San Antonio, Cali, Colombia
Cali is the Colombian city most famous for salsa dancing. If you want to learn salsa dancing, Cali is the place to learn. Even as a novice, watching on in any of the famous salsa bars of Cali, you'll be able to see the dancers of Cali are the best!Something rather strange you'll come across in the city is Parque de los gatos (El gato del rio). These are large sculptures of cats designed and made by local artist, Hernando Tejada. If you have some time to kill or you're a cat enthusiast then this place is worth a visit.
El gato del rio, Cali, Colombia
Cali is home to the best zoo in Colombia, and it's in the city, so normally a short ride away. My favorite animal is the sloth and there are a couple in this zoo, they take a bit of finding though, you'll probably need to ask someone.Other places worth visiting in Cali are the historic center and also the Chipichape shopping mall. I would recommend the restaurant Leños y Carbon in the mall, if you love steak, you'll love this restaurant.
The place for great views of the city is at the Cristo Rey, this is similar to that of Rio, Brazil. The views unfortunately aren't quite that of Rio, but still, its probably the best place to get a city photo in Cali.
Juan Valdez coffee shop
Getting around Cali
Getting around Cali is very easy, there is a system called, Masivo Integrado de Occidente, or MIO. This is a bus system which has a separate lane to the cars and only stops at specially built stations that you need a ticket to get into.There are lots of taxis in Cali, normally the drivers are listening to salsa music whilst driving around the city. It's easy to get a taxi, they are all metered and the driver will nearly always put on the meter without being prompted.
Fresh coffee in the mountains of Colombia
It is possible for you to go on a day trip from Cali to Parque del cafe in Armenia. This is a coffee plantation and also a theme park so it makes a great day trip. The coffee plantation is sponsored by Juan Valdez. You'll find lots of Juan Valdez coffee shops all over Colombia, even if you're not a coffee drinker, you'll appreciate a Juan Valdez coffee!
Bus from Cali to Bogotá, 10 hours, 57,000 pesos
You take a bus from the terminal de transportes, it takes about 10 hours to Bogotá. I would recommend a Bolivariano service which are quite regular from Cali. There are a few other good bus services leaving from Cali, it is a popular route. You should pay around 57,000 pesos for the service, again this is negotiable.
