Calima Lake ( es, Lago Calima) is the largest artificial lake in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and the American continent (South, Central and North America) with an area of 70 km². It is located in the municipality of Darién in the Valle del Cauca Department. The lake is part of a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

project for generating power for the department. C.V.C (Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca) started construction of the lake by 1961. Calima Lake has become a place for

water sports Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

and leisure activities. Vacation centers, restaurants and camping zones were built near the lake, and is currently a popular place frequented by both national and international tourists, especially those from nearby cities and towns like

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

and

Buga Buga may refer to: Places * Mount Buga, an inactive volcano in Zamboanga del Sur province, the Philippines * Buga (barangay), a barangay in San Miguel Municipality, Bulacan, Philippines * Buga, Valle del Cauca, city and municipality in the Colom ...

. The elevation of the lake is above sea level.

Routes

There are three major routes to arrive to Darién from

, the closest city, by road/ *

- Palmira - Buga - Darién, 108 km. This route has the best conditions *

- Yumbo - Vijes - Darién, 93 km. Although this is one of the most crowded routes, the road is in good condition and offers great landscapes alongside the

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and th ...

. *

- Dagua - Loboguerrero - Darién, 100 km. This route

Weather

The average annual temperature is 18.8 °C, although by afternoon and in the night can be colder. The temperature ranges from 14.0 °C to 28.8 °C. The weather is classified as humid meso-thermal with a rain period of 189 days.

Festivals

By the end of August, some cultural festivals and parties are celebrated in the town of Darién and near the lake. The "Black and White Sensations" electronic music festival is notable because it resembles a similar event hosted in Amsterdam. It is one of the most well-known outdoor events of its kind inland and gathers music lovers from all over the country.

Sports

Thanks to the strong and constant winds, Calima Lake is the best place in Colombia for all types of water and extreme sports. At certain points, the wind can reach up to +30 knots.

Kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

is one of the most popular sports, since the wind is frequent and strong all year long. There are different kite spots and schools one next to the other that make this place one of the most desired spots in Colombia for the kiters.

Windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

is also practised. Additionally, the most recent event is the

Triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

. Different types of kitesurf and windsurf contests take place in this lake during the whole year, where people from different countries also participate. Since this large lake remains warm throughout the year, there´s no need of wetsuit generally.

References

External links

Lake Calima Tourist Guide
{{in lang, es, en
Information about the area, places to visit, maps, accommodation, advice on public transport and more tourist information
Calima Dams in Colombia Dams completed in 1966 Geography of Valle del Cauca Department Tourist attractions in Valle del Cauca Department