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Guide to Cali, Colombia
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Cali
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CaliA well-known city in the illegal trafficking world, Cali, Colombia, is a combination of clean streets and grit, and where the back alleys are nearly always eerily humming with the activity of drug rings. Yes, Cali has been marred for quite some time by immense corruption, infesting those on the social and political ladders all the way up to influential government officials. Though crackdowns and raids appear in the news nearly every day in Cali, the problems the city faces are far from eradication, nevermind tamed. Because of this "underground war," tourists en route to Colombia - or those in the know, anyhow - most often choose to visit more family-friendly locales, such as Bogota, Medellin, or Barranquilla. Cali is now left for exploration by the intrigued minds of journalists, photographers, and any hybrid of the two. If you've seen a documentary on substance trafficking, chances are you'll be seeing a good portion of footage emerge from the streets of this metropolis. It is indeed sad, the way things have gone in this neck of Colombia, but interestingly enough, life here seems rather ordinary, at least on the surface. Rarely do any authorities break ground in a dramatic sense to ridding the region of this dilemma, so you may wish to forgo a visit, especially when considering safety precautions and the well-being of relatives vacationing with you. Still going to make plans to fly to Cali? Preparedness is key. (Hint: Wear casual clothing.)
When to go:
If you've ever been to South America, particularly its northern sectors, you'll be familiar with inescapable heat during summer and wonderfully ideal winters. Cali, of course, being a rather large city, is the producer of quite a large amount of toxins, which hover over the skyline like a cloud too comfortable among high rises and industrial complexes to move out. This enormous factor causes high temperatures to be trapped at or near ground level, and one can thus deduce that un-pleasantries emerge in social circles, which then lead to disturbances that are not worth sticking around for. (A reminder: Seasons are inverted at the equator; Europeans experience summer when those below the "halfway" line receive the effects of winter, and so forth.)
Getting there and around:
Cali's Alfonso B. Aragon Airport is by no means walking distance from the city center. While some like this and some find great fault in its placement, Cali's major involvement in Colombia's industrial world allows it good transit systems. Roadways could be better designed, but you do with what you have, and if traffic is in the cards on the day of your arrive and departure, stock your pocket with a book or music player and wish sense into those holding up the flow. Because haggling with taxi drivers on fares can be quite tedious and oftentimes draining, you're better off making like a sardine and traveling by bus. Buses are said to be safer and travel nearly everywhere a private chauffer is able to, and saving a few pesos is always a good thing.
Attractions:
While certain neighborhoods in Cali are best left unexplored by tourists, you can find solace in the fact that visiting the city's churches will always leave you unscathed. You won't find steeples surviving millennia, however, a stop by La Ermita, San Francisco, and La Merced Churches for some face time with architecture and artwork spanning from the 18th Century to the present day. Another noteworthy establishment is the Modern Art Museum.
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