Snow-capped Andean peaks, palm-fringed Caribbean beaches and verdant tropical rainforest may still be Colombia's top attractions for most tourists, but one should not miss this little emerald treasure hidden in its third largest city Cali that used be a center of the drug trade. Founded in 1970, Cali Zoo is intersected by the Cali River and is home to about 1,000 animals distributed across 170 species, 80 percent of which, such as the spectacled bear, are native to Colombia. The zoo has an aquarium with salt and freshwater species, and a butterfly garden with 800 species of butterflies.