Varkala: Where Every Sunset Renews Hope
Why Varkala?
I have been longing to go to Varkala for a very long time but I was uncertain about travelling so far for a little-known destination. But now, I can certainly say that Varkala is indeed a must-visit location for travellers seeking a laid-back experience. It not only offers serenity but also a diverse range of activities to suit all preferences. At one point, we weighed the pros and cons of travelling to Goa again versus Varkala even though we visited the former multiple times. In retrospection, I am convinced that we made the right choice, as Varkala provided precisely the tranquil atmosphere we were seeking.
Here's a quick summary of our itinerary:
Day 1: Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Trivandrum, Sunset at Black Beach, and Cafe-hopping at North Cliff
Day 2: Surfing in Edava beach, Sundowner at Cafe Trip is Life in South Cliff, and DJ Night at Cafe Sandy Bay
Day 3: Sunrise at Odayam Beach, Lunch at Ramees Restaurant in Kollam, and Canoeing at Munroe Island
Day 4: Sunrise Kayaking at Mangrove Adventure Village in Paravuru, Ayurvedic Massage in Varkala, and Jatayu Earth Center.
Note: As we planned our trip in October, we made a conscious decision to make the most of our early mornings and sunsets for outdoor activities, while reserving the rest of the day to relax to avoid the harsh sun.
Quick Navigation
Day Trips from Varkala
Exploring Thiruvananthapuram
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| Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple |
Our journey started with an early morning flight from Hyderabad to Thiruvananthapuram, the closest airport city to Varkala. Our very first destination was the world's richest Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple. We collected the self-drive car from EVM wheels' pick up spot which was next to the railway station and reached the temple by 10am. We opted for a 50 rupees special darshan to skip the long queue.
Travel tips:
Devotees are required to adhere to traditional Hindu attire, referred to as "munde" in Malayalam for men and saree for women while visiting the temple. If a woman arrives wearing any other type of dress, she must drape a munde over it.
As we were aware of this protocol beforehand, we made sure to carry the required clothing. Even otherwise, you will find multiple stores selling them across the temple street. While my husband was able to change into his traditional attire near the temple, I had made prior arrangements by booking a AC dormitory (which costed just 250 rupees for 12 hours) located at the railway station. Please note that only ticket holders have the option to reserve a spot in the dormitory. Since our initial plan was to travel by train, we have booked our train tickets in advance and hence, we could leverage this facility. Even otherwise, there are changing rooms/cloak rooms available in temple premises.
Journey to Varkala
After our visit to the temple, we checked out of the dormitory, and were all set to hit the road to Varkala. Having skipped breakfast, I decided to have an early lunch. That's when my husband recollected an article that he had read about the Paragon Restaurant, well-known for serving the best biryani. Though we didn't enjoy the biryani (as you know no biryani can ever satisfy a Hyderabadi :P), their starters were quite tasty. We were later informed by a localite that only the legendary Paragon Restaurant located in Kozhikode serves the authentic biryani.
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| Paragon Hotel Trivandrum |
Nadan Grilled Chicken
Modes of transport:
You can reach Varkala by train, bus, or car from Thiruvananthapuram. Initially, our plan was to take the train, a quick 45-minute journey. However, we later opted for a self-drive care to have the flexibility to explore the nearby areas surrounding Varkala. Given that we have travelled during the month of October, we decided to go with a car instead of a two-wheeler to avoid unpredicted rain and harsh sun.
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| Coastal road trip to Varkala |
We started our journey to Varkala taking the route that was closer to the coastline. The scenery along some stretches of the road was absolutely breathtaking. It was around 3pm when we finally arrived at Varkala. For the first day at Varkala, we chose to stay at Palan Beach Resort located on the walking strip of the famous Varkala North Cliff. We found this property on Google Maps near the North cliff and directly contacted on the coordinates mentioned over there.
A Splendid Evening on Varkala's Vibrant North Cliff
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| View from our room in Palan Beach Resort |
Our room, overlooking the sea, provided us with absolutely beautiful views. After a short nap, we headed out to explore the North cliff area and then made our way to the beach to witness the breathtaking sunset over the black sands of Varkala. Following the sunset, we decided to spend the night at the cafes along the North Cliff. The area was bustling with a lot of cafes, leaving us spoilt for choice. Eventually, we settled at God's Own Country Kitchen which was playing soothing live music that perfectly catered to our South Indian tastes. We paired the music with cocktails and seafood for a delightful evening. Not ready to call it a night just yet, we continued our adventure, cafe-hopping to another charming spot known for its views - Darjeeling Cafe. Here, we soaked in the sounds of bollywood music and cocktails, ending our night with contended hearts.
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Sunset at Black Sand Beach Varkala |
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| Darjeeling Cafe |
Catching the Waves: Surfing in Varkala
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| Surfing in Varkala |
Since Varakala is one among the few surfing spots in India, my husband didn't want to miss out on the chance to experience this fun activity. We found Elixir Surf Club while exploring the North Cliff road and he decided on taking a surfing class with them next day in the morning at 8am. A 1.5 hour session which costed us 1500 rupees per person was conducted at Edava Beach, which was just a 15-min drive away from our accommodation. The surfing instructor began the course with a 15 minute training and practice session on the sandy shore. After the practice, he was guided into the water to get started with the surfing. The activity went on till 9:30 am.
After the surfing session, we returned to our hotel, freshened up, and completed the check out process. We planned to stay only one night at this place for ease of access to the North Cliff area. For the next two days, we planned to stay at a beautiful beach side property. We enjoyed a breakfast at Cafe Del Mar, where the serving sizes were too huge to finish. Following breakfast, I indulged in some street shopping on the cliff road where you need to bargain upto 50% before you buy anything. But don't drive a hard bargain as the locals are primarily dependent on these to earn their living. We then proceeded to check in at our next accommodation Miracle by the Bay on the shore of Odayam Beach. I found this property on Instagram. Though we came across few other attractive accommodations, we found this property to be value for money with beautiful views and a spacious common area with different types of sit-outs.
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| Miracle by the Bay |
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| Odayam Beach |
Swaying with the Sun in the Silent South Cliff of Varkala
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| Cafe Trip is Life |
After a quick power nap, we headed to explore the south cliff of Varkala. In contrast to the North cliff, South cliff offers a serene feel with a peaceful aura. The cafes here offer direct access to private beaches from their premises. We visited the most popular cafe Trip is Life. We have reached the cafe a bit early for sunset by 5pm and were fortunate to secure a prime seating. We have never experienced such a remarkable view in my life, where there are no distractions between you, sea, and the sun. We savoured the sunset by sipping our mocktails at the cafe.
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| Access way to private beach |
We then began our journey to the beach, descending the stairs, and were treated to the sight of a hidden paradise. We had an incredible time having all beach to ourselves, doing some crazy and fun activities. We then made our way back to the accommodation. We relaxed in our beachfront room for a while before heading out to party all night at the lively and vibrant Cafe Sandy Bay. We decided to walk to the cafe since it was just 600m away from our stay. The night seemed to slip away without us realizing it. We were lost in the music, dancing to the DJ's tunes, and before we knew it, it was past midnight. We then strolled back to our stay, enjoying the walk by playing music on our speaker and ended the day with a good night's sleep.
Indulging in Local Tastes at Kollam
We woke up early in the next morning at 6am to explore the secluded Odayam beach near our property. We decided to spend some time in the morning at the beach since the weather warms up quickly after the sunrise. After our beach excursion, we returned to our room for some rest and then woke up to have a fulfilling complimentary breakfast at our property. We then relished some laid back time at the property. Since my husband was craving for beef porotta from the time we decided to visit Varkala, I looked out for best places to have local food and we decided to have lunch at the famous Ramees Restaurant in Kollam which was 1.5 hours away from Varakala before heading off to Munroe island for exploring the backwaters.
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| Ramees Restaurat in Kollam |
I would like to give a special highlight to the most delicious local food that we had in this entire trip. With limited knowledge of the local dishes, aside from my husband's craving for beef porotta, we have asked the waiter to suggest the best dishes. We ended up ordering beef roast and Ashtamudi chicken curry along with porotta and Bellari beef rice. The beef roast and porotta were super soft and melted in our mouths. Since we were running short on time for our journey of 45mins to Munroe island, we had ordered a take away of Falooda, which turned out to be an exceptionally delicious treat for our road trip.
Canoeing through Munroe Island
An Experience that was just Good but not Great.
After looking at the google reviews, we decided to go with Ambulal Boating in Munroe Island. We arrived at the location by 4:30pm, unsure of whether we could proceed with the canoeing tour. However, the owner recommended that it was the best time and we felt the same as the sun was becoming less intense, creating a more pleasant environment for the experience. We opted for a 2 hour ride which costed us 1200 rupees for 3 people. We started our trip at 4:45pm, moving through the narrow canals and passing under the low-hanging bridges to enter into the vast Ashtamudi Lake. The boatman made stops at different points during the trip, allowing us to capture photographs of the beautiful surroundings. At one of the stops, he made my husband climb one of the mangrove trees which turned out to be very funny. We also made a stop at a small shop where all the boats paused to enjoy some refreshments. Along the way, we encountered a naturally formed mangrove arch that all boats navigated through. It was by 6:30pm that we started to return back to the starting point which was 15mins away but it got really dark quite fast. It took us around 1.5 hours to return back to our accommodation in Varkala and later, we spent the rest of the night chilling in the lounge area by the beach. Overall, in my opinion the experience was refreshing but it may not be considered as a mandatory activity. If you have explored everything in Varkala and have an extra day to spare, then you could opt for this day trip to Munroe island.
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| Munroe Island |
Kayaking in Lush Green Mangroves
On the last day of our trip, we headed out to Mangrove Adventure Village in Paravuru, which is 30 min away from our stay. We had pre-booked the Sunrise Kayaking tour for a 2 hour adventure which costed us 1000 rupees per person. We reached the location by 6:15am and were on the water, kayaking by 6:30am. A guide accompanied us throughout our journey. We kayaked through the vast lake, navigating narrow mangrove passages and arches, which was very thrilling and fun-to-do in comparison to the canoeing we did the day before. Additionally, there was a designated point where we had the option to get into the water. As we were given life jackets, this activity could be done by non-swimmers as well. My husband enjoyed a dip in the water, while I chose to relax on my kayak. Overall, I liked this activity and it is a must do when you are in Varkala. However, we have noticed that they also offer 1 hour sessions, which may be sufficient to explore the entire area. The guide took us to less captivating places just to complete 2 hours.
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| Mangrove Arch |
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| Mangrove & Coconut Trees |
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| Narrow Passages |
We returned back to our room, had a satisfying breakfast, freshened up, and completed the checkout process. With some free time, we visited Cafe Sarwaa, a spot which was on my list of must visit cafes. We ordered some food to go with mocktails and chilled out for a while here.
Relaxing and Rejuvenating Kerala Ayurvedic Message
Exhausted from our kayaking session, we decided to treat ourselves to an Ayurvedic massage at Ayur Soul Retreat, located near the North Cliff in Varkala, before we get back to our daily routine. We had opted for a one-hour full body relaxation message for head, face, and body costing 1500 rupees. We were so drained that we actually fell asleep during the massage. Since it is a traditional oil based massage, the retreat provided us with an option to shower after the massage. Although, the masseuse recommended a bath after 1-2 hours to soak-in the massage oils, we took an instant shower due to lack of spare time.
Witnessing the world's largest bird sculpture
Before leaving to Thiruvananthapuram to board our return flight to Hyderabad, we visited the Jatayu's Earth Center which is about 1 hour away from Varakala. The bird sculpture is located on the top of the hill and can be accessed via steps or through a cable car. Please do remember to carry cash for the entry tickets and check online for timings. The entry tickets costed us 236 rupees per person and the round trip cable car costed us 263 rupees per person.
The sculpture was built to signify the bird Jatayu's sacrifice to save Sita Devi from Ravana. Mythology says that the bird fell at this location and hence, the sculpture was erected in dedication to woman's safety. Since we reached the place during sunset, we stayed around for sometime clicking pictures and then left to Thiruvananthapuram to return the car and reach the airport on time.
 Jatayu Earth Center |
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| View from Cable Car |
Informative!!...Thanks a ton for this treasure trove of information
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