It is a two-block park divided in half by 14th Street. In the first block, you will find large green areas that are ideal for picnicking because there is a higher density of large trees that provide good shade. In this block, you also find an open field for running, a small track for children to do bicicross, also parkour modules, and a climbing wall, all of which are free to access. On one side there is a bike path and on the other side, another path for walking that connects with the other block through an underground tunnel under 14th street. Before the tunnel, there is a track with big hills to practice BMX.
The second block is larger than the previous one and is located between 14th Street and 16th Street. This is busier because there are more recreational spaces, both public and private, and there is a commercial area with varied gastronomy. The park on this block has a paved path lit with streetlights on the south side joining the ends and connecting with pedestrian paths ideal for walking or jogging as they run through the entire park. There are also 3 soccer fields, public games for children, and a calisthenics area to exercise.
In the park, you can take advantage of a gastronomic proposal of fast foods, healthy drinks, and typical drinks such as champús, cholado, raspado, lemonade, lulada, and salpicón. There are different stalls, such as food trucks and kiosks, located on the paved path where some have chairs, tables, and even a television. Most are every day of the week from morning to 9 at night.
If you want more food options, there are many restaurants within the barrio del Ingenio near the park, which we will share with you later in this guide. There are also other places nearby such as churches, gyms, CrossFit centers, barbershops, and hairdressers.
Sundays are the day when more people visit the Parque del Ingenio because there are sports activities organized by the mayor's office, activities for pets, and recreation areas for children, some of which are free and others private, but with a minimum entrance fee, the Approximate value per child is 2,000 Colombian pesos (less than 1 dollar).
Due to the quarantine due to the pandemic, the park was closed until September 2020. Afterward, the mayor's office authorized access by the community and tourists, although group activities were temporarily prohibited.
How to get to Parque del Ingenio?
The address on the map of the park is Carrera 83 Calle 14 in the South of Cali, Valle Colombia. To get to the Parque del Ingenio in Cali, you can get into a taxi and ask it to go down Calle 14 or Calle 16 until Carrera 83.
You can also arrive on the MIO mass transport buses from any of the main roads of the city; You must get on the MIO and go to the Universities station and then change with the feeder with route P10D that leaves you in the entire front of the park on Carrera 83.
Picnic
Ingenuity Park is one of the places where you can have a picnic in Cali. If you want privacy, we recommend the first block, which has green areas with a lot of vegetation and is rarely used by visitors. If you want a more social space, on the north side of the second block of the park there is an area of trees away from sports activities where you can sit and take your picnic.
Cheers
The cholado is a refreshing drink typical of the department of Valle del Cauca. It is a glass that contains frosty ice with pieces of pineapple, papaya, melon, apple, grapes, strawberries, kiwi, lulo, soursop, banana, and grated sweet coconut.
One of the stalls that we recommend that for us sells the best cholado in the city is called "Cholados Y Raspados Oasis Del Ingenio", you should look it up by name because there are many similar kiosks on the illuminated pedestrian path.
Activities for children
This park is a perfect plan to take children because there is space where they can run, ride a bike, play soccer or ride the games in addition to the recreational spaces mentioned earlier in this guide. On weekends, from very early on, you find different economic activities for them to have fun like painting on boards, dancing, getting on electric carts for a ride in the park, jumping on inflatable games, jumping on the jumps, and finishing eating a scraping, a wafer or a delicious chontaduro.
Sports activities and schedule
Ingenio Park has different parts where you can exercise. There is a paved path that surrounds the entire park along Carrera 83 up to the jarillon, which is ideal for walking or jogging for a distance of 2 kilometers since the size of the mill park is 1,000 square meters. On weekday nights you find many people jogging around the park.
In the illuminated part of the second block, there are modules for calisthenics and weight training. Some freelance instructors teach one-on-one outdoor Zumba, yoga, and fitness classes. You generally find them in the morning between 6:00 am and 9:00 am, and the afternoon between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
Finally, as we mentioned before, there are three marked fields to play soccer for 11 players, a synthetic stone wall to climb, tubes to do parkour, and a terrain to do BMX.
Parking
If you go by car to the Parque del Ingenio you can park on the side of the highway on 83 without having problems with the traffic guards in Cali. This is a park that gets very crowded, especially at night, so we recommend you arrive before 7 pm to find an easy place to park your car or you can also use the private parking lots that are in front of the park.
If you decide to park on the side of the road some people take care of the vehicles for a minimum fee of 1,000 Colombian pesos.
Ingenuity Park at night
At night the park is very beautiful as it is fully illuminated with large streetlights. At this time you can go for a walk in the park without having to exercise and then you can eat at any of the kiosks. During these hours there are more food truck options.
Restaurants nearby
The El Ingenio neighborhood in Cali has sectors with a wide range of restaurants very close to Ingenuity Park, especially along the main roads of 14th Street and 16th Street. Some of them are:
- 747 Hamburguesas El Ingenio
- Picalas Wings
- Puerto Coco
- La Empanaderia Del Ingenio
- Alitas Factory
- Kebad Durum
- Kush Arepas Gourmet
- Wonder Pizzería Artesanal
- Antojería
- Subway
- Dolce Bocatto
- Angus Burger House
- Warner Foods
- El Arca De Pascual
- Más K Burger
- Gil´S Pizza
- Candy Shake
- Cheers Pizzería Ingenio
- Santa Lulada
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