The surrounding mountains of Cali: KM18

Cali is located in a valley in the Andes so you can easily get out of the city to the famous Kilómetro 18 to the north of the city. On the way up, you will see spectacular views of Cali and the mountain ranges that surround it. You also drive through extremely poor slums and can see where people live who take those semi-open 4x4 trucks that take them in and out of the city for work. Once up to the 18th kilometer through the steep and winding roads, you can stop at various restaurants that serve hot meals, with the specialty being hot chocolate with cheese. When we went recently, we ordered a picada with various meats, fried intestines (which were really good!), plantain, corn, potato and ají. It was delicious but prices can be quite high there so we bought a Groupon voucher for half price. It is quite an upper class outing but it is definitely worth going to see the scenery. There are often playgrounds for adults as well as children and some restaurants have parrots in the gardens. Just don't forget your coat as it is very cold compared to Cali, normally around 15 degrees.