Tours & Activities in Cali
Welcome to Colombia and Cali, the world capital of salsa and flavor!
Let's start with a question: would you like to learn about the "caleña" culture and understand the transformation it has had in the last 20 years to be called the "world capital of salsa" ?
Tour the historic center of Cali with your guides from Beyond Colombia so that you can understand the importance of the cultural legacy that our 3 ethnic groups have left in us, learning about the characteristics of our gastronomy, local slang and the songs of the Pacific.
We will start from the La Merced Church passing by the Calima Gold Museum, to understand the historical starting point where the city of Santiago de Cali originated and whose socioeconomic development since the 17th century explains the modern dynamics that make visible the current impact of a diverse culture in customs and expressions.
We will cross the most important squares in Cali such as:
- The River Boulevard
- San Francisco Square
- Cayzedo Square
- Jairo Varela
We will also visit the architectural icons of Cali such as:
- The Hermitage
- The Municipal Theatre
- St. Peter's Cathedral
- Jorge Isaacs Theater
- Ortiz Bridge, among others.
We will show you both sides of the coin: we will talk about the importance of football and Salsa in our society, but also about the impact, incidence and consequences of drug trafficking in our daily lives.
At the end of the tour you will know the root of our essence, you will identify the culture of the Cauca Valley from gastronomy to the revolutionary behavior that we carry in our blood thanks to our history and anti-cultural resistance movements.
Our goal is for you to take a little piece of our Cali flavor with you so that you can see and recommend Cali from a more real , complete and objective perspective.
Join , learn and dance to the rhythm of the Sultana del Valle!
We are authentic guides connecting Colombia since 2013, 12 years sharing passion in every step!
#GOBEYOND
Welcome to Colombia and the "Sucursal del Cielo"!
Feel Cali's revolution through Salsa as a popular lifestyle!
Discover the rebel soul of Cali through our exciting salsa and urban art tour! Immerse yourself in the passion and energy of Colombia's salsa capital as you explore its streets filled with color, creativity and its memories.
Join us for a unique experience where music, dance, and art blend into the very essence of Cali!
- Cali is characterized by its energetic nightlife with a varied musical offering but at the same time very concentrated on salsa, the icon of local identity.
- Many people visit the city to learn to dance Cali salsa due to the fame of its technique and style, or simply to appreciate this art that combines music, joy and flow.
- However, apart from the dance and the local nightlife, we intend that with this Tour you understand that salsa exists thanks to a historical process of African emancipation that many of our ancestors lived and left in us as a cultural and social legacy.
- Salsa is part of the “cultura popular” of our people 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.
- Today you can see salsa characters painted on various murals in tribute to their musical and social contribution in the streets of Cali, and curiously close to them you will find more radical and activist messages from other social movements linked to a popular struggle and cause.
We want to make you see salsa as a movement and lifestyle that has revolutionized our passions and whose musical manifestation is a celebration of a struggle in life.
In this innovative Tour we will visit must-see places such as:
- The Plazoleta de la Caleñidad
- The "Calle del Pecado" (or street of flavor)
- "The Curve" of the River Boulevard
- World Cup Tunnel and 5th Avenue
- Graffiti monument to victims N21
- Cult salsa bars
- And much more!
At the end of this Tour you will appreciate salsa with a different perspective and you will understand the effervescence of the Cali people that has led us to face social outbreaks, protests and solidarity struggles where art, music and activism are tools of resistance.
We are authentic guides connecting Colombia since 2013, 12 years sharing passion in every step!
#GOBEYOND
Discover my hometown tasting it's flavours, found on the street 🥟 Plus landmarks 🏛️ and culture 💃 My introduction to my hometown.
*When you book, you could be the only booking*
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.
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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.
People spend on average here between: 2.000 - 10.000 pesos
BONUS intermmediate stop (only during weekdays): fried chip plantains, potato chips, and salchipapa. People spend on average here between: 5.000 - 15.000 pesos
Surprise! We will check out the Salsa Plaza, listen to some salsa music, even learn some salsa steps for you to feel more confident to face a night of party and dancing in Cali...
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.
People spend on average here between: 5.000 - 25.000 pesos
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. People spend on average here between: 2.000 - 10.000 pesos.
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.
People spend on average here between: 5.000 - 15.000 pesos
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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.
We will have 3 stops over a short distance of 1.3 kilometers (less than a mile). We will go around the Bulevar, CAM, Plazoleta Jairo Varela, la gruta, and back to the bulevar. We will focus on the nicer, safer side of town. Try to bring an empty stomach if you want to try everything or most. We say "full belly, happy heart".
Extra information:
I recommend to bring $100.000 pesos (20 USD), which is usually more than enough to taste everything you want + to tip your guide. Usually people spend less than that.
I think that's all you should now. Any questions just let me know.
Foodies of the world, unite!
Check my profile for my full tours catalog: exotic market tour, salsa tour, historic tour, and more!
Welcome to the Sultana del Valle, immerse yourself in the best food market in Cali!
The gastronomic diversity of the Cauca Valley is highly appreciated in the country for its unique flavors such as Tamal Valluno, Pandebono, Viche, Manjar and exotic fruit juices (such as Borojó)!
From the Alameda Park we will visit the Alameda Market passing by stalls selling homemade food such as Champús and Cucas made by women from Cali . This is the best way to start understanding how important our identity is through our gastronomy.
Between Afro preparations and European flavours, get a glimpse of the local culture and way of life. The market is home to hundreds of vendors selling everything from fresh produce to clothing, crafts and household items .
Try traditional Pacific food and toast with Viche , our amazing alcoholic beverage!
This experience brings you closer to the flavours, colours, textures and regional gastronomic preparations, which are loaded with symbols and meanings, as they reveal social relations, popular imaginations and the use of the environment.
We will talk about:
- History and origins of our regional gastronomy
- Cultural influences of local races.
- Unique and useful preparations.
- Ancestral ingredients and traditional techniques from the region.
- The food market as a core of economic survival
- Biological, geographical and cultural diversity of the Cauca Valley
- Sweet, salty, oily, spicy and vigorous food
- And much more!
Join this experience with our team of local guides who, in addition to all the knowledge that we will share with you about the local gastronomy inherited from our families, will visit authentic places to eat inside the market as well as recommendations of local shops to have lunch , buy coffee, souvenirs and more in case you want to return on your own!
We are authentic guides connecting Colombia since 2013, 12 years sharing passion in every step!
#GOBEYOND!
THE GASTRONOMIC HEART OF CALI: you won't find anything more flavourly authentic! Food, fruits, and everything local.
🥭🍊🫐🥥🥑🫑🥔🧀🍤🥟🌷🌺🪻🌹💐🪴🌿🔮🧿🪬📿
*When you book, you could be the only booking*
CHECK THIS TOUR ON VIDEO: https://youtu.be/3-9rbH3ptS0
Galeria Alameda is every caleño's (person from Cali) place of choice for fresh fruits, artisanal drinks, great sea food, colorful flowers, quality souvenirs and everything local you can think of. Exotic variety characterizes this place!
This will be a journey through our senses, using our eyes 👁️👁️ ears 👂 noses 👃 and mouths 😋 to explore everything around us. Taste fruits you have never seen before, fresh colombian cheeses, empanadas I haven't seen anywhere else, traditional liquours, coconut water, aphrodisiac fruit (chontaduro) in fruit & juice, a tamales factory, and many more!
If you enjoy eating, if you enjoy the ambience of a public market, this is a tour for you.
Some fruits we may taste: mangostino, chirimoya, anón, mango, curuba, chachairú, grosella, chontaduro, níspero, and many more.
Cheeses we may taste: cuajada, campesino, costeño.
Did you know flowers are the 2nd biggest agricultural export for Colombia, only below coffee? Now you know, and you will get to see them in this market.
We will even go to the esotericism side of the market, and see where witches and magicians buy their stuff... spooky 🔮
Come around and experience the exotic variety and great quality Cali's central market has to offer, you won't find anywhere else in the city!
Our salsa journey begins by diving into modern salsa history, starting with the iconic Grupo Niche from the 1980s at the Plazoleta Jairo Varela. As one of Cali’s most influential groups, they brought the city’s salsa to the world stage, and you’ll learn how their sound shaped Cali’s musical identity.
Next, we’ll enjoy a break to savor some local Cali food like cholado, marranitas, pandebono, to get some energy for our salsa journey.
After a necessary food break, we0ll be immersing ourselves in the origins of salsa in Cali's Salsa Museum in Barrio Obrero. We’ll trace its roots back to early 20th-century Cuban rhythms like Guajira, Chachachá, and Mambo, and explore how these rhythms evolved and mixed with others in the melting pot of New York, ultimately giving birth to salsa.
To end the day, we’ll put all this history into action with a fun and energizing salsa class. You’ll learn the steps that have come to define Cali’s dance floors and feel the rhythm in your own moves, rounding off the day in true salsa style!
This is my propposal to discover SALSA in my hometown, for many, Salsa capital of the world. How and why is salsa so important here? Where to dance it? How to dance it? How to PLAY it? A multisensorial tour with music, history, steps, instruments and of course...
🕺 SALSA 💃
In this salsa tour in Cali, we'll learn everything about one of the most popular dances in Cali and move our bodies to the rhythms of Colombia!
You arrived to Cali to one of the many hostels in the San Antonio neighborhood, surrounded by shops but don't really know where to go?
Or maybe you have discovered that the city has almost no commercial activity during the day and are looking on something to do?
Come with me! Let's explore SAN ANTONIO, the colonial neighborhood of Cali, full of 1800's typical architecture houses of spanish influence. Nice, safe, cute area of the city filled with history and special shops and businesses all around. A place where antique past and modern present live together.
Break the ice with Cali! Walk around safely with a local and discover special places, just around the corner...
