CALI & SOUTHWEST COLOMBIA © LonelyPlanetPublications you crosstheborder–itreally asthephotoslook. isasspectacular Negro –amustifyou’re passingthrough.Finally, don’tmisstheSantuariodeLasLajaswhen restaurants andbars,every January thetowngoescrazywithitsFestival deBlancoy Colombian jokes. Whileitdoeshave anoticeableEcuadorean influence,there are stillgood sleep inthedesert. la Tatacoa, region –comeforthestargazing asmallcactus-clad and withanobservatory de San Agustín of Neiva,you’llfindtheDesierto andBogotá,outsidethesleepyriver port Tut’s tomb,theyare setamidstunningpanoramasofAndeanbeauty.Halfwaybetween archaeological sites.bia’s twomostimportant Whiletheruinsthemselves maynotbeKing is nottobemissed.Cali isalsoagreat into thesurroundingarea. baseforhikes funky cafes ofGranada intheoldcolonialneighborhoodofSanAntonio,anddiningdistrict by travelers. friends–inadditiontoitsmanynightclubs,italsohas It’sacityeagertomake taxiridefromEcuador. gorgea cathedralbuiltacrossbreathtaking justashort there’s Pasto, asurprisinglyhiptownfew hoursfromtheborder, andSantuariodeLasLajas, delaTatacoa.Agustín, setamidjaw-droppingscenery,andtheanomalousDesierto Southward finest architecture inthecountry.Eastwardliearchaeological ruinsofTierradentro andSan avisit.ColonialPopayán boastssomeofthe nightclubs, isabustlingmetropolis,andwellworth The southwestern corner ofColombiaisadiverse region. SweatyCali, famousforitssalsa Colombia Cali &Southwest 238 On themarchtoEcuadoryou’llcomefrequently ignored Pasto, thesourceofmany Archaeological buffs shouldbesure tocheckoutSanAgustín andTierradentro, Colom- Cali isthebiggestcityhere. Whileit’snearlythesamesize asMedellín,itisoften overlooked
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