Cali City Tour: Cristo Rey and San Antonio

From $128 USD per person

Cali is Colombia’s third city and the one most often got wrong. It is where the African diaspora built an entire musical form, where a colonial hillside and an argument about the present sit on the same block, and where salsa is a posture rather than a genre. This private tour, four to five hours, is built to give you that city rather than the postcard.

It runs from the top of Cristo Rey, with the whole Valle del Cauca underneath you, down to the steep streets of San Antonio, where it ends on foot.

Check live availability and prices — or read on for how the route works.

How the tour works

• Hotel pickup (about 20 minutes). Private vehicle, bilingual guide, and the first layer of context on the way.
• Cristo Rey (about 45 minutes). A 26-metre statue on Cerro de los Cristales, raised after a decade of civil war, with the full panorama of the city and the valley below it.
• Sebastián de Belalcázar hill (about 30 minutes). The equestrian statue of the city’s Spanish founder, on the site of the founding. Your guide will tell you why the monument is argued about.
• Bulevar del Río (about 30 minutes). The riverfront axis of modern Cali, the clubs, the open-air stages, the Plazoleta Jairo Varela. This is where salsa stops being background music.
• Gato de Tejada (about 30 minutes). Hernando Tejada’s bronze cat on the riverbank, installed in 1996, now surrounded by a crowd of smaller cats other artists added.
• San Antonio (about 45 minutes). The oldest neighbourhood, declared an Urban Landmark in 2000. Steep, colonial, full of artists, and where the tour finishes.

What’s included

• A private certified bilingual guide, English and Spanish, for the whole tour
• Private transport between the stops
• Cristo Rey viewpoint
• Sebastián de Belalcázar hill
• Bulevar del Río and the Gato de Tejada
• A walking tour through San Antonio

Not included

• The return from San Antonio to your hotel — the tour ends there
• Food and drinks
• Tips and gratuities
• Personal purchases

Good to know

• The tour ends in San Antonio, not at your hotel. That is deliberate, because most people want to stay and eat there. Getting back is on you — or tell us and we will have a car waiting.
• Comfortable shoes. Belalcázar hill and San Antonio both mean uneven ground and slopes.
• Warm, all year. Cali sits at about 1,000 metres and does not really have seasons. Light clothing, plus a layer for an early start.
• Cristo Rey is exposed. No shade at the top. Sunscreen and water.
• Access to Cristo Rey can be restricted. Your guide checks conditions and substitutes another viewpoint if the summit is closed that day.
• Mornings are better. Cooler, clearer from the hilltops, and the city fills up through the afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts at your hotel and ends in San Antonio. The return from San Antonio is not included, because most people want to stay. If you would rather be driven back, ask us and we will arrange it.

How much walking is involved?

The vehicle covers the distance between stops. The walking is at each stop, and most of it is in San Antonio, which is a hill.

Is Cristo Rey always open?

Not always. Access is occasionally restricted. Your guide monitors it and takes you to another viewpoint over the valley if the summit is shut.

Will I get any salsa out of this?

The Bulevar del Río and Plazoleta Jairo Varela stop puts you in the middle of it and your guide explains how the city built the style. If you want to dance it, take a private salsa lesson instead or as well.

Can the route be changed?

Yes. It is private, so your guide can stretch the time at San Antonio or the Bulevar and trim elsewhere.

How do I get to Cali in the first place?

Fly in and we take the ground. For the arrival, book a Cali airport transfer. For what to expect when you land, read the Cali airport guide.

Ready? Check your date and lock it in