Explore Cali
Cali, explained by friends.
Salsa capital, poster city, street-food heaven, rivers an hour away. Here's how we'd spend your days — with the walks the hostel itself recommends.
Around the house
Why here
How Cali became the salsa capital
Salsa didn't start in Cali, but Cali fell for it harder than anywhere. From the mid-20th century, Cuban son and New York salsa records poured into the city's neighbourhoods, and caleños danced to them at home, at block parties and in the legendary salsotecas.
Out of that came a style of its own: fast, flashy footwork, quick turns and acrobatics — local legend has it the city got so used to playing records sped up that its dancers simply kept up. Today Cali has salsa schools on every other corner, world-champion dance companies, and the Feria de Cali opens every December with the Salsódromo parade.
You don't need any of that to enjoy it. You need one class, a few brave songs, and a night out with people who'll cheer when you finally hit the one.
Tonight
Where to dance
Every venue keeps its own nights, prices and dress code, and they change — ask the house which night is best and go together.
- Juanchito
- Across the Cauca river, the old heartland of big salsa clubs that run until late. Go by taxi, in a group.
- Delirio
- Cali's famous salsa-and-circus spectacle with a live orchestra. It runs on select dates only — check its official calendar.
First-timers
Salsa etiquette for beginners
Cali's dance floors are friendly, and caleños love dancing with people who are trying. A few unwritten rules:
- Anyone can ask anyone to dance. A smile and an outstretched hand works in every language.
- It's fine to say no thanks — and fine to be told no. Ask someone else.
- One or two songs together, then a thank-you. Staying for more is a compliment, not an obligation.
- Learn your basic step first. Turns can wait; timing can't.
- Wear shoes that turn on the floor, bring water and pace yourself — it's hot.
Poster city
La Linterna and the Cali poster
Those colourful posters on our lobby wall? That style lives in San Antonio, at La Linterna — a letterpress workshop printing Cali posters since 1934 with movable type, linocut illustrations and presses built in Paris in 1870 and New York in 1890.
For decades its street posters announced the city's cultural and social events. After a severe crisis in 2016, a new generation of artists and cultural managers helped bring it back, and today its posters about salsa, Cali sayings and Latin American icons hang in homes, bars and — yes — hostels all over the city.
Visit the workshop, watch the presses and take a poster home. (We're fans, not partners.)
“La Linterna es mágica, cuando parece que va [a] dejar de iluminar, sorpresivamente se vuelve a encender.”On foot
Neighbourhoods & landmarks
Miraflores sits on the green hillside just south-west of San Antonio. From here, the old town, the river and the centre are all within reach.
Hungry?
Eat like a caleño
Cali eats between the Andes and the Pacific: Valle del Cauca snacks on every corner, coconut-rich Pacific cooking in the markets. Start at Galería Alameda, then work through this list.
- Pandebono
- Cheesy cassava-and-corn bread rolls. Breakfast of champions, still warm.
- Aborrajado
- Ripe plantain stuffed with cheese, battered and fried.
- Empanada valluna + ají
- Crunchy corn empanadas with a spicy, fresh ají on top.
- Lulada
- Cali's own drink: crushed lulo fruit, lime, sugar and ice.
- Cholado
- Shaved ice piled with fruit, syrups and condensed milk. A hot-afternoon emergency.
- Chontaduro
- Peach-palm fruit sold on the street with salt and honey. Divisive. Try it.
- Champús
- Cold corn drink with lulo, pineapple and spices.
- Sancocho de gallina
- The Sunday soup: hen, plantain, cassava and corn.
- Arroz atollado
- Creamy rice with pork, chorizo and potatoes — Valle comfort food.
- Cocina del Pacífico
- Coconut rice, seafood stews (encocados, cazuelas) and the Pacific spirit viche.
Get out
Rivers & green escapes
The team's 'must-do near Cali' list, painted on our dining-room wall, is mostly water and mountains. Conditions, access rules and transport change, so ask the house before you go and always follow local guides.
Plan around
Festivals worth planning for
Dates move every year — check the official programmes before you book.
- Feria de Cali
- 25–30 December. Salsódromo parade, concerts, salsa marathons, the whole city in the street.
- Petronio Álvarez
- Usually in August. The great festival of Pacific music: marimba, drums and viche.
- Festival Mundial de Salsa
- Usually around September. The world's best salsa dancers compete in Cali.
- Festival de Cine & Feria del Libro
- Usually in October–November: Cali's international film festival and book fair.
Practical
Getting around & staying sharp
Cali is big, warm and mostly very welcoming. Like any big city, a little local know-how goes a long way:
- Taxis are everywhere and affordable; at night, have reception call one or use a ride-hailing app rather than hailing on the street.
- The MIO bus network covers most of the city — handy by day.
- Don't 'dar papaya': keep phones and valuables out of sight on the street, especially at night.
- Walk in groups after dark and ask the team before exploring somewhere new.
- Carry a copy of your passport; leave the original in your locker.
- Hydrate and wear sunscreen — the valley sun is strong.
There's always room for one more.
Live rates and availability are in La Palmera's own booking engine.