As a growing bachata dancer who is also a full-time nomad traveling around the world, I now arrange my itineraries according to dance scenes and the digital nomad community. Cali is Colombia’s 3rd largest city by population. As the world capital of salsa, Cali is one of the best places to dance salsa in the world and the best place to dance salsa caleña, Cali’s unique style of salsa.
Recently, I had the pleasure of staying in Cali for 2 weeks attending a nomad dancer’s workation learning salsa caleña every day. At night, I had the opportunity to check out Cali’s best salsa socials as well as some bachata socials, however small they are compared to those in larger cities like Medellin.
I have ranked them in order of my favorites, with the first being my top favorite. This is one of my “best places to dance bachata in the world” series, where you can find detailed guides to personally tested salsa bachata socials around the world.
Best Places to Dance Salsa in Cali
Cali is full of options when it comes to dancing salsa. The places ranked below are some of the most famous.
1. La Topa Tolondra
La Topa Tolondra is arguably the most famous salsa venue in Cali. The venue is beautiful with retro style decorations throughout and amazing salsa music all night. It also has a second-floor area that’s perfect for viewing the busy and crowded first floor, in addition to enjoying food and drinks in a slightly more comfortable setting.
The dance floor is always packed, so dancing can be slightly uncomfortable.
It has both a social dance vibe and a friends hanging out vibe, which is a good balance. Conversation is almost impossible because the music is very loud.
Advanced dancers always frequent La Topa. Classes before socials tend to be advanced and fun.
Location
Cl. 5 #13-27, COMUNA 3, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
2. Malamaña Salsa Bar
Malamaña is a famous salsa bar in Cali. Compared to La Topa Tolondra, Malamaña is frequented by more locals. The venue is smaller than La Topa.
If you prefer a more local vibe, then Malamaña is a good choice.
Location
Cra. 4 #9-59, San Pedro, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
3. Sabaki Night
Sabaki is a great dance venue in Cali. It is spacious and beautiful, which is ideal for dance. It has socials several nights of the week.
When I was in Cali, I truly got a taste of “Latino hours” and last-minute Latino announcement style, and Sabaki social night is an example of both of these. I’m used to having announcements come out at least a few days before for planning purposes, but Sabaki usually sends out a casual Instagram story only 2-3 hours before the scheduled classes and social that very same night. For someone who is a big planner like me, it’s something I don’t quite like or am used to, but for locals, this is totally normal. If you like to plan, Cali is not for you as people are more laid back and relaxed here.
Sabaki hosts socials featuring salsa, kizomba, and bachata dance styles throughout the week. The best way to stay updated for the next social us to follow them on Instagram.
Our salsa retreat was hosted mostly at Sabaki so I am very familiar with the venue and truly appreciated how spacious it is, although the floors can be a bit slippery and it is pretty hot even with fans on.
Location
Cl. 5 #12-40, COMUNA 3, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
4. Salsa Pura
Salsa Pura and Sabaki share ownership, so you will see both of these two venues cross-advertise different socials and classes. The good thing is these two venues are just within 5 minutes of walk from each other. If you are confused about which location is for which socials, simply walk to the other one and check – as it can be confusing sometimes due to their more casual style of announcement.
Location
Cl. 4 #6-61, COMUNA 3, Cali, Valle del Cauca
Best Places to Dance Bachata in Cali
Due to Cali being the salsa capital, its bachata scene is relatively small and lower in caliber, but it still very much exists.
1. Vivebachata
Vivebachata is my favorite bachata social in Cali. It is hosted on a beautiful rooftop with plenty of space to dance. The classes are fun and there is a moderate amount of decent dancers.
Unlike other major cities, Cali is more relaxed and as a result, classes don’t start on time here. I was the first one to arrive on time and unsurprisingly, I was the only one there until about 45 minutes past the posted class time.
The rooftop venue is beautiful and also a great way to escape the heat of Cali, which can be exacerbated if it’s in an indoor venue.
Location
Cra. 23a #1-50, Miraflores, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
2. Bailamelo
Bailamelo is another bachata social in Cali in a great venue. It is hosted in a great venue, although some weeks you won’t see announcements for a social. Things are always haphazard and casual in Cali – so if there is no social one week, so be it!
Location
Bar Flores y Lechugas, Cl. 18 Nte. #1N-39, El Piloto, Cali, Valle del Cauca
3. Sabaki Night
The same Sabaki Night I mentioned for salsa works for bachata as well – usually on Thursdays, Sabaki hosts bachata classes and socials after.
The Outliers
There are a few places in Cali that don’t belong to the traditional category of “great places to dance” but due to how famous they are, it’s worth mentioning.
1. Gringo Tuesdays
I was surprised to find that not only does Gringo Tuesdays exist in Cali but it also has a dance segment after the usual language exchange. For those of you who don’t know, Gringo Tuesdays is a multi-city language exchange series popular in big cities across Latin America.
After a few hours of language exchange, the event turns into dancing. However, the music played is very mixed. A lot of reggaeton is played with a few salsa and bachata in the mix. Most of the people don’t know how to dance really well, although my friends and I were lucky to have met a really advanced salsa dancer there one night surprisingly.
Location
Av. 9 Nte. #15AN-41, Santa Monica Residential, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
2. La Pérgola Clandestina
La Pérgola Clandestina is the top club in Cali and all of Colombia. It is on the Top 100 clubs of the world list.
The club is fancy, spacious, flashy, and expensive by Colombian standards. The entrance fee is hefty compared to other venues. There is also a strict dress code – many have been denied entrance if they don’t dress up enough.
The club has separate floors for different music styles, with a heavy emphasis on reggaeton and EDM (electronic dance music). There is a salsa area as well.
It has more of a “hang out with friends and dance a little” vibe rather than a traditional dance social. I personally don’t like this vibe as a serious social dancer but if you don’t mind the hefty entrance fee and love to dance with friends, this swanky venue is definitely worth checking out.
Location
Cra. 1 #13 – 42, COMUNA 3, Cali, Valle del Cauca
Warning: Places to Dance I Did NOT Enjoy in Cali
It came as a surprise to me that there is a place that I did not enjoy dancing in Cali – and that is unfortunately in a beautiful hostel called Havana Hostel & Dance School, which is both a hostel and a dance school. It is a very cool concept and the hostel itself is beautiful.
Unfortunately, the pros of this venue and social stopped here. As intermediate dancers, my friend and I were asked to take a test to get into the intermediate class, which we thought was odd but fair. The real odd thing happened when both of us took the test with the instructor, who passed a few people who could barely move their bodies but denied us to the intermediate class. The instructor insisted that we go to the beginner class, which was for beginners on Day 1 and we were clearly not. It was extremely frustrating to be treated like this.
What’s more alarming is when we expressed concerns to one of the main organizers, he did not care at all.
As a result, this school attracted some very negative people to dance, including a man who led the wrong moves resulting in my head bumping against his chin, then turned around and complained to a teacher about me hitting his chin. It was a baffling experience.
There was more negative experience we had that night, which led us to believe (from years of experience working in organizations) that it all came from the top.
This venue also runs an account called “Bachateros Cali” on Instagram. We were extremely disappointed that it has this negative vibe. Tread with extreme caution when choosing to dance salsa and bachata in Cali if you encounter this school/social.
