Cali: Rhythm and views in the salsa city

Hovering by the nightclub's back wall, I watch people sashay on to the dance floor, twisting their hips and pivoting on their toes – and I think back to British nightclubs, where proceedings tend to look a lot less rhythmic at this late hour.

The city of Cali may defer to Bogotá and Medellí* in population and wealth, but it is Colombia's salsa capital. There are 100 salsa schools to choose from. Zaperoco – one of the city's best-known salsa clubs – is smaller and more atmospheric than I'd imagined. In a dimly lit, brick-lined basement, a DJ is spinning old classics while the crowd dances wherever there's a bit of floor space. Patrons play along with random, communal instruments.

If, like me, you're a tronco (tree trunk) when it comes to dancing, there are plenty of opportunities for curious spectators, from visiting the Juanchito district's viejotecas ("oldies' discos"), where the over-60s take over glitzy nightclubs on Sunday afternoons, or by taking a seat at Delirio, a monthly big-top event that mixes salsa with acrobatics, like a Colombian take on the Cirque du Soleil.

Time it right and you can see one of the events the whole city looks forward to: the Cali Fair, a citywide celebration that kicks off with a five-hour salsa parade on Christmas Day. With thousands of dancers taking to the so-called "salsódrome", the fair seems to take its inspiration from Brazilian carnivals; some tourists have already discovered it as an alternative way to spend Christmas.

Preparations for the fair are already in full swing, according to Maurcio Santana, a 26-year-old Afro-Colombian who has been a professional dancer for 10 years. He believes salsa is not just to amuse the tourists. It can, he thinks, help young people stay out of gangs. "We are ambassadors for peace," he says. "We are changing Colombia's reputation through dance."

Five or six years ago, it would have been unthinkable to tip Cali as a tourist attraction. Even its residents felt trapped. Anywhere green – all the surrounding hills and sprawling sugarcane fields – was considered a possible hideout for guerrillas. Since then, a tough government stance has pushed the drugs traffickers into small pockets of jungle, where they keep a low profile and are under close surveillance. A tourist route that stays away from these zones has now emerged across the country.

A city with 2.5 million people, Cali still has its problems. Tourists are advised to live by the Colombian motto: "don't give papaya" (in other words, don't flaunt anything that attracts thieves).

Tourists and residents are rediscovering the city's outer limits – places such as the countryside haciendas, the undeveloped Pacific Coast and, closer to the city centre, the panorama from the summit of Cristo Rey.

For years, no one came here to take in the views and see the copy of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue that stands at the top. But a local artist, Carlos Andrés Gómez, carved colourful murals into the mountainside to entice the people back. The local press compared his sculptures of Indian heads to a mini Mount Rushmore. Tourists came by the busload. But that's where the project took a nosedive. One day last year, Gómez, furious with the lack of financial support by the tourist board, destroyed it.

"Of course, it pained me. It was two year's work destroyed in one afternoon," he says, when I find him up a ladder starting again. Still without funding, he's now preparing to unveil a new work, this time with a religious theme, partially funded by tips from passers-by. I put some pesos in the jar.

For finding a place to stay, the San Antonio neighbourhood – known for its low-rise colonial buildings and bohemian residents – is the standout choice. On a balmy evening, windows are left open allowing me to catch bursts of salsa and a glimpse of the wet canvases drying in artists' workshops. There are numerous cafés and restaurants, but the most popular spot seems to be the pavement outside the corner store where locals (and a few backpackers) gather to drink cheap beer.

The neighbouring area of Granada is also good for eating out and shopping. Ringlete is a bright and breezy restaurant that specialises in food from the surrounding Cauca Valley. Owner Martha Jaramillo says it's an overlooked cuisine that brings together influences from Spanish colonisers, the Pacific coast and indigenous tribes.

Ringlete's specialty is simple: family recipes with a twist, such as plantain with cheese and prawns in chilli-infused coconut milk. It's delicious and well priced at £7 for a main course.

"Things are changing," a local says to me later as I recount details of my meal, along with my brushes with a local artist and salsa.

"There's an old saying here that Colombians always look towards Europe, the US or Mexico, but never inwards to Colombia."

It seems that is, at last, changing. Perhaps Colombia is finally getting to dance to its own tune.

Travel essentials: Cali

Getting there

* The fastest approach is on Avianca (0871 744 7472; avianca.co.uk), in collaboration with Iberia (0870 609 0500; iberia.com) from London (Heathrow or City) via Madrid to Cali.

Staying there

* Posada de San Antonio (00 57 2 893 7413; posada- desanantonio.com). This simple, but character-filled B&B offers doubles from £35, including breakfast.

More information

* Colombia Tourism: 020-7491 3535; colombia.travel