Santiago de Cali or Cali for short is the third largest city in Colombia and is known for its salsa music, party atmosphere and friendly people. People from Cali are referred to as caleñas and there are approximately 2.3 million of them that live in and around the metropolitan area of the city. 

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The capital of the Valle del Cauca is a city whose tourist attractions have their own history, active cultural life, and musical rhythms that are famed around the world.

Cali's music, thanks to the city's rich ethnic diversity, ranges from the currulao of the Pacific coast to the city's star: salsa, the contagious, frenetic rhythm that is ingrained in the country's culture.

Cali is known by the rest Colombia as the "Rumba Capital" and by the world as the "Salsa Capital," thanks to its characteristic street parties and dance.

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As you travel through the city, you can visit the banks of the Cali river and admire the architecture of churches like Ermita and other colonial era buildings that are true national monuments.

Don't forget to visit key destinations like the Zoológico de Cali, the Barrio Granada, and the massive Cristo Rey, a statue similar to Rio de Janeiro's Cristo Redentor, that watches over the city from the Cerro de las Tres Cruces.

Among its many tourist destinations, Cali also has a number of museums: The La Tertulia Museum, the Calima Gold Museum, and the La Merced Archeological Museum are a few of the most well-known.

You can also use your walks around Cali as an opportunity to sample some of the city's traditional cuisine, with Spanish, indigenous, and African roots, giving each plate its own unique flavor. This cultural blend has resulted in delicacies such as arroz atollado (a type of seasoned rice with meat), empanadas vallunas (empanadas made with potatoes and shredded beef), sancocho de gallina (a type of chicken soup), sopa de tortillas (tortilla soup), aborrajado valluno (fritters made with plantains and cheese), tostadas de plátano verde con hogao (green plantain fritters with salsa), chuleta valluna (a type of pork milanese), and tamales (meat, beans, or other fillings wrapped in corn dough and steamed).

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