Beautiful towns of Valle del Cauca to visit and near to Cali

It is one of the small towns near Cali with which you can start the tour. It is located to the west on the mountains of the cordillera, which makes its climate warm and sunny during the day and cold at night. El Queremal is a very quiet town perfect for resting from the city atmosphere of the Sultana del Valle and there are many country estates to stay to their surroundings. In one morning you can go hiking through a forest reserve on the foothills of the mountain range that leads to the San Juan River which is born from the San Juanito, El Oso, and La Moravia ravines.

La Cumbre, Pavas, and Restrepo are three towns close to each other; the second is 10 minutes from the first and the third 35 minutes). The summit is 45 minutes from Cali taking the Cali-Yumbo road but if you come from El Queremal you must turn towards the road to the sea to take the detour to the summit. The three towns are very quiet and known for a large number of country farm hotels in the middle of hills, fishing lakes, and their typical festivals in August. The road to these towns also leads to Lake Calima without paying tolls.

Darién is the town of the reservoir of Lake Calima. It is 2 hours from Cali and it is also very close to Buga. It is a very touristic place due to its spectacular sunny climate with aquatic attractions within Lake Calima. There is a wide range of hotels and farm rentals both in the surrounding mountains and in the flat area near the dam. A good date to go is during Holy Week since its festivities attract many people from Cali, Buga, and Tuluá.

It is a hidden village in the middle of a tropical forest that you can only access using Las witches of San Cipriano, is a means of transport made up of a wooden base with metal wheels wedged to the old railway tracks and driven by a motorbike. The entrance to the tracks is before reaching Buenaventura on the road to the sea. In San Cipriano you must visit the waterfalls and puddles, bathe in the river riding an inflated tire as a float, and walk through its ecological trails.

If you want to spend a few days with the sea and the beach, you should get to the town of Buenaventura to go to the beaches of Malaga Bay. The port of Buenaventura is two hours from Cali and 35 minutes from San Cipriano, so you can continue the tour by visiting the beaches, mangroves, and waterfalls that the bay offers.

In the months between July and November you can enjoy watching humpback whales from any of its beaches but especially from Maguipi. Getting to the Pacific Valle del Cauca is easy because there are no detours after the entrance to San Cipriano. The return is by the same route but after the “Loboguerrero” toll, it is the only one there, take the route to the right to see the next town on the tour

Buga or also known as Guadalajara de Buga is one of the 4 largest towns in the Valle del Cauca and is also one of the 17 heritage towns of Colombia. The neighborhoods of the urban center still preserve their original Colonial architecture. Buga has large hotels such as the Guadalajara hotel, restaurants, spas, water or recreational parks, and one of the most important tourist sites in Colombia, the Basilica of the Lord of Miracles.

It is the next town to visit and it is only 30 minutes from Buga along the route to the north of the Valley. This small city has monuments within the urban area that you can visit, there are establishments around the main park to taste the delicious "Cholado" and Fruit Salads. There are also camping areas in the surroundings, eco parks with spas to spend the day and if you go with a large group of people you can rent one of the luxurious farms on the outskirts of town.

It is one of the municipalities that are part of the north of Valle del Cauca. Its climate is hot but with strong winds coming from the mountains with forests around it, so it is a place where you can practice paragliding. Within Roldanillo there are three museums for you to visit and one of them exhibits certified works by the master Omar Rayo.

Even though this town is located in the north of the department, it has much of the coffee culture of the Paisa departments, which we can see in the buildings with colonial architecture still intact and in its inhabitants. In Cairo, you must taste a delicious papaya sweet and you can also go hiking through the tropical jungle that the town adjoins. We recommend you visit the Las Amarillas natural forest, the natural reserve, and the Cerro del Inglés viewpoint, located in the Serranía de Los Paraguas where the source of the San Juan River is also located.

It is the last town in the department, therefore our recommended tour of Valle del Cauca ends here. This Valluno town has great historical-colonial value because it is one of the oldest towns in Colombia. It has several monuments and architectural jewels to visit, but its main attraction is the La Vieja River. In this river, you can practice canoeing along with other extreme sports and also different types of aquatic recreation.

The beaches of the Valley are located in the municipality of Buenaventura. From its pier, you can reach the beach of Juanchaco Ladrilleros, La Bocana, Maguipi, Guapi, or even Nuquí. One of the most visited beaches for its wide range of hotels is Ladrilleros. From there you visit the mangroves and you can walk along the coast to La Barra beach, which is 45 minutes from the hotel zone.

All this set of beaches are part of the National Park Natural Uramba Bahía Málaga, for which you can buy a tour at the Buenaventura pier offices. A place that we recommend you visit is the waterfall of La Sierpe and the Tres Marías.

Also from the port you can go to Gorgona Island or Malpelo Island, where the travel time by boat exceeds 3 hours. To go to Gorgona there is only one travel agency in Cali in charge of selling tours, so you must buy it well in advance.