Over the years Varkala has become well known among travellers and tourists. Once, a
quaint hippie spot for mostly foreign travellers, Varkala has become one of the off- beat destinations
for Indians too. Mostly visited by students, Varkala vibes with Gokarna a lot. I can imagine myself
siting at the shacks by the shore, sipping on some fresh juice and pondering over life.
Situated in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, one can easily reach Varkala
by taking a train or flight or bus to Trivandrum and then hopping onto a train from Central railway
station to Varkala Sivagiri Station. It would cost around INR 30-50 per head. Many trains are
available which go up and down these two stations so it would be best to ask the ticket guy once,
before booking your tickets. It takes around an hour to reach Varkala by train as compared to 40
mins by an auto although you would have to pay around INR 700-800 in case of an auto. The best
time to visit Varkala, according to most people would be sometime around Oct-Dec, as that’s what
they call the “in season” with lots of people in your vicinity, all the shacks functional and some fun
water sports and other recreational activities to do. The weather that time is also favourable and
you can easily climb down the cliff and enjoy the beach then. But in my opinion, end of July was
actually a better “season” for me, with very few travellers, mostly locals coming by the beach in the
evening with their friends and families. I was lucky to not experience the heavy rainfall that is very
natural to Kerala because I could hire a scooty for 250 bucks and actually go around the place
without getting drenched. When you travel “off-season” it’s actually quite easy on the pocket as the
shack owners would readily give you a cottage/room at 600 Rupees as opposed to 1500 INR when
you go there during peak season.
There are many shacks and hotels stretched over the cliff area (North cliff and South
cliff) and some on the Papanasam beach. I had put up at the ‘Oceanic Residency’ in north cliff and it
was a pretty decent stay with friendly staff. They charged me INR 600 for the room and 250 Rupees
for the scooty. You can easily walk to the cliff road by crossing the ‘Kerala bamboo house’ which is
right opposite Oceanic residency (both can be easily located using Google Maps. Yay! ). There are
many other shacks like Elise resort, Exotica Marigold which is on the cliff road itself, so I would
suggest you do a little bit of research on these stays before going there as prices hike up when
you’re on spot. You can also get cheap booking options online.
Varkala is a small, busy town, the beach being it’s main attraction. Black beach
( although I couldn’t go there) has black sand and is only commutable during Jul-Sep. It’s supposedly
a beauty on it’s own. Papanasam beach has a stream of holy water loaded with minerals which
supposedly has many health benefits. Few locals told me that the water comes down from
Janardana Swami Temple, which is 2018 years old and is an important shrine for Vaishnavs. This holy
water comes in the form of a natural spring and is said to wash away sins.
Kappil beach, you have to go there. It is BEAUTIFUL! The road (mostly a state highway)
separates the ocean from the backwaters. It is a picturesque ride/drive through this road. The water
activity joint near the backwaters allows you to take a speed boat/a paddle boat/banana ride/hose
boat at different rates and time duration and you can peacefully paddle in the backwaters on your
own. It is blissful. The beach on the other side is not commutable as it is rocky and more like “sit and
chill by the ocean” beach. Another closeby visiting spot is the Anjengo fort. It is more like a garden
enclosed within big walls and has a little old world charm and is close to a light house.
Talking about eating options, there are plenty. The shacks cater to the taste buds of a
variety of cuisine lovers with options like Italian, Mexican, Tibetian, Indian and many more. One
should definitely try the seafood options there, but you have to clearly tell the waiters to clean the
prawns and other fishes well. Also, be very specific that you want your steak to have chicken as
meat, not beef (since Malayalis love beef). You have to try the local cuisine there. Try the native rice,
fish curry, karimeen fry with some pickle and papad. You’ll love it. The only think which came
shocking to me was the tender coconut water there. Being a land of coconut trees they should
actually charge low as compared to the 40 Rupees that they charge there.
There are many gift shops filled with antiques from North East, local handicarfts and
other wooden souvenirs. While heading back home, you have to tell your shack owner to help you
get an auto to the railway station which would charge you 100 Rupees exact. I had my return flight
to Bangalore from Trivandrum and had to stay a night there, so I booked an Oyo Room called
“Sunday bed and breakfast” which was right opposite the exit of the Domestic Airport (Such a
blessing!)
In order to make my day in Trivandrum “useful”, I called an old friend from school, who is
working in Trivandrum, to have a tete-a-tete over Beer and some seafood at Kovalam beach. Guess
what? I got lucky because the beach there had black sand. This local bhelpuri seller told me that
during monsoon the yellow soil goes inside as it is pulled in the ocean and the black sand rises
above, and again during summers and winters, this black soil is covered by the yellow sand. Kovalam
and Light house beach are 30 mins from the main city and you can negotiate with an auto guy for an
up and down trip at around 600 Rupees. You can also book an uber/ola but that would charge you
more.
Overall, my trip during this time was actually a great with lots of good food and people
around. If you’re planning a trip to Varkala, make sure you do a little bit of research about that place
and stays as communication is a problem because of the language barrier. It would be very helpful if
you have a Malayali friend accompanying you. Carry lots of beach wear and load up on sunscreen to
stay away from the tan. Have Fun!
