Diwali in Varkala & Kanyakumari

Varkala has gained popularity of late, thanks to the numerous Instagrammable spots that wind up in reels on our feed And while it still isn't as crowded as say Goa or Gokarna, you will see quite a bit of footfall on Varkala's serene beaches.

How to reach:

Varkala has a railway station so if you are traveling from any neighbouring state you can always look for a direct stop at VAK station. The station is located in the central part of the town and you will find many autos that you can take to your hotel.

Trivandrum is the nearest airport and has Uber/Ola wherein you can book outstation cabs to take you to Varkala or even opt for Airport taxis which you will find at the departure gate. It's a ride of 1-1.5hrs depending on the traffic and the route is pretty scenic as you will be driving along the coast.

Stay:

The South Cliff is a preferred option for many travelers as it offers mesmerizing view of the sea from your room. The prices range from 2.5-3k per night for such rooms. More affordable accommodations can be found around the town, including Zostel.

Getting Around:

Bikes are the best option with a rent of 500/day. We did enquire about self-drive cars but none were available. Make sure to book a vehicle as soon as you reach since most are rented out on weekends. Often the hotel managers have local contacts that will help.

There are autos running around but they quote a higher rate as is common in most tourist places.

Food & Drinks:

Like other coastal towns, Varkala boasts of many famous cafes like Darjeeling Cafe, Cafe Del Mar etc. However the prices go up if you are dining at such cafes in the Helipad area. I'd suggest to look for quaint cafes like Trip Is Life Cafe or other smaller ones since there is not much difference in food & it's cheaper & less crowded. There are a few options on Zomato if you want to have food delivered to your hotel but be warned the quantity is always more than what you'd expect, so order accordingly.

None of the cafes will serve alcohol since Kerala has banned alcohol in dine-in unless you are a 5 Star hotel or registered beer parlour. There is a single liquor store in Varkala and we learnt that one person is allowed to purchase only 5 bottles of beer in a day. So if you are flying down or coming in a train, it's okay to carry your own liquor within the specified limit.

What to Visit:

• The Jatayu Earth Centre was a good experience, although the drive took longer than expected mostly because the roads are curvy & the Google map location is not accurate. We ended up asking the local people the directions. There are two options to reach up to the Jatayu monument from the Earth Centre, you can take the cable car ride or hike up the steps on the mountain. For cable car ride a separate entry fee is to be paid apart from the common entrance ticket.

Also, they accept only cash at the first ticket counter. Its 250/head and the same for the cable car although there, card is accepted.

• Munroe Island is a must-not-miss spot, if you want to see the mangroves of Kerala. Do look for the Kerala Govt boats since they charge a nominal fee of 700 for a boat while other private ones end up charging 500/person. It’s a 1 hour ride along the mangrove and town area and if you choose the timing well you can even witness the sunset. It does shut down by 6pm though.

• Night time in the helipad gives off a proper beach vibe with the cafes all decked up in lights, the sounds of the waves and the bustling market.

We left Varkala via a cab and en route Kankyakumari we halted at Kovalam and Poovar. Kovalam has a beautiful lighthouse but unfortunately for us it’s closed on Mondays. For food lovers, there is a famous local restaurant that serves excellent seafood located near this lighthouse.

Poovar Island

Poovar Island boasts of the golden and beach which is formed at the estuary of Neyyar River when it meets the Arabian Sea. Here we did not see the govt ferry option so we had to take the costlier private motorboat and the 1 hour ride cost us 1500/head. In this ride, one gets to see the mangroves, the floating cottages located alongside the river, various monuments like the Mother Mary statue and Elephant Rock. They usually ask you to get down for a few minutes at the golden sand beach where you can take photos and have refreshments.

We reached Kanyakumari late afternoon and just in time for the sunset. The entry fee is 15/head to go up the viewing tower. Patience is key when waiting for the sunset especially when the place is super crowded!

To view the sunrise, it’s better to be ready and reach there by 5:30am (assuming sunrise is at 6). Be ready for a good hike as the pier is quite rocky towards the sea. The queue for Vivekananda Memorial starts early, we saw a good 1km long queue formed by the entrance by 7:15am although the gates open at 8! If you are not early, you’d have to stand in line for a good 2hours especially during any holiday season. However there is a costlier express ticket that will give you slightly lesser wait time, but even then its nothing less than an hour.

Trivandrum is again the nearest airport from Kanyakumari, so you can book a round trip from Trivandrum when planning your itinerary. The Kanyakumari railway station is also located at hardly 2km distance from the main tourist spots, so you can always look for a train to Trivandrum since it will be the fastest and cheapest option.

A few things to keep in mind when packing for Kerala/Tamil Nadu even in winter- carry a mosquito repellent, those pesky monsters will find you after sundown! Load up on sunscreen no matter the clouds and the season. And do carry extra T shirts. Even though the breeze was quite cool, the humidity was intense and the sun pretty harsh.