Mararikulam - Alleppey’s Secret Beach Paradise
Mararikulam came as a surprise to us; a perfect stretch of nearly deserted white sand sitting between the popular towns of Alleppey and Kochi. With laid back beach town vibes, plenty of food and drink choices, loads of accommodation and, of course, a beautiful beach, Mararikkulam was a proper hidden gem! Try something different from the busy beaches of Goa, read our guide to Mararikulam.
A gorgeous stretch of white sands where the crabs outnumber the tourists one hundred to one, Mararikulam is a relaxed little beach community with guest houses, restaurants and hotels all dotted along the coastline of the Arabian Sea. Located a short distance along the coast from the famous backwaters of Kerala and the town of Alleppey, Mararikulam is one of the lesser known gems of South India.
Mararikulam is the perfect getaway for those looking to get some beach time whilst exploring Kerala, without heading to the crowded beaches of Goa.
Find out all about Mararikulam:
From nearby Alleppey
From Cochin or Trivandrum
From further afield
You did not exactly have to fight for a place on the beach in Mararikulam!
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Our experience in Mararikulam
We had loved our beach break in Varkala (read more about that here) and were in the mood for some more time in the sand. Luckily, Jibu the manager of our little guesthouse in Alleppey (which we also loved, check out the blog here), clued us into the existence of Mararikulam. He said it was beautiful, chilled out and should, at this time of year, be cheap and nearly empty of tourists.
And so we decided to check out this less famous Keralan beach town.
We were going to Mararikulam for one last beach break before heading up to Kochi and inland to the highlands and tea fields of Wayanad. It did not disappoint, in fact, it may be our favourite beach town we found in southern India!
The beach at Mararikulam has beautiful white sands that seem to go on as far as the eye can see. Colourful fishing boats lay moored on the beach, waiting for the early morning when they would be put back out to sea. Later on in the day, the boats would return with a fresh catch, ready for the beachside restaurants in the evening. There are a few cafes scattered up and down the sands and a couple of resorts spill sun loungers out onto the white beach.
The beach at Mararikulam is calm, relaxed and, when we visited in late February, very quiet! There were a few international tourists in the resorts and hotels but the beach was basically empty during the day. We have heard that it gets busy with locals escaping the bigger towns on the weekends but whilst we were there it felt like a secret little oasis.
During the day we would just find a spot to ourselves (not difficult), slap down our towels and head into the waters. The surf was strong but nothing as powerful as what we had experienced in Varkala, so swimming was great. We were joined in the breaking surf by herds of crabs who scuttled back and forward in sync with the rolling waves. It was so nice to swim in the sea and escape the scorching Indian sun.
When we needed a caffeine based pick me up, or a cheeky slice of cake we would walk to the lovely Peacock Art Cafe and indulge in some good strong French press coffees.
The beach also has a lot of friendly pups!
We would spend our afternoons wandering the sands, eating ice creams and generally enjoying a very relaxed beach life! As the day wound down we would settle into a spot on the sand, or a plastic chair at a cafe and watch the sun go down. The beach is westward facing so every night we would be treated to a spectacular sunset. The nearest land, if you look out from Mararikulam beach, is Somalia!
Sunsets at Mararikulam are a fiery daily treat
The town of Mararikulam is inland from the sea and stretches either side of the main road running along parallel to the coast. Full of small shops, family restaurants and quiet palm lined streets Mararikulam town is laid back in the extreme. Dotted along the coast road you will also find lots of pretty churches, a reminder of Southern India’s diverse religious makeup.
When evening rolled around and it came time to eat we would just head to one of the little eateries in town - the road set back from the beach is studded with small restaurants. Or, if we were feeling fancy, we would eat on the beach itself. Up and down the sands we found lots of seafood restaurants serving delicious fresh seafood curries on small plastic tables. We can especially recommend the prawn and mango curry from Sea Lap Beach Restaurant!
For a special treat one night we ventured to The Fisherman's Cafe. Judging by the fact that there was never a spare table from the moment we sat down to when we waddled off, it seemed to be the most popular place in town! We think every single traveller in Mararikulam was there. Amid citronella candles and with our feet in the sand we enjoyed a traditional Keralan whole baked fish dish called pollichathu.
If you are on a beach and not eating seafood what are you doing?!
Note - Google is listing this as temporarily closed, we don’t know if this is a mistake or if it has closed for the season. There are recent reviews showing so we hope it is still open! Please let us know in the comments!
We had an amazing couple of days in Mararikulam, relaxing and swimming in the sea. It seemed like one of those places on the cusp of being popular, like Karimunjawa in Indonesia or Koh Mook in Thailand. Right now Mararikulam is a laid back hidden gem; full of delicious food, cheap accommodation and a stunning beach. Honestly we are surprised this isn't more famous than Kollam beach or Varkala! We are so glad we took a gamble and went to see it when we did!
Getting to Mararikulam
Alleppey to Mararikulam
The easiest way to Mararikulam from Alleppey is by bus. They run very regularly from the bus station. Just head down and ask.
Buses in India are always fun, wherever they go
Alternatively you can go from the town itself, we caught the bus from here. Our guesthouse just said to flag down the bus and hop on, and this is exactly what we did!
The bus cost only 20 rupees each (£0.20!) and took about 30 minutes to the stop nearest our accommodation. It runs all the way up the road that runs parallel to the beach so just ask the driver to stop when you come up to wherever you are staying.
You can also take the train from Alleppey to Mararikulam, just make sure you time it correctly as there are limited trains that actually stop at the small Mararikulam station! It is also worth noting that the train takes a lot longer than the bus (for reasons, none of which we can explain).
From elsewhere
Mararikulam is located on the coast of Kerala and is connected to the rest of the south (and beyond) by the bus and train networks, there are many ways to get to Mararikulam if you are travelling from further afield:
Taxi
You can easily arrange a taxi from the nearby cities and towns or Alleppey, Kochi / Cochin or even further afield ones like Trivandrum. You can have a look on 12go to arrange this or, if you are in Mararikulam, your accommodation can book it for you.
Check out 12go here.
Train
Mararikulam has a small train station serving the line between Trivandrum, Alleppey and Cochin. We used this to move up the coast to Cochin at the end of our beach time. It is, like always in India, a good idea to book you tickets in advance. The journey up the coast is well worth doing by train as the line runs through some picturesque towns and villages.
The trains are not too frequent as most will not stop at the small station but plough on through to the larger cities. You can check out the departure times on Google here.
Also, do not panic if you get to the small station and find no one there! We knew the departure time for our train to Cochin (Ernakulam really) and arrived 35 minutes early only to find an empty station and a closed ticket counter. The staff were very relaxed and came to open up about 15 minutes before the train arrived. If you are looking to purchase tickets in advance, try and time your visit to when another train is arriving to make sure someone is at the station!
Our tickets in general class from Mararikulam to Ernakulum station (The big station near Cochin) cost us 30 rupees each (around £0.30) and the journey took around an hour and a quarter. As with the bus (see below), the train will probably be taking you to Ernakulum, not Fort Cochin, so you will need to grab an uber / rickshaw from the station to the Fort.
Bus
From or to Mararikulam you can get the bus that runs up the coast between Alleppey and Cochin / Kochi / Ernakulam. The buses go all the way up the main road that runs set back from but parallel to the beach. Most of the buses north will take you into the Ernakulam area of Kochi rather than the tourist area of Fort Cochin, so you will need to transfer or jump in an Uber rickshaw.
For travel throughout Kerala you can use the Kerala State Road Transport Company (KSRTC) bus network, they go everywhere both within the state and it’s neighbours. Even if you cannot directly get where you want to go you will be able to get to a larger hub town and connect to the correct service.
You can use 12go to book your transport in advance. If you are coming in from Cochin or Trivandrum, check out the links below for the options:
We are not sure how up to date this timetable is!
Where to stay in Mararikulam
We stayed at what may have been one of our favourite accommodations in Southern India whilst in Maraikulam - Koshy’s Homestay
Koshy’s homestay sits on the white sand, just back from the beachfront. The rooms were massive and spotless with great showers and powerful air conditioning. We also had a big table and chairs set up on a veranda outside our room where we were brought our breakfasts. Speaking of which..
Probably the best feature of Koshy’s was the food. We had a deal that included breakfast and it was one of the best breakfasts we had in India! Everyday we would have dosa or Idli or some other south Indian treat delivered to our door in massive delicious quantities! We also had dinner cooked by our hosts one night and the grilled chicken was amazing. It was also very affordable!
The hosts were also fantastic, they helped find out the train times for us and gave us advice on our destinations as well as helping book a rickshaw to get us to the station on time.
We cannot say this is the best hotel in all of Mararikulam, we have literally only been once and stayed at one place, what we can say is that it was perfect for us and was well above what we expected for the price we paid. To book a stay click here
Mararikulam has lots of accommodation on offer and you can stay anywhere from a luxury resort to a homestay depending on your preference and budget. Check out our map below for all the accommodation choices:
Zoom out to see more accommodation options!
When to visit Mararikulam
November to February is the peak season for Mararikulam as the weather is clear and sunny without being too scorching. We visited at the end of the season in February and it was very quiet and very hot during the day.
The hot and humid season is March through to May and temperatures will soar during this time. It will also feel even hotter due to the humidity. Southern Indian summers are no joke so be prepared!
The monsoon season of June to October would actually not be a bad time to visit the beach. You have mostly sunny days with the occasional (dramatic) downpour to relieve the humidity. You would also get some spectacular sunsets!
Conclusion
We hope you read all this and decide to check it out for yourself. Mararikulam is a great example of the rewards to be had when you go, even just a little, off of the ‘normal’ trail. It is by no means undiscovered but, for now at least, it is uncrowded, unspoiled and might just be the quietest white sand beach in southern India.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
If you are interested in travelling more in the region, make sure you check out our other Southern India blogs!
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