Running the hills of Cali before sunrise: the real routine of those who climb to San Antonio and Versalles at 5

Why the tutelary hills of Cali are run at dawn

It's 4:50 in the morning and at the corner of Calle 1 with Carrera 10, heading up toward San Antonio, three people are already stretching. There's no sun, no traffic, no heat. In Cali that's no small detail: by 9 in the morning the asphalt already burns and the humidity leaves you soaked before you reach the first slope. Those of us who run the hills in this city do it early for three specific reasons: the temperature before sunrise hovers around 19-21 °C, the air is cleaner because the western breeze pushes downtown pollution eastward, and the neighborhood streets are empty of cars but not of neighbors who get up early to work.

Safety is the point nobody wants to mention out loud but everyone calculates. The tutelary hills of Cali —San Antonio, Versalles, the Bellavista area going up— are not an enclosed park with private security. They are living neighborhoods with real streets. The golden rule I learned through hard experience: never go up alone before 5:00 am. Between 5:00 and 6:30 there's enough flow of runners, walkers and people heading to mass or work to make the climb calm. After 7:00 the sun beats down and motorcycle traffic starts climbing the same narrow roads.

In this verified Malokal guide you'll find updated prices for the little this routine costs (spoiler: almost nothing, it's free); use the interactive cards for each place on malokal.com to check the safe map by neighborhood (Locals vs. Foreigners), live holiday schedules and book directly via WhatsApp. The price ranges I mention are for reference as of October 2026: a black coffee at a neighborhood shop costs between $1,500 and $2,500 COP, a 600 ml water between $2,000 and $3,500 COP, and a full breakfast in San Antonio between $12,000 and $25,000 COP.

What to do

Running the hills in Cali is not mountain trail running. It's urban running with incline. The difference matters: here you dodge motorcycles, greet neighbors, cross uneven sidewalks and on some stretches the "trail" is literally a neighborhood staircase. If you come from the flat asphalt of the Boulevard del Río or the southern Ciclovía, the first climb is going to hurt. And that's exactly the point.

Barrio San Antonio

San Antonio is the most popular entry point and therefore the busiest at first light. The neighborhood sits on a hill west of downtown, with cobblestone streets and tapia-and-tile houses dating back to colonial times. Running here is running over living history: the area was declared a heritage site and many facades preserve the original white and blue. The slope is constant but short; the climb from the base to the upper part of the neighborhood takes between 8 and 15 minutes depending on your pace.

What makes San Antonio special for training is the combination of short, explosive climbs with flat stretches between streets. You can build a repetition circuit going up and down the same cobblestone street without getting bored, because every corner has a different view of the city. At 5:30 in the morning the neighborhood smells of freshly baked bread from the bakeries that open early and coffee from the shops that already have the pot ready. It's a real neighborhood atmosphere, not a theme park.

Watch out for the cobblestones when it rains. Between October and November, which is the rainy season in Cali, the stones get slippery and I've seen more than one runner end up on the ground. If you're going up during a downpour, wear footwear with good grip and slow down on the stone stretches. And also watch out for heavy showers: during the rainy season it's not unusual for landslides to occur on the upper slopes or for authorities to close some access points due to risk. If it has rained all night, check the road conditions before heading out and don't go into alleys that look freshly disturbed.

Barrio Versalles

Versalles is the other major access to the hills, located further north of downtown, in comuna 3. It's a middle-class neighborhood with wider streets than San Antonio and a topography that rises more gradually toward the west. For runners just starting with incline, Versalles is friendlier: the climb is longer but less steep, and there are more stretches where you can catch your breath without stopping completely.

The neighborhood has an interesting mix of residential houses, small shops and a few schools. At 5 in the morning what you see most are workers heading out on foot toward downtown and runners going up Carrera 10 or Calle 3. The advantage of Versalles is that you can connect with San Antonio walking or jogging along the upper part, building a point-to-point route that crosses from one neighborhood to another without going down into the city.

A practical detail: in Versalles there are fewer shops open at 5 am than in San Antonio. If you need water or a bathroom before starting, do it in the lower part of the neighborhood, near the main avenues, where there are bakeries and shops that open from 4:30.

Cerro de San Antonio

The Cerro de San Antonio is the elevation that gives the neighborhood its name and the highest point of the classic route. It's not a mountain: it's an urban hill with a chapel at the top and a natural viewpoint toward the east. The climb from the base of the neighborhood to the upper part of the hill is short but demanding, with stretches of stairs and alleys that force you to walk more than jog.

What many don't know is that the hill has several access points. The best known is up Calle 1, but you can also go up Carrera 10 or the stairs that connect with the Bellavista area. Each access has its own level of difficulty and its own scenery. The Calle 1 one is the most direct and the most used by runners; the Bellavista one is longer and quieter, ideal for those who want an easy long run without so many people.

At the top, the chapel and the viewpoint are the reward. At 6 in the morning, when the sun starts lighting up the east and the city is seen from above with the silhouette of the Farallones in the background, you understand why people climb. It's one of the few places in Cali where you can see the whole city without paying anything and without going up Monserrate or any cable car.

Mirador de San Antonio

The Mirador de San Antonio is the natural meeting point of the hill-running community. It's not a viewpoint built with tourist infrastructure: it's an open space in the upper part of the neighborhood where the street widens and the view clears. There people stop to stretch, take photos and chat before heading down.

If you're going to run alone and want to feel accompanied, the mirador is the place to start. Between 5:00 and 5:30 am there's always someone stretching or arriving. It's the informal reference point of the community: if you arrive and there's nobody, it's probably very early or it's raining. If you arrive and there are ten people, join the group going up; nobody is going to tell you that #

From the mirador the routes toward the upper part of the hill and toward the Bellavista and Versalles areas also depart. It's the crossroads of hill running in Cali, and that's why it's worth knowing even if you're not going to run that day.

Where to eat or drink

The hill runner's routine in Cali has a mandatory post-run ritual: the neighborhood breakfast. There's nothing more caleño than finishing the climb and sitting down at a shop or bakery to have coffee with bread, or a caldo de costilla if the early morning chill hit hard. Here there are no specialty coffee chains at the top; there are neighborhood shops with plastic chairs and the best black coffee in the city at neighborhood prices.

In San Antonio, the bakeries in the lower part of the neighborhood open from 5:00 am and offer pan de bono, buñuelos and coffee. A full breakfast —coffee, bread and natural juice— costs between $8,000 and $15,000 COP depending on the place. In Versalles, the shops on Carrera 10 and Calle 3 are the most reliable for a quick black coffee before or after the run. Prices are for reference as of October 2026 and may vary; it's recommended to verify schedules before visiting, because many neighborhood businesses close early or only open Monday to Saturday.

If you want something more substantial after a long climb, the area around Calle 5 and Avenida 6 near downtown has classic caleño breakfast options: caldo de costilla, arepa with egg and chocolate. They're not tourist places and don't have an English menu, but they're the same ones where local runners have breakfast. Average price: $12,000 to $25,000 COP per person.

How to get there and transportation

The base of San Antonio is accessible on foot from the historic center in about 15-20 minutes walking. If you come from southern or northern neighborhoods, the most practical option at 4:30 am is a taxi or a ride-hailing app; the MIO doesn't operate on all routes at that hour, and those that do have very low frequencies before 5:00. Check the MIO schedules on the official app before heading out, because routes toward downtown change depending on the day.

For Versalles, the base is near Avenida 6 and Calle 15, with access from downtown and from the north via Avenida 6. If you come by car, there are informal parking lots in the lower part of the neighborhood that charge by the hour; prices vary and it's best to ask before leaving the vehicle. There's no free public parking in the upper area, and the streets are narrow, so don't try to drive up to the mirador: there's nowhere to park and you block the road.

If you come by bicycle, both bases have places to lock the bike in the lower part, but not at the top. Bring a lock and tie it in a visible, busy place. The bicycle is an excellent option to reach the base and then run up, but not to pedal up the hill's stairs.

Local tips

• Departure time: between 5:00 and 5:30 am is the ideal window. Before 5 there are few people and safety is reduced; after 7 the sun and motorcycle traffic complicate the climb.
• Never alone: if it's your first time, go up with someone or join a group at the mirador. The hill-running community is open and welcomes newcomers well.
• Hydration: carry at least 500 ml of water even if the run is short. Cali's humidity dehydrates you without you noticing, and at the top there are no shops.
• Footwear: wear sneakers with good grip soles. San Antonio's cobblestones and the hill's stairs punish smooth soles, especially during the rainy season (October-November).
• Lights: between 5:00 and 5:45 it's still dark. Bring a headlamp or use your phone with enough battery. The neighborhood streets have irregular public lighting.
• What NOT to bring: noise-cancelling headphones. In an urban environment with motorcycles, bicycles and people, you need to hear what's happening around you. Keep the volume low or use just one earbud.
• Coexistence: the hills are neighborhoods, not parks. Greet the neighbors, don't shout, don't leave trash and don't take up the whole street. Residents get up early to work and the noise of a group of runners at 5 am can be annoying.

Historical or contextual introduction

The hills of Cali weren't always the training space they are today. San Antonio and Versalles grew as hillside neighborhoods during the 20th century, with streets that adapted to the steep topography and stairs that today function as informal exercise routes. The staircase on Calle 1 up to San Antonio, in particular, became a meeting point for runners and walkers long before organized running groups existed.

The early-morning use of these hills has a logic that locals know well: before 6 a.m. the heat doesn't press, the air is cleaner and traffic is minimal. Those who go up daily know that on weekdays the route feels almost private, while on Saturdays it fills with groups that start from Carrera 10 and go up in a block. The custom of stretching at the corner of Calle 1 with Carrera 10 isn't recent: it's been an unofficial starting point for years.

A useful context fact for newcomers: the climb toward San Antonio combines stretches of stairs with asphalt slopes, so it's worth alternating footwear depending on the stretch you're going to do. Versalles, for its part, offers a more continuous and less stepped climb, pr