Cali, Colombia
Salsa Rhythms & Sexy Birds
Known as the “Salsa Capital of the World”, the Colombian city of Cali is rich with musical rhythms. From the frenetic salsa beats ingrained into the country’s heritage to its robust ethnic diversity, the third-largest city in Colombia is a melting pot of Latin culture. Caleños (Cali natives) are open, friendly, warm people and wonderfully diverse, with a mix of African, European, and indigenous heritage.
Sure — there’s nightlife, museums, and delicious cuisine here. But for birders, Cali takes on another dimension. Most notably, it’s an easily-accessed destination with a modern and convenient international airport positioned at the crossroads of tremendous biological diversity. Here, there is a blending of productive habitats: the cloud forests of the Western Andes, the humid tropical forests of the Pacific lowlands, and the wetlands and dry forests along the Cauca River in the valley. Approximately 1,000 bird species have turned up in this Department (Valle del Cauca) alone, yet the area only occupies 2% of the country’s land mass. There is ample birding and exploring to be done here! Many of this region’s best birding habitats, which had been off-limits for decades, are now open to birders who want to experience the magic of Cali.