Stairs That Are a Map: How Cali's Hillside Neighborhoods Use Their Steps as Real Public Space

The staircase is not a viewpoint: it is the street

In Cali there are neighborhoods where an address is not explained with a carrera and a calle, but with a # of steps. Going up from the hill to the bus stop, down to school, back with the groceries, and repeating it the next day. For thousands of families in Siloé, Aguacatal, Terrón Colorado or Alto Menga, the step is not a photo attraction: it is the only pedestrian access route that exists, and that is why it is swept, patched and cared for the way the front of a house is cared for.

This practical guide from Malokal is for anyone who wants to walk those hillsides with respect and with real information: which stretches exist, how much it costs to get there, how long it takes to go up and down, and what codes of coexistence are followed in the neighborhood. In this verified Malokal guide you will find updated prices; use the interactive cards for each place on malokal.com to check the safe map by neighborhood (Locals vs. Foreigners), live holiday hours and book directly via WhatsApp. The data that follows is for reference as of October 2026 and it is worth confirming before you set out, because on the hillside schedules change with the rain.

Available options

There is no single official "staircase route" in Cali. What exists are pedestrian corridors connecting the lower part with the upper part of each hillside, and that residents use every day. These are the sectors where the system of steps is most continuous and verifiable on the ground.

Barrio Siloé

Siloé is the largest hillside and the one that best shows how a staircase works as public space: along its stretches there are clotheslines, potted plants, children playing and women selling empanada or chontaduro halfway up. The most walked connection goes from the lower part of the neighborhood, near the MIO station and the La Estrella area, up to the upper sectors. It is not a route to do in a hurry: the slope is real and the pavement in some stretches is under construction. Walk during the day, say hello, and if you are going to record or photograph, ask permission first.

Barrio Aguacatal

El Aguacatal combines staircases with dirt paths and some narrow vehicle roads. It is a transition sector between the flat city and the forest of the hillside, so the big step appears where the slope leaves no other option. Here maintenance tends to be more artisanal: concrete steps that are rebuilt when the runoff from the rainy season washes them away. There is no tourist signage, so the practical reference is to ask at the corner store for the "upper path."

Barrio Bellavista

Bellavista is one of the classic accesses to the upper zone and the corridor toward the Cerro de las Tres Cruces. The climb mixes sidewalk, staircase and unpaved stretch. It is the sector where weekend walkers most cross paths with residents going to work, and that is precisely why the tension between recreational use and everyday use is most noticeable: a group with a speaker at six in the morning is not welcome on a staircase where people are heading down to work.

Barrio Alto Nápoles

Alto Nápoles is a middle-class residential hillside, with streets that break up and short flights of steps connecting blocks. It does not have the drama of Siloé or the flow of Bellavista, but it serves to understand the pattern: the staircase appears as a pedestrian shortcut between two streets that by car force a long detour. It is a good sector to walk without an audience, always during the day and along main roads.

Barrio Terrón Colorado

Terrón Colorado, in Comuna 1, is a hillside area with a presence of Indigenous and peasant communities who came down to the city. Its staircases connect with the Aguacatal corridor and with the upper part of the comuna. It is a sector where the outside walker should go with local accompaniment: not because of widespread insecurity, but because the routes are not signposted and it is easy to end up in a dead-end alley. If you go, go with someone from the neighborhood.

Updated costs

Walking the staircases of Cali has no entrance fee. They are public space. The real expense is getting there and what you consume along the way. These are the reference values for October 2026:

• Public transport: the MIO and urban bus fare moves in the range of $2,900 to $3,500 per trip. Reference price as of October 2026, subject to fare adjustment; check in the app or at the ticket office.
• Taxi or app from downtown to the hillside: between $12,000 and $25,000 depending on the starting point and traffic. Check the estimated fare in the app before ordering; at peak hours the difference is noticeable.
• Hydration and food along the way: a bottle of water between $2,000 and $3,000, a natural juice between $4,000 and $6,000, and an empanada at a neighborhood store between $2,500 and $4,000. Carry cash in small bills: in many hillside stores the card reader does not exist or fails.
• Local guide: if you hire accompaniment from someone in the neighborhood, agree on the price before setting out. There is no official rate; it is an agreement between parties.

And there is an expense almost no one calculates: footwear. A smooth sole on a wet concrete step is the most common cause of a fall. If you are going to do several hillsides in one day, wear sneakers with grip.

Estimated times

Times depend on the slope, the condition of the step and how often you stop. As a practical reference for a walker of average fitness:

• Short flight of steps between two streets (Alto Nápoles, Bellavista): between 3 and 8 minutes of continuous climbing. It is the kind of stretch a resident does two or three times a day without thinking about it.
• Partial hillside climb (Siloé, Aguacatal): between 30 and 70 minutes, depending on the starting point and the stops. Add time if you are chatting or if the stretch is under construction.
• Full walk of a hillside corridor with descent: allow between 2 and 3 hours. Going down is more tiring than it seems: the impact on knee and ankle is strong and the uneven step forces you to watch the ground the whole time.
• Rainy season: between October and November, and again in the first half of the year, the step becomes slippery and some dirt stretches turn into mud. Allow 30% more time and consider canceling if it rained hard the night before.

MIO schedules on these corridors start around 5:00 a.m. and operate with frequencies of 10 to 20 minutes until 10:00 p.m. For walking, the window recommended by residents runs from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Practical tips

Who maintains the staircases. In most of these neighborhoods maintenance is not done by a company: it is done by the juntas de acción comunal, by neighbors' mingas and, when there is a works project, by municipal contracting. If you see someone filling a step with mortar on a Saturday, that person is the real administrator of the staircase. Say hello and do not walk over the work.

Safety and hours. The recommendation from residents themselves is to walk during the day, between morning and afternoon, and to avoid the upper stretches at dusk. It is neighborhood common sense. Go with someone who knows the area, let someone know where you are going and do not show your phone or camera on lonely stretches. If someone tells you "not that way," listen to them.

What changes when tourism arrives. The staircase is the living room of someone's home. That means: do not block the way for a photo, do not use a speaker at full volume, do not enter other people's patios for a better angle, do not leave trash and do not assume that because it is public space you can do whatever you want. The pressure on these corridors grows with every viral video, and residents notice it.

Neighborhood logistics. Carry water, a cap, sunscreen and cash. Wear footwear with grip. If you are in a group, stay in single file on narrow stretches to let pass those going up with groceries or with a child in their arms. And if they offer you a tinto halfway up, accept it: it is the best way to understand what a staircase is really for.

Frequently asked questions

Can you do a staircase walk in Cali without a guide?

Yes, in sectors like Bellavista or Alto Nápoles, where the flights of steps connect main roads and there is a flow of people. In Siloé, Aguacatal and Terrón Colorado it is advisable to go with someone from the neighborhood: the routes are not signposted and it is easy to take the wrong alley.

How much does it cost to go up to the hillsides?

The staircases are public space and have no fee. The expense is transport to the starting point (between $2,900 and $3,500 on MIO, between $12,000 and $25,000 by taxi or app), plus what you consume at stores along the way. The reference values are from October 2026 and it is worth verifying them before setting out.

Is it safe to walk these neighborhoods?

With the precautions of any urban hillside: during the day, along roads with movement, without showing off objects