Varkala - A mini beach break in southern India
Anyone who has travelled India knows that calm is a rare commodity. Peace and quiet should be sought out and cherished during any Indian adventure. In our time in southern India we had, so far, spent all of our time in megacities and towns - not exactly chilled out oases! We love the beautiful chaos of Indian cities. We had had an amazing time in Chennai, Pondicherry and Trivandrum but now, as we moved on up the western coast we were looking to find a little bit of calm. We headed for the cliffs and beaches of Varkala!
In this blog (skip ahead if your a busy person):
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Varkala, what it is and where to find it?
Varkala is an oasis of a place, a long sliver of beach and rocky cliffs that cling to India’s south west coast. Located a short drive from the Keralan capital of Trivandrum, Varkala is a very popular getaway for both international and Indian tourists.
We were in Varkala to unwind. We had had packed our days in Chennai, explored all over Pondicherry and crammed in as much as possible to Trivandrum. Varkala was going to be our time to chill, eat nice food, relax in cafés and enjoy some sunsets.
We checked into our gorgeous accommodation - Molly’s Hostel. Despite some underwhelming pictures on the booking website this was such a cute place to stay. With hammocks, shady gardens, board games and all manner of hostelly (we know, not a word!) flourishes.
The hostel itself was a converted beach house and was light and airy. We had a private double room with an en-suite bathroom (we know, we know, not very backpacking budget but hey), and it was lovely. The hostel had nice common areas, helpful staff and offered loads of activities. If you were travelling solo there was always people around to chat to and the hostel did a great job corralling people and organising outings for them. Also, and perhaps most importantly for us, there were cute dogs!
There were lots of chilled out common areas to unwind in after a day at the beach.
Molly’s Hostel was set down a residential road about 10 minutes off of the quiet end of the beach. This was perfect for us as we were close enough to the town and beach whilst also being far enough away not to be bothered at night.
We were away from the main drag of beachfront shops as well as where most of the accommodation is located, but we liked this. It meant that we could get some cheaper food from the town and had no hassle on the beach. The main area also wasn’t really very far away, maybe 15 minutes down the beach from us, so it wasn’t much of an effort to get there when we wanted to.
Check out the end of this article for more on the accommodation choices in Varkala.
For those after a spiritual retreat, there are plenty of yoga schools, craft classes, spas and meditation centres all along the cliffs and town of Varkala. All around the town and backstreets you can find adverts for Ayurvedic centres, in the main strip you can find a variety of massage specialists as well!
We spent our days in Varkala in a relaxing loop of wandering to the beach, finding a nice local lunch and then watching sunset from the cliff top cafés before going off for dinner.
Varkala Beach
Varkala beach is massive and, when we visited in February, it was very easy to get a stretch of the sand all to yourself. The beach is very striking as it is sandwiched between the sea and massive towering red cliff faces. The beach faces out towards the West so enjoys fantastic sunsets.
We did say the sunsets were spectacular!
The ‘main’ strip of Varkala, you can find it here on a map, is to the north of Molly’s Hostel and is considerably busier than the southern beach. Around this area, known as ‘Varkala Cliffs’, you will find most of the tourist bars, gift shops and restaurants. There are plenty of cliff side eateries and bars to sample and hop between. If you are looking for beachwear or souvenirs this is also the best place to come. For those looking for Ayurvedic treatment or massage with a view, there are plenty to choose from right on the cliffs edge.
The beach in this area is very busy and not the cleanest. We would recommend, for those looking to swim and sunbathe, going south away from the crowds. Away from the main stretch of the beach you can explore a more secluded bit of sand!
Essential information about Varkala beach:
There is nearly no shade! The beach itself has no, or very few trees and the cliffs do not provide any cover. If you are one of those strange lizard-folk who can lie about in the sun all day this might not bother you, but if like us, you look like you have lobster DNA, it is more of an issue! Some of the cliff top cafés and hotels have beach loungers, deckchairs and shades to rent, but do not skimp on the suncream!
There are no lifeguards for the majority of the beach. Swimming is entirely at your own risk. The currents when we were visiting (February) were very strong. The waves were often double our height and, when they caught us, it was like being in a washing machine. We are quite strong swimmers and this was ok for us but, if you are visiting with children or are not confident in the water, you may want to check the tides / season.
Surfing at Varkala beach
In the right season, Varkala is a very popular surf spot, there are surf camps up and down the beach offering accommodation and lessons. We were recommended one by one of our Spiti Valley companions:
The surf season for Varkala depends on your skill level (ours is pretty much non existent outside of one lesson in Batukaras.) Thanks to Surf Atlas for the information below!
Beginner - November to February
Intermediate / advanced - October to March
Advanced (with a likelihood of rain) - June to August
Paragliding Varkala
One of the most famous things to do on the beach in Varkala is paragliding, you can float all the way down the cliffs from one end to the other. There are operators all over Varkala and your accommodation can help you book one. Just check for reviews online before you fly! It was a little outside our budget so we kept our feet on the ground, but it was really nice to watch the paragliders float by from the cliff side cafés.
Not going to lie, this looks like an amazing way to see sunset!
Eating and drinking in Varkala
Our favourite restaurants:
When our stomachs demanded us give up our beach side lounging we would wander off in search of food. You can find plenty of restaurants both on the main cliff strip and in the town itself.
We had some fantastic lunches at the Vinayaka Vegetarian restaurant, where we were served Keralan rice and curry on silver thali trays. The fat Keralan rice grains perfectly soaking up all the delicious curry sauces. This was our favourite kind of Keralan restaurant, no nonsense, tasty and very cheap. The vegetable thali here only cost 90 rupees per person (around £0.90)!
For dinner we hopped between bougie cliffside meals (more on this later) and eating in the town. We had an especially delicious fish feast at Chimney Restaurant. This slightly fancier restaurant had a great seafood menu at reasonable prices. We loved the two curries we had here, one with locally caught fish in a spicy, sharp sauce and the other with chicken cooked village style. We are not totally sure what village style entails, but it was delicious! The restaurant was busy with families, locals and tourists and had a great atmosphere and friendly helpful staff.
Our favourite cafes:
We have alluded to, hinted at and outright mentioned our favourite Varkala based activity throughout this article: the cliffside cafés . Two cafés in particular:
Cafe Trip is Life
(location)
Located a short walk from our hostel, this upscale café / restaurant straddles the cliff’s edge in a perfect position for sunset views. We loved sitting here in the late afternoon and watching the sun dip down. The café offers a large menu from curry to pasta as well as small plates, sharers and lots of non alcoholic drink choices. We loved their mojitos, even without the booze!
Cafe Trip is Life is a little more pricey than eating in the town. We would recommend it more for the atmosphere and drinks than the food. When the sun goes down the cliffside garden lights up with strings of fairy lights, it is a very pretty café! It also seems to be very popular with Indian Instagrammers, during the sunset there was nearly a queue for the best cliffside spot!
You can also access the café from the beach so there was always a temptation to escape the sun and indulge in some sugary iced goodness!
Café Sarwaa
(location)
Another cliffside gem, Café Sarwaa was probably our favourite place to hang out in Varkala. Great coffee, chic bohemian décor and a fantastic view, what more could you want?
You cannot beat a mojito, even without any booze!
We ate everything from breakfasts to dinners here, had starters before heading off into town or just treated ourselves to supper with a view. The fried samosas were great and the Keralan beef curry with paratha was incredibly yummy. We also have to give a special mention to the delicious banana pancakes served with ice-cream and caramel sauce.
The whole place has a very chilled out relaxed vibe. With people set up for the day reading, playing games or just lounging around, it felt like the backpacker hub of Varkala.
There is access to the beach via a very steep staircase and it made an excellent base if you wanted to pop out for a swim in between coffees.
There is also accommodation available onsite. We didn't stay there but were a little jealous when we looked it up! Have a look for yourselves here.
This isn't an action packed blog, we didn't do a whole lot of anything in Varkala other than unwinding and relaxing, but sometimes (especially in India) that is just what you need to do! Varkala is a charming town with pretty streets, a fantastic, unique beach and plenty of food and drink options. It was just what we needed, right when we needed it!
How to get to Varkala
Taxi from Trivandrum
We had decided to splash the cash and arrived by taxi from Trivandrum. The fare was only around 1600 rupees (about £16.00) and the journey took around an hour and a quarter. We booked this in person with a driver. If you want to pre-arrange a taxi you can do this (at a cost) here.
Train
Varkala does have a train station as well, we used it later on to get to Alleppey and its famous backwaters. The train is definitely a cheaper option but book in advance as the tickets go quickly! You can have a look on 12go for times and tickets. The train station links to Trivandrum in the south and up to Kochi in the north. Both cities have airports!
Bus
There are quite a few bus services that will take you to Varkala, both from Trivandrum and further afield. From Trivandrum head to the central bus station and ask for the schedule.
For routes from further afield check out 12go for your options:
The train and bus stations are pretty much next to each other in the northwest of the town (location). The bus and train stations are around a 35 minute walk from the beach but there are always rickshaw taxi’s waiting.
Where to stay in Varkala
Being a pretty beach town only an hour out of the state’s capital, Varkala has plenty of hotels, hostels, guesthouses and resorts to choose from. From high end luxury to budget friendly simplicity, there is accommodation to suit everyone in Varkala.
As we have mentioned above, we had a fantastic stay in a private room at Molly’s Hostel and can thoroughly recommend it! If you want to check it out or book a stay, click here.
If you are looking for a yoga retreat, there are plenty to choose from along the beach. Have a look here for some of your options.
For all the other accommodation choices available in Varkala, from hostel to resort, check out our map below:
When to visit Varkala
The general consensus for the best time to visit Varkala is between March and October. This should give you clear dry days with cooler evenings. We visited just before this in February and it was swelteringly hot with rougher seas. Not a deal breaker and the accommodation was cheaper in the off season, but definitely worth considering!
How long should I stay in Varkala?
We stayed for 3 nights (4 days) and this was perfect for us. It was out of season for a beach town and the sea was quite rough. If you were in the correct season, or fancied some surfing or yoga, you could easily spend longer than we did in Varkala. We also did not venture much outside of Varkala, there is a nearby national park that we didn't manage to work into our schedule. If you were looking for a base in the south you could use Varkala to explore Trivandrum and the national parks nearby.
If you are really strapped for time you could take a day trip out to Varkala. You can arrange day trips either from Trivandrum city itself or Kollam beach. Check out the link below for some ideas.
Is Varkala worth it? Should I just go to Goa?
Oh the questions we have to include on this blog to get noticed by search engines…. We loved our time in Varkala. We spent 3 nights in this little beachside town and had a great experience. Given its location, Varkala is an easy and worthy addition to any southern Indian itinerary, sandwiched between the Keralan capital of Trivandrum, Kochi and the popular backwaters of Alleppey, Varkala is a great little beach break in the midst of your Indian adventure.
Varkala was also a great place for backpackers, with lots of cheaper accommodation and things to do within walking distance. In Varkala we weren’t beholden to any taxi mafia or locked into resort prices and could just enjoy the beach for free with good cheap food. Varkala also has a burgeoning party scene, up on the main strip and beaches to the north.
We cannot really compare it to Goa as we skipped the more popular destination. From our understanding Goa is busier with more resorts and is generally more built up. Varkala is smaller (obviously, it is a town not a state!) and outside of one tourist focused strip, is less ‘holidayfied’. We cannot tell you which is ‘best’ but can say we loved our time there.
Thanks for reading
John and Ellie
#adventuresofjellie
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