PAINANI
PAINANI

PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

49 · Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Cerro de las Tres Cruces

Climb 400 m in 1.4 km from a Cali street corner to three concrete crosses at 1,465 m, on a city ecoparque trail that opens at 5:00 and fills every weekend.

Trail runningStair runningOne way
1.4 kmDistance400 mElevation gainHardSite gradeCaliNearest base

Site grade

HardFeatured

400 m of gain in 1.4 km. Nothing above 1,500 m and nothing technical, but the upper section is rock and loose dirt at a gradient that stops most people walking.

The experience

The Bataclán route gains 400 m in 1.4 km. Steps with handrails at the bottom, a flat traverse, then a rocky slope where the gradient does the work. Nothing is at altitude; the heat is the cost.

It is Cali's answer to Monserrate: no cable car, no fee, an open-air gym on top, and a city that treats the climb as a weekend ritual.

Friars Vicente and Juan Cuesta raised the first guadua crosses in 1837; after the 1925 earthquake, Father Marco Tulio Collazos had the present concrete crosses built by 80 men over almost a year, finished on 6 January 1938. The central cross is 26 m tall, the two beside it 22 m. The city marks the Day of the Holy Cross here every 3 May, and the legend of the Buziraco, the spirit the crosses were built to hold down, is still told in Cali.

Where the sources disagreeThe DAGMA closed the Bataclán sector on 13 February 2025 for landslide risk after heavy rain, and the city warns against climbing in rain at all times. During Holy Week the city sets a fixed ascent window, 6:00 to 13:00 in 2026, restricts which routes are open, bans children under seven, pets, motorcycles and bicycles, and expects around 25,000 visitors; in 2023 only the Chipichape route was open. On any day the guide sources say police are present from 6:00 to 12:00 and that the night ascents once offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays are not a safe solo plan; go early, go with someone, and carry nothing you would miss. The parking at the Bataclán and Normandía trailheads is private and charges 2,000 to 4,000 pesos.

Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartEcoparque Bataclán entrance, Avenida 9A Norte with Calle 12 Norte, Barrio GranadaFinishThe three crosses, Cerro de las Tres CrucesDirectionUp the Bataclán steps and the rocky slope; descend the same way, or take the longer Chipichape road down.
  1. 01Bataclán entrance
  2. 02Sendero Inicial
  3. 03Sendero Deportistas
  4. 04Junction with the Normandía route
  5. 05Rocky upper slope
  6. 06The three crosses

Route sections

01 · The 678 MetresBataclán entrance to the top of the steps
The DAGMA rebuilt 678 m of trail here in 2024: 124 m of Sendero Inicial, 322 m of Sendero Deportistas and 232 m of Sendero Bambusal, with steps, handrails and ramps. This is the only engineered ground on the hill.02 · The Flat LieTop of the steps to the Normandía junction
A short level path through dry scrub. It is the only rest the route offers, and it ends where the Normandía route comes in from the left.03 · The Rock PitchNormandía junction to the crosses
Bare dirt and rock, the section the guides call the zona rocosa. The hill is fully exposed; the sun is on it from mid-morning.04 · Three Crosses, One GymThe summit platform
Three concrete crosses, the central one 26 m tall, an open-air gym, fruit stalls and radio masts. Sunday Mass is held here. Go down the way you came before the heat.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

Tropical city weather at 1,000 m: hot from mid-morning, with rainy seasons around April to May and October to November when the trail turns to mud and the hill can close for landslides. Mornings are the only comfortable hours on an exposed slope.

Season & timing

Managed seasonThe ecoparque is open every day from 5:00 to 20:00, per El País in April 2026. Holy Week runs on a separate city schedule announced each year.Best windowAny weekday at the 5:00 opening in the dry months of July to September or December to February. Avoid Holy Week unless you want the crowd.SurfaceConcrete steps with handrails, then bare dirt and rock on the upper slopeDirectionUp the Bataclán steps and the rocky slope; descend the same way, or take the longer Chipichape road down.

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

The steps at 5:00 with the first runners already on them

02

The rocky pitch under a full sun

03

The crosses appearing over the last rise

04

The city grid from the platform

VISITORS

8,000

Holy Thursday and Good Friday 2026 on one hill

The Alcaldía de Cali counted more than 8,000 people on the Cerro de las Tres Cruces between Holy Thursday and Good Friday 2026, through the Chipichape and Virgen de Yanaconas entrances, with no incidents.

Access & logistics

AccessFrom Barrio Granada, walk to Avenida 9A Norte with Calle 12 Norte for the Bataclán entrance; the Normandía start is at Calle 2 with Calle 2 Oeste by the Gato del Río. The Chipichape road starts at Avenida 6D Norte with Calle 36 Norte. Taxis know all three.PermitsNone. The ecoparque is free. City rules on the hill: stay on authorised trails, no fires, no litter, no pets; during Holy Week no children under seven, no motorcycles or bicycles, and pregnant women are asked not to climb.BookingsNone. Private parking at the Bataclán and Normandía trailheads costs 2,000 to 4,000 pesos and opens from 4:00 at Bataclán.WaterStalls at the trailheads and on the summit sell drinks; nothing on the slope. Carry half a litre for the climb.FoodFruit stalls at the summit and at the Bataclán kiosks the DAGMA built.Mobile coverageFull city coverage; the summit is a radio-mast site.DurationNo official time. Mi Vida Viajera gives about 45 minutes up and 60 down for the Bataclán and Normandía routes.

Key hazards

  • ▲Landslide closures after heavy rain
  • ▲Heat and full sun on the upper slope
  • ▲Crowds of several thousand on Holy Week days
  • ▲Security on the approach streets and at night
  • ▲Loose rock on the upper pitch
  • ▲No water above the trailhead stalls
  • ▲Pets are banned on the hill

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Go at opening, go with someone, stay off the hill in rain, and leave valuables at your lodging.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-049 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Franciscokarriere · CC BY-SA 4.0