Buga

Department: Valle del Cauca Population: 150,000 Altitude: 970m Climate: Warm (av. temp 23ºC)

The majority of people who visit this medium-sized town a couple of hours north of Cali do so for religious reasons. Buga's main attraction is the Basílica del Señor de los Milagros, a huge church (see photo above) opened in 1907 which stands at the end of a long walkway, somehow adding to it's grandeur.

On both sides of the walkway that leads to the cathedral are shops and markets offering, almost exclusively, religious trinkets. There are also many restaurants within the environs of the cathedral.

Aswell as Basílica del Señor de los Milagros there also another couple of churches of note not far away. The first, Iglesia San Francisco, is situated on carrera 14 a block from the cathedral. Also of some interest is Catedral de San Pedro Apóstol, found about a block further on the corner of Parque Cabal.

Transport

Buses leave Cali for Buga very frequently and cost about $10,000. Try to take buses that go directly to Buga rather than those that take a detour through Palmerias (unless of course you want to visit Palmeiras, although frankly I wouldn't bother as there is very little of interest.)