Cali, Colombia

No one talks about Cali, Colombia, one of the blackest cities in Latin America. I had the opportunity to frequently travel there in 2017 and then live there in 2022. You will have exposure to the cultures of the Afro-Colombians, which comes from the Pacific coast of Colombia. The best time to visit this chocolate Latin city is in the month of August for their annual Petronio Alvarez festival. It is a weeklong celebration of Afro Colombian food music, folklore, and shopping. You will be a surprise that a place like this exists within Colombia as most travelers have only experienced a small fraction of Afro-Colombian culture in Cartagena. Another great dynamic about this city is that it is the salsa capital, a great place for you to learn how to dance salsa, if you are too shy to learn in your hometown. All you need is 10 to 20 hours and you’ll be ready to go to show off your moves when you go back home. Just giving you a warning if you travel to the city you may just not want to leave and if you end up leaving, you will definitely be back for a second, third, fourth and fifth time.