A short brief on the title, Varkala should ideally be named a sea-foodie paradise; apart from being widely known for its cliff-beaches. I started researching about the place primarily for good stay options; I finalized a well-rated villa stay within close walking distance from the beach on Airbnb. I knew Varkala is a bus ride away from Bangalore, how tough could booking a bus be?
I vividly recollect this incident; after I went ahead and booked the stay 2 weeks before our trip, I received a call while walking back from work one evening, “Amrida, this is Aarun from Varkala” he quickly went ahead and highlighted his connection with Airbnb as soon he realized that I drew no reference; without much ado, he quickly enquired, “Which route are you taking Amrida?”; I thought to myself “Oh, which route eh?” , Bus route” I promptly replied. “No no no no, via Nagercoil or the other one?”. At this point I had to admit, I had no idea about our commute; Arun sir patiently first explained the 2 routes to reach Varkala, guided me with specific details to land at his lodging and then tolerantly taught me to pronounce Kazhakootam in the mallu way.
We first took a bus to Kazhakootam, grabbed a pack of banana chips from the local market for the second 50 mins bus ride to Varkala; we finally reached our destination after a 15 mins auto ride from the Varkala bus stop, phew! But we could hear the sound of waves crashing on the shores as soon as the auto pulled into the lane, deeply green laden with tall trees and slight mush; we were welcomed by Arun sir at the entrance and he offered to show us around. It was almost late afternoon by the time we reached; so we freshened up quickly and headed out to grab food and catch the widely popular sunset.
Panoramic Sunset View
Our BnB was in close proximity to Papanasam beach and we reached the cliff after a short 10 mins hike. We were absolutely amazed at the panoramic view of the cliff and ocean from the heli landing; we bought a pack of roasted peanuts and perched ourselves on the rocks to soak in the gorgeousness.
Varkala Cliff
We then walked towards the cobbled pathway of the barranca to explore the other end and arrived at the Varkala beach; it is a stretch of pristine shoreline, perfectly dotted with areca palms and tall coconut trees and the golden hour vouched for the kodak moments.
Market on the Cliff
At the Varkala Beach
Sunset at Varkala Beach
All the eateries on the cliff offer the beautiful ocean view and you would not have a dearth of finding the perfect spot for yourself. We sat ourselves at one such shack; totally digging the shimmery ocean view stretching into the horizon while relishing our coco-lime drinks. The cliff-way is lined with numerous souvenirs outlets selling items made out of conch-shells and colourful beads; outlets selling hand-rolled incense sticks and ittar; some surfboard parlours and at least a hundred shops selling clourful beach clothing and footwear.
View from the sundeck of a restaurant
The lane grew upbeat with the setting sun; all the bistros pulled up their sun-sheds and the mono-toned yellow along with the twinkling fairy lights instantly set a cosy mood; we were however on the hunt for seafood. I got super excited to see numerous fishermen put out their freshest sunset catch on sale and trotted towards them to enquire; from prawns, crabs, swordfish, tuna, mussels, they had it all.
Sunset catch
I started with “Bhaiya, kitne ka hai?” and shamelessly went on to seek suggestions on local cuisines, “Suggest karo na aapke yahan pomfret mein local dish kya khaun?” He posed a wide grin and called out to a heavily crowded eatery nearby and asked them to prepare a meal of his suggestion for us; coupled with a chilled beverage wrapped in brown bag the grilled pomfret along with portion of coconut rice and malabar curry was magnificently flavoursome. We walked back completely enticed with the sumptuous meal; but oh boy; the shortcut route back to our BnB was pitch dark and both our phones were running really low on charge. The route is basically a super narrow green patch of land with wide water bodies on both the sides of the lane, we would be swimming deep with tadpoles at a slight miss of a step; we held onto each other firmly and tip toed our way to almost the fag end and then crawled and climbed our way through the last stretch of the barricade.
Walk out of our BnB
I could not catch the sunrise the next morning, however I was up on time for an early morning stroll on the beach; Pradeep was fast asleep but as I sneaked out softly, I almost shrieked with joy seeing a peacock walking right outside our stay; delightful perks of waking up early.
Peacock outside our BnB
The early morning at this beach was gifted with long stretches of uninterrupted coastline while the golden sun melted away into the ocean; it was extremely peaceful to watch the small waves foaming at my feet while I chased a few crab-lings. This beach is mostly populated with pilgrims visiting the Janardhana Swamy temple situated on the shore; you would find numerous priests performing homage rituals on the beach with their own set up of a consecrated fire; settled me with a feeling of righteousness.
Morning walk at the beach
Janardana Swamy Temple at Papanasam beach
After a long stroll, I found a coconut vendor to quench my thirst; a middle-aged woman had set up her shop right at the beach entrance; she waved towards me and sat me down on a narrow wooden slab. I wanted to purchase two coconuts as take-away initially, but there was an impish warmth about that lady and in no time, we were engrossed in a long converstaion while sipping on coconut water. She told me about her family and how they hailed from Thekkady district in Kerala; she told me about how she spent her childhood days learning Kalari art form along with her siblings; she narrated their ways of celebrating Onam and how they would all gather to watch the boat race and her eventual move to Varkala; owning coconut farms and her livelihood there; I happened to glance at my watch, and we had spent more than an hour chatting with one another. She cleaned and packed 2 tender coconuts for me as I was hurrying back; only to find Pradeep huffing-puffing his way out. He was asleep when I left in the morning and I had kept my phone on flight mode as it had very little power left, then I spent a long time chatting with coconut aunty outside; only a wide grin and coconut water could save me as we finally broke out into laughter!
We explored the area around on foot; found loads of rustic building ruins, an old pond which is now of religious significance and then grabbed late lunch at Thaa Café. This place deserves a very special mention; the interiors are done in a very interesting way with murals running down the walls and surprisingly many healthy options on the menu; even though we ordered a smoothie bowl and eggs on toast, we were served much larger meals than what the menu highlighted. Small pancakes with maple syrup and cut fruits were served as sides and the eggs were served with a delicious helping of crispy salad; Thaa Café has provisions of lodging as well.
I was determined to get my hands on some locally made goods; bought some clothes, a pair of footwear and after a walk down the cliff way, I also picked up some hand-rolled incense sticks. We relished splish-splashing at the Varkala beach and soaked in another beautiful sunset; the sky was lit with shades of purples and oranges and colours difficult to describe on a palette.
Sunset hues
Most cafes host live bands on the sundeck and it is a lovely blend of misty air and soulful music; Pradeep and I parked ourselves on the nook of one such café and we could not have asked for a better way to spend the evening. The sun dipped into the horizon in seconds leaving an orange hued sky; the ocean turned deeper as the evening grew bolder. Today we were in a crab-by mood; no points for guessing, we treated ourselves with a fresh catch of half a dozen crabs; we called for a portion of rice mildly flavoured with curry leaves and a side of super spicy semi-dry crab, Ah! A full 100 points for another brilliant meal. It took a full Mission Impossible movie while sitting on the porch in the misty ocean breeze for us to get over the solid meal. 😉
We were to check-out the next day; hence after a quick ramble in the morning, we packed up for good and headed towards the Varkala cliff for one last view; the weather was bright and sunny and we were in need of a sheltered place soon. Also, just about time that I highlighted, all these places have a superb trance playlist and it is undeniably infectious; so, after a much needed insta-worthy clicks, we were left with a few minutes to enjoy the last delectable Malabar meal for some time to come. Squids warmly smothered in garlic chili sauce and a large portion of prawn curry with red rice was our go-to on the menu; I can feel my mouth water as I pen this down!
We bid adieu to Varkala; to the gorgeous sunsets and appetizing seafood, to those mile-long stretches of beach and most importantly to the warmth of the people; only to come back soon!
The last ocean view
Expense Summary
Trip duration - 2 days
Bus - INR 3,500 return fare per head
Stay - INR 3,400 for twin sharing rooms for 2 nights
Food - INR 2,500 for 2 people
Basic expense total - INR 12,900 for 2 people
Additional Expense
Shopping at the Cliff - Extra
Recommendations -
If you are a seafood lover, this has to be on your travel list
Do get your hands on some locally produced hand rolled incense sticks, the fragrance is divine
I would try to get a place of stay on the cliff on my next visit. However, I really adored the serene Airbnb property though. Do check this place, The Royal Beach Valley, in very close proximity to the beach
Last but not the least, never miss any sunset at this place