Cali, a piece of heaven

Cali is one of the most important economic and industrial pole of Colombia and the main urban, cultural, economic, industrial and agrarian center in the southwest of Colombia. In addition, it is a beautiful city that takes other names with pride, such as "the branch of heaven" or "the capital of salsa", which are the most renowned in every corner of the world, and attract curious travelers wanting to discover this earthly paradise.

Cultural, ethnic and racial phenomena occurred here and continue to occur. Caleños carry indigenous, spanish and african blood in their veins. Their cultural practices are the product of a social revolution called ‘salsa’, a musical genre created in Cuba and New York before venturing into the Atlantic, filtering through the port of Buenaventura and finally seizing this warm city.

Nowadays, in Cali you live to the rhythm of salsa. If you are walking down Calle Quinta, one of the city’s most important streets, you can listen to the classic songs of Grupo Niche, Joe Arroyo, Hector Lavoe and even Sonora Matancera. Here you need nothing to dance, not even knowing how to do it: you can "whip tile" any day of the week and anywhere in the city. In Cali there are many good salsa dancers, who become capsules of time where the era of the real "aguaelulos" is revived, which were dancing festivals, scenarios of fun and leisure that sometimes served to raise funds in order to lift the neighborhood. That is why the neighborhoods of "La Sucursal del Cielo" were built dancing.

This little piece of heaven is also an artistic and historical epicenter, which remains a secret for many. The city is a "concrete jungle" in which several traces of the past are hidden, as in the historic center, where some architectural and archeological jewels of the pre-Hispanic and colonial period still survive, such as the Calima Gold Museum, the La Ermita church, the church of San Francisco and the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Pedro Apóstol.

If you are in Cali, you will notice that this city is protected by Cristo Rey, the Tres Cruces, and the majestic Farallones located in the mountain ranges, which in the afternoons are painted in bluish tones, so as not to clash with the palette of pastels that goes splashing the sky. Along with this work of art, the freshness comes to Cali’s evenings and we recommend you to accompany it with typical food like “cholado”, “lulada”, “marranitas” or “aborrajados”.

So, what are you waiting for?