popular struggle and cause. At the end of the tour, you will appreciate salsa culture with a different perspective and understand the effervescence of the Cali people that has led them to face social outbreaks, protests, and solidarity struggles where art, music, and activism are tools of resistance. Important info: this Tour is a shared experience called "Free Walking Tour" and our job is based on tips, which means that you are the one who decides how much your Guides deserve for their work. We suggest $50,000 COP per person which we consider is a fair value for your Freelance Guide considering the cost of a regular Walking Tour. This voluntary tip that you give to your guide is their way of making a living and maintaining this exciting job.

From Parque Alameda we'll walk towards Alameda Market crossing the neigborhood in order to try local home made food like Champús and Cucas done by “caleñas”. This is the best start so you understand how important our identity is through our gastronomy. Among afro preparations and european flavors, get a glimpse into the local culture and way of life. The market is home to hundreds of vendors selling everything from fresh produce to clothing, handicrafts, and household items. Taste traditional food from the pacific and toast with Viche, our amazing alcoholic beverage! This experience brings you closer to the flavors, colors, textures and regional gastronomic preparations, which are loaded with symbols and meanings, as they reveal social relations, popular imaginaries and the use of the environment. Important info: this Tour is a shared experience called "Free Walking Tour" and our job is based on tips, which means that you are the one who decides how much your Guides deserve for their work. We suggest $50,000 COP per person which we consider is a fair value for your Freelance Guide considering the cost of a regular Walking Tour. This voluntary tip that you give to your guide is their way of making a living and maintaining this exciting job.

The BEST RIVER SPOTS on the MOST IMPORTANT river in the city: CALI RIVER and CALI WATERFALL This is seriously and exeptional place. (multiple pools and a WATERFALL!!) The duration of the tour is about 3h. First, we walk past the Cali Zoo and Cali Botanical garden, were you can stay at the end of the tour if you wish. Then we walk around 1.5 km from the botanical garden to the most beautiful riverspots that you can choose from in Cali (Charco el recodo, Charco azul and Cali Waterfall) (Total walk from the Zoo is 3.3 km) The walk is beautiful, flat, easy and very relaxing, alongside the Cali river, until we get to the spots were we can go in the water, sunbathe, chill or even cook. (walk is around 1.5 km or 1 mile to the waterfall but theres plenty beautiful spots along the way) The waterfall is probably one of the nicest we have in Cali, especially so close to the city, and im sure you are gonna LOVE IT, just as us caleños love it so so much. This is the most important river in Cali, but we are gonna experience it before it ever comes into the city. bautiful, delicious fresh water and hot sun, who needs the beach when you got fresh water? Just message me if youre intersted and we can set up the meeting point and Id be happy to help you get there! :D Thank you for reading my add, hope you have an awesome trip!

Check the tour's route in Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9WfZsbL66hpKNc1H9 My name is Juan! And I will take you through a list of food spots that I've personally chosen for their authenticity, price, and taste of course. We will cover a good range of food & snacks: from hots to colds, solids to beverages, sweet to salty, stores & street vendors, national and local, fried to baked, fruits to meats, and everything in between. ____ Before we even start with the food, we will check out some murals that allow me to tell you about Cali's local culture, events, a national martyr and the first black vice-president of Colombia. Then, for the food... STOP 1: Bakery Good colombian bread. Pandebono, buñuelo, roscón, pan galleta. There are also options with guava sweet or milk caramel, coconut, cheese, sausage, and even coffee. BONUS intermmediate stop (only during weekdays): fried chip plantains, potato chips, and salchipapa. Surprise! We will check out the Salsa Plaza, listen to some music, even do some Salsa steps for you to feel more confident to confront a night of rumba... STOP 2: salty fried goods + juices Empanada: fried corn crust, meat and potato inside. (celiac) Papa aborrajada: loaf of potato with a crusting. Papa rellena: potato with rice and meat inside. Marranita: sweet plantain with fried pork inside. Aborrajado: sweet plantain with cheese inside (veggie) Champús: beverage with corn, pineapple, lulo, bitter orange leaves and cinnamon sticks. Lulada: beverage with lulo, ice and condensed milk. Juices of assorted fruits. BONUS intermmediate stop (only during weekdays): chontaduro, fruit & juice of this regional fruit said to be aphrodisiac, great for vegans and vegetarians because it has a lot of protein. STOP 3: ice with fruits (everything veggie and gluten free!) Raspado: scraped ice with blackberry syrup Cholado: same as above + assortment of 10 fruits + ice cream Cholado explosión cítrica: shaved ice with green mango syrup + assortment of acid and citric fruits. Lulada: beverage with lulo, ice and condensed milk. Maracuyada: beverage with passion fruit, ice and condensed milk. Ensalada de frutas: assortment of 10 fruits, cheese, condensed milk. _____ All tasting options are snacks, not big dishes. But don't be fooled, some are not small and I assure: you will be full by the end. Vegans welcome. Vegetarians welcome. Gluten-free people are welcome. Meat-lovers welcome as well! There are options for everybody. The tour starts and ends in Bulevar del Rio, the city's favorite spot for its breeze and ambience. We will be walking and stopping at several food businesses and street vendors. I will guide you on what everything is and what each spot does best, and you'll let your eyes and mouth decide what you want to try. "full belly, happy heart". I think that's all you should now. Any questions just let me know.

This grand tour of Cali allows you to visit the city in an efficient and fun way, going straight from one attraction to the next in a private vehicle without wasting in between. Your local caleño guides will show you the best attractions, where you can listen to the history of the city and take pictures. Visit Cristo Rey and Sebastian de Belalcazar, where you can see the incredible panoramic views that the city has to offer. You will also have the chance to try typical drinks, so you can feel like a true caleño.  Pass by El Gato del Rio and the only musical monument in Colombia. Walk through the Boulevard del Rio and explore the historical center, full of art, culture, and ancestral myths.

This is the BEST short hike in Cali, Colombia, totally adjusted to your pace. Experience the most popular hike for caleños, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays youll see many people enjoying nature, the trail and the beautiful view of the city and the Andes mountains. We start our hike at the entrance of the Bataclán Natural Park, there we will go up the first segment of the hike, well stop at 2 overlooks for pictures (along the way you can also buy water, fresh juices, fruit and other snacks) , then we continue the hike to the overlook were we will watch the sunset over the city and the Andes mountains. When we are done watchin the sunset, we continue going up to see the Three Crosses Monument up close and the views from the monument lookover. When we are ready well start our way down, into our night hike, until we reach the same entrance of the park where we started.

We are the first tour of salsa bars in the city, we will take you to visit 3 different salsa bars where you will experience the rumbera culture of Cali as if you were a Cali native, we will play games and dynamics to gain confidence and you will surely make new friends from different parts of the world loving and enjoying every second of the night. Meeting point: Iglesia San Antonio We will walk as the sun sets, to go to the first bar, in the San Antonio neighborhood, one of our favorite bars to start the night and share local snacks... Perfect to break the ice and start getting to know each other through games and fun . In our second bar we will find the typical Cali atmosphere where we will continue dancing every day with a different theme and enjoying the local Cali culture in the best style. Our last bar on the tour is a must-see on your list of must-see places in Cali; one of the trendy bars in the city where you can test your dance steps while enjoying from the moment you arrive until you leave. The tour ends at the last bar

Paragliding gives you the opportunity to see the world from another perspective, whilst allowing you to feel what it's like to fly. The feeling of freedom is unique in the air, and the best thing about this activity is that you do not need to have any special skills to enjoy this extraordinary adventure. The Valle del Cauca is a privileged department for the practice of paragliding, since it has special climate conditions to host calm, safe, and pleasant flights. The closeness that Cali has with the main takeoff areas makes it a desired and favored activity in the region. After soaring through the air for up to 15 minutes, you will touch down safely on the ground. From there, you can peruse the photographs from your experience, before your tour comes to an end.

Whether you are short of time or you are wanting to have the complete experience in Cali, this city tour is made for you. Come and visit the vibrant city of Cali, one of Colombia’s principal urban, industrial and cultural centers that attracts visitors throughout the year from across the world. Start this full-day tour by meeting your local guide who will pick you up from your hotel. From there you'll head to San Antonio, a historic neighborhood that offers panoramic views of the city. After having seen the wonders of Cali from above, you will go to La Tertulia museum, the first modern art museum in the city and the biggest collection of artworks collected in paper in the country. Right afterwards we will keep walking around the area to a coffee shop where we will learn about the importance of coffee and its preparation in Colombia, and of course have a taste of it. Then we will wander around downtown, visiting places such as: plaza Caycedo and San Francisco, learning about colonization and religion in the country, as well as understanding the current issues the city faces. You will also visit a fruit market to discover our endemic fruits and taste the best of them. A refreshing stop for a long but fulfilling day. This tour will finish once the driver takes you back safely to your hotel. Cali has a lot to offer and this is the best proof of it. Come and see it by yourself.