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🥟 The Cali Street Food Tour (+ landmarks)

Duration: 2h
Languages: English
Quality Verified Registered on October 11, 2022

Hi 👋 I'm Juan, Cali local, born and raised here. Tourism is: something I love to do, something I am good at, and something I can make a job out of. That's why I have found a vocation in it. My tours keep growing, expanding, innovating, always a project-under-construction. They're never finished as I keep improving them with the experience every traveller brings. I speak superb english, native spanish, fluent portuguese, and some french. Thanks for considering me to show you my hometown. Welcome to Cali!

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  • Free booking and cancellation
    Free payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free
  • Accepts electronic payment
    This tour allows payment by electronic means or credit card

Tour description

Discover my hometown tasting it's flavours, found on the street 🥟 Plus landmarks 🏛️ and culture 💃 My introduction to my hometown.


*When you book, you could be the only booking*

Check the tour's route in Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9WfZsbL66hpKNc1H9


My name is Juan! And I will take you through a list of food spots that I've personally chosen for their authenticity, price, and taste of course.
We will cover a good range of food & snacks: from hots to colds, solids to beverages, sweet to salty, stores & street vendors, national and local, fried to baked, fruits to meats, and everything in between.

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Before we even start with the food, we will check out some murals that allow me to tell you about Cali's local culture, events, a national martyr and the first black vice-president of Colombia. Then, for the food...

STOP 1: Bakery
Good colombian bread. Pandebono, buñuelo, roscón, pan galleta. There are also options with guava sweet or milk caramel, coconut, cheese, sausage, and even coffee.
People spend on average here between: 2.000 - 10.000 pesos

BONUS intermmediate stop (only during weekdays): fried chip plantains, potato chips, and salchipapa. People spend on average here between: 5.000 - 15.000 pesos

Surprise! We will check out the Salsa Plaza, listen to some music, even do some Salsa steps for you to feel more confident to confront a night of rumba...

STOP 2: salty fried goods + juices
Empanada: fried corn crust, meat and potato inside. (celiac)
Papa aborrajada: loaf of potato with a crusting.
Papa rellena: potato with rice and meat inside.
Marranita: sweet plantain with fried pork inside.
Aborrajado: sweet plantain with cheese inside (veggie)
Champús: beverage with corn, pineapple, lulo, bitter orange leaves and cinnamon sticks.
Lulada: beverage with lulo, ice and condensed milk.
Juices of assorted fruits.
People spend on average here between: 5.000 - 25.000 pesos

BONUS intermmediate stop (only during weekdays): chontaduro, fruit & juice of this regional fruit said to be aphrodisiac, great for vegans and vegetarians because it has a lot of protein. People spend on average here between: 2.000 - 10.000 pesos.

STOP 3: ice with fruits (everything veggie and gluten free!)
Raspado: scraped ice with blackberry syrup
Cholado: same as above + assortment of 10 fruits + ice cream
Cholado explosión cítrica: shaved ice with green mango syrup + assortment of acid and citric fruits.
Lulada: beverage with lulo, ice and condensed milk.
Maracuyada: beverage with passion fruit, ice and condensed milk.
Ensalada de frutas: assortment of 10 fruits, cheese, condensed milk.
People spend on average here between: 5.000 - 15.000 pesos
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All tasting options are snacks, not big dishes. But don't be fooled, some are not small and I ASSURE: you will be full by the end.

Vegans welcome. Vegetarians welcome. Gluten-free people are welcome. Meat-lovers welcome as well! There are options for everybody.


The tour starts and ends in Bulevar del Rio, the city's favorite spot for its breeze and ambience. We will be walking and stopping at several food businesses and street vendors. I will guide you on what everything is and what each spot does best, and you'll let your eyes and mouth decide what you want to try.

We will have 3 stops over a short distance of 1.3 kilometers (less than a mile). We will go around the Bulevar, CAM, Plazoleta Jairo Varela, la gruta, and back to the bulevar. We will focus on the nicer, safer side of town. Try to bring an empty stomach if you want to try everything or most. We say "full belly, happy heart".

Extra information:
I recommend to bring $100.000 pesos (20 USD), which is usually more than enough to taste everything you want + to tip your guide. Usually people spend less than that.

I think that's all you should now. Any questions just let me know.

Foodies of the world, unite!

Check my profile for my full tours catalog: exotic market tour, salsa tour, historic tour, and more!

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Highlights

What will we visit on this tour?

  • Meeting point:
    Cl 8 #1-3, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Col...
    Cl 8 #1-3, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
    View on map

    On Google maps, locate the Subway sandwich store in the Bulevar del Rio (by Calle 8 crossing). There are brown public benches by the middle of the bulevar. We will only meet outside, this is not a food stop for the tour.

  • 1
    Outside visit
    Bakery / Panadería

    Our first stop is a traditional bakery with sweet and salty options, and a local bread said to be the 3rd best in the world.

  • 2
    Outside visit
    Plazoleta Jairo Varela

    The Salsa Plaza in the world's salsa capital.

  • 3
    Outside visit
    CHAMPUS DE LOLA TRADICINAL CALI

    Traditional business with more than 60 years in the area, where you can try typical fried food and beverages.

  • 4
    Outside visit
    COSECHAS PLAZOLETA JAIRO VARELA

    Optional stop is this fruit juice shop.

  • 5
    Outside visit
    Avianca square

    A city square with some tree fruits!

  • 6
    Outside visit
    Jugo de Borojo y Chontaduro mixto

    Let's try a regional fruit said to be aphrosidiac, greatly recommended for vegans and vegetarians for it's content with protein... CHONTADURO.

  • 7
    Outside visit
    Parque Simón Bolívar

    Monument for a historical figure.

  • 8
    Free admission
    Cholados Nancy: Ganador #1 en Cali

    For our final food stop, Cholado! Some locals say, if you didn't have one you didn't come to Cali! It's ice with a lot of fruit! Plus some various options, all ice and fruit in different preparations. Great for a hot Cali afternoon!

  • 9
    Outside visit
    Puente Ortíz

    A historical bridge in the city

  • 10
    Outside visit
    Churchill the Ermita

    Not a food stop, but we will visit the most famous church in town.

  • 11
    Outside visit
    River Boulevard

    We will finish our tour walking down one of my favorite places in town, where you can enjoy the afternoon breeze along the river.

  • 12
    Outside visit
    The Cali Street Food Tour

    The tours pin in Google Maps

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).

Tour opinions

98 ratings
5.0
By category
Professionalism
4.95
Fun
4.84
Expression
4.93
Quality
4.93
Route
4.82
Generic
5 stars
95
4 stars
3
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Marlene 22 Apr 2024
New York

Verified booking
Travelled alone - Apr 2024
I found Juan through Guruwalk. We ended up doing the walk at Alameda Market instead because I was the only petson on the tour. The tour become one on one which I enjoyed. It was a great walk. I was able to sample some fruits and cheeses. It was also a short walk about the market.
Alice 29 Mar 2024
Belfast

Verified booking
Travelled in group - Mar 2024
The street tour was excellent! We were able to try lots of different local foods and drinks and hear a bit about the city. Juan had a lot of knowledge and we recommend taking his advice on the food choices!
Lisa 19 Mar 2024
Zaandam

Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Mar 2024
Juan is really nice! He has good tips for salsa lessons and parties. His English is really good and he is very helpful.
Steve 19 Jan 2024
London

Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Oct 2023
Very informative about all the food, history past and present, culture and music. Excellent. Highly recommended!
Joe Curtin 13 Jan 2024

Verified booking
Travelled in couple - Jan 2024
Always skeptical about walking tours but Juan's tour of Cali was excellent - lots of time to eat, multiple stops, caring about food allergies, excellent English, and has a great relationship with vendors. We would recommend over and over again.
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Who is this tour for?

Accessibility
Suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Groups
Does not accept large group reservations.
Pets
Suitable for carrying pets.

What should you know?

Minimum of attendees
A minimum of 5 people is required for the tour.
Additional costs:
The tour requires the payment of entrance fees or additional expenses.
Free cancellation
If you will not be able to attend the tour, please cancel your booking, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.
Payment methods
Electronic or credit card payment is accepted.
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