Meson Ilama

Cali & Southwest Colombia


About 10km from Darién is this large, exposed-timber restaurant with great views of the lake. It does all the basics very well – sancocho (typical Colombian soup), churrasco (grilled meat), baby beef and trout. It also prepares good pizzas and has a variety of comfortable accommodations (rooms from COP$130,000) on the lakeshore.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cali & Southwest Colombia attractions

1. Museo Arqueológico Calima

5.59 MILES

Set in spacious, well-manicured gardens up the hill from the plaza, this museum houses an impressive collection of pre-Columbian pottery and some replicas…

2. Hacienda El Paraíso

26.46 MILES

Escape the city for a day and head to the old sugarcane plantations to see how the Colombian elite lived in the 19th century. Hacienda El Paraíso, a…

3. Cerro de las Tres Cruces

27.85 MILES

The views are spectacular at these three crosses high in the mountains overlooking the city, and the hike up here is a popular outdoor activity among…

4. Iglesia de la Ermita

29.11 MILES

Overlooking the Río Cali, this striking neo-Gothic church houses the 18th-century painting of El señor de la caña (Lord of the Sugarcane) that survived…

5. Iglesia de la Merced

29.33 MILES

Founded in 1545, this is Cali's oldest church. It's a lovely whitewashed building in the Spanish-colonial style, with a long, narrow nave, and humble wood…

6. Museo Arqueológico la Merced

29.33 MILES

Housed in an 18th-century annex to La Merced, this interesting museum contains a collection of pre-Columbian pottery left behind by the major cultures…

7. Museo de Arte Religoso La Merced

29.33 MILES

Housed in La Merced convent, Cali's oldest building, this museum has an extensive collection of colonial religious paintings and relics. It's worth a…

8. Iglesia de San Francisco

29.35 MILES

This neoclassical church dating from the 18th century is most renowned for the adjacent Torre Mudéjar, an unusual brick bell tower that is one of the best…