IN · Kerala · 8.74°N 76.70°E

varkala

Red cliffs above the Arabian Sea, seafood dinners and a slower Kerala beach stop.

Best time
December–March is the dry beach season. April–May is hotter, and June–September brings heavy rain and big surf that makes swimming unsafe.
How long
2–3 days
Getting there
Fly direct from KL to Thiruvananthapuram (about 4 hours), then it's about an hour by road or train. India is 2.5 hours behind KL.
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IN · Keralavarkala8.74°N 76.70°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Red cliffs above the Arabian Sea, seafood dinners and a slower Kerala beach stop.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingVarkalaIN, Kerala
KLvarkala
≈ 2,832 km from KL, as the crow flies
Varkala Beach, Varkala, Kerala

Photo: Devender Goyal · CC BY-SA 4.0

1 / 5

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

At Varkala, red laterite cliffs drop straight to a long Arabian Sea beach, with cafés and guesthouses lined along the top. It's a slow beach stop, and the temple town behind the cliffs still runs to its own rhythm.

Makan

  1. Fish curry mealsRice, a sour fish curry and vegetable sides on a banana leaf at the local lunch places in town.Map ↗
  2. Grilled seafoodAt dusk the cliff-top cafés lay out the day's catch on ice; pick a fish and they grill it.Map ↗
  3. Pazham poriRipe banana fritters, the Kerala tea-time snack.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Papanasam BeachThe main beach below the cliffs, where Hindu families come to perform rites for their dead by the sea.Map ↗
  2. North CliffThe cliff-top strip of cafés and guesthouses looking down on the beach. Some stretches have been fenced off after landslips.Map ↗
  3. Janardanaswamy TempleAn old Vishnu temple with a temple tank, a short walk inland from the beach.Map ↗
  4. Sivagiri MuttThe hilltop ashram and tomb of the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, a pilgrimage centre for many Keralites.Map ↗
  5. KappilA quiet beach to the north, where the backwaters run right up behind the sand.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Kerala has a large Muslim community, so halal restaurants are easy to find in Varkala town; the cliff-top cafés serve mixed menus.
  • Parts of the cliff have collapsed in recent monsoons, and the fences along the edge are there for a reason.
  • Cliff-top rooms often mean steps and a walk from the road, which matters with heavy bags.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.