Overview
- Main Attractions: Varkala beach, Varkala cliff tops
- Best Time to Visit: Late October to early March
- Local Specialty: Beach & seafood
- Travelled By: Bus, auto rickshaw, foot
- Cost: $$
- Duration of Stay: 4 days
- Location: Kerala, India
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Summary
Varkala is a beautiful spot in South India and a big rival to Kovalam, its sister beach. We think it’s a better place to visit as it’s more laid back and less touristy than Kovalam with its crowded beaches. All in all, Varkala is a great place to rest, relax and recover from the mayhem that is India.
Varkala: Our Experience
17th December, 2013 (Day 1)
After setting up and taking a shower, we walked down to the Varkala cliff tops to find a nice place to have dinner. As we got to the South Cliffs, we chose the first Varkala restaurant – Oottupura Restaurant. Oottupura is a vegetarian restaurant that has been around for years. They used to have a good reputation before but they have gone down hill due to new management. Unfortunately, we only found out how bad their food is after dining here.
18th December, 2013 (Day 2)
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After a nice breakfast, we took a walk along the Varkala cliff tops. Varkala’s coast stretches over 10 kms from Papanasam Beach in the south to Kappil Beach in the north. The best way to see the coast and all the beaches in between is to take a leisurely walk over the cliffs that join the beaches together. The views were spectacular and apart from the azure waters and golden sands, there were so many things to see.
Walking from the South Cliffs to the North Cliffs took us over 2 hours and we were hot and tired at the end. We caught a bus back from Kappil Beach to Papanasam Beach in the afternoon.
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For lunch, we went to one of the smaller yet popular Varkala restaurants – Sreepadman. Located next to the main temple in front of the bus stop, it is frequented by locals due to its affordable and delicious vegetarian thalis. Apart from the restaurant inside, they also have an outdoor dining area with lovely views over the lake. We loved the food here and returned the following day as well.
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The weather in Varkala is very hot and humid even in December. It is hard to stay outside in the middle of the day as the sun gets very hot and unbearable. After a much needed rest in the cool of our room, we went down to the beach in the evening. One of the best times to visit Varkala Beach is in the evening when the sun is setting. We also got to see a couple of people paragliding from the cliff tops above which looked like a lot of fun.
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After walking on the beach and enjoying the beautiful sunset, it was time to look for a place to have dinner. We decided to try a nice restaurant on South Cliff that specialised in seafood, so we picked Sky Lounge as the seafood stand in front of their restaurant looked really fresh and appealing. Also, they have a lovely balcony overlooking the beach below and the ocean in front. Graham choose to have Tandoori Fish with fries while I had Calamari with rice cooked in a Keralan coconut sauce. The food was absolutely delicious and we really enjoyed dining here.
19th December, 2013 (Day 3)
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In the morning, we took an auto rickshaw to Sivagiri to pay a visit to Sivagiri Mutt, the Memorial to Sree Narayana Guru. Located on Sivagiri Hill about 3 km (2 miles) from the centre of Varkala, it is a peaceful ashram where pilgrims come to pay homage to the guru who preached “One God, One Caste, One Religion for Mankind”. It was wonderful and different attraction to visit as it allowed us to reflect on his philosophies of life.
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It was late morning so we stopped at one of the Varkala restaurants – Sreepadman that we had had lunch at the day before. For lunch, Graham had a Masala Dosa and I tried their Egg Curry with Porothas. Their food was really good and exceptionally cheap and we loved eating here.
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After lunch we walked across the road to the most famous Varkala temple – the sacred Janardhana Swamy Temple, believed to be more than 2,000 years old. This temple, dedicated to Krishna, attracts many pilgrims every day. One of the bells in the temple is said to have been given in gratitude by the captain of a 17th century Dutch sailing ship, after his prayers were answered.
The afternoon was spent lounging in the cool of our room as it was really hot outside.
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In the evening, we decided to try some of the European cooking by our hosts at Casa Eva Luna. Graham loves a good Gazpacho soup and we heard that Esther, one of our hosts, makes a really delicious version so we had that for dinner with some home made bread. The soup served cold was fantastic and it was wonderful eating it with some wholesome home made bread.
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20th December, 2013 (Day 4)
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This was our last day in Varkala and as a surprise, our hosts had arranged to have Ila Ada, a sweet appetiser, prepared for us by a neighbour. A traditional breakfast in South India, it is made with rice flour stuffed with jaggery and coconut, and cooked inside a banana leaf. We had gone searching for it the day before but no one seem to have it. This was such a wonderful surprise and we relished this delicious Keralan treat for breakfast.
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After breakfast, we made our way to the main Varkala beach, Papanasam Beach. One of the things we love doing at the beach is frolicking in the water. However, the currents at the Varkala beach are very strong and we were getting pulled away very easily. We had to continuously check our location and keep moving to make sure we were within the flags. Apart from the currents, the water was warm and it was so much fun jumping over the waves as they came into shore. A couple of times Graham and I got caught by a wave and we were thrown against the harsh sand which was quite painful but enjoyable.
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Our last stop before we left for the train station was to go to Sky Lounge. We wanted to have lunch here before we left for the train station at 2:00 pm. We sat on the deck, sipped a mocktail and enjoyed the view for the last time while we waited for our lunch. We had ordered Crab Roast, one of our favourites dishes in South India. Unfortunately, they took so long to prepare it that we had to take it away and eat it on the train. Nonetheless, the crab roast was one of the best meals we have eaten in India.
Varkala is a beautiful spot in South India and a big rival to Kovalam, its sister beach. We think it’s a better place to visit as it’s more laid back and less touristy than Kovalam with its crowded beaches. Staying at Casa Eva Luna made our stay that much better as we were treated as part of the household. All in all, Varkala is a great place to rest, relax and recover from the mayhem that is India.
