Varkala

A Kerala beach town where red laterite cliffs drop straight onto the Arabian Sea.

FamousBeachPilgrimageBackwatersHeritage

Varkala pairs a sacred beach and an old Vishnu temple with a cliff-top strip of cafes, guesthouses and Ayurveda centres. It suits travellers who want a slow beach stay with sunsets, yoga and seafood, plus easy day trips to a fort, a backwater island and quieter beaches nearby.

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Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Select a photo for its author and licence.

Best time to go

When	What to expect
October to March	The recommended season, with pleasant weather and sea breezes. From November to February some beaches may glow with bioluminescence after dark.
April and May	The hottest months, with daytime highs of about 33 to 36 C. The Arattu festival at Janardhana Swamy Temple falls around March or April.
June to September	Monsoon months with heavy rain and sea erosion, so fewer visitors come. The sea is rough in this season.

Sights and activities

Papanasam Beach and Varkala Cliff

The main beach, considered sacred, where Hindus perform rites and immerse ashes. Above it, laterite cliffs about 15 m high, declared a national geological monument, carry a walkway lined with cafes and shops and natural springs.

Distance: At the base area (North Cliff)
Entry: Free
Timings: Open all day
Time needed: Half a day

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Janardhana Swamy Temple

A Vishnu temple said to be about 2,000 years old, on a hill above the beach road and facing Papanasam. It holds a bell said to have been given by a Dutch ship's captain.

Distance: On the hill at the start of the road down to Papanasam Beach
Entry: Free (no fee confirmed)
Timings: About 4 or 5 am to 12 noon and 5 pm to 8 pm
Time needed: 1 hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Sivagiri Mutt

The ashram and pilgrimage centre founded by Sree Narayana Guru, with white terraced buildings and his samadhi, spread over about 200 acres. It is busiest during the Sivagiri pilgrimage at the end of the year.

Distance: About 3 km from Varkala
Entry: Free (no fee confirmed)
Timings: 5 am to 12 noon and about 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Time needed: 1-2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Kappil Beach and Thiruvambady Beach

Thiruvambady is a calm beach next to the North Cliff. Further north, Kappil is where the sea, a river and the backwaters meet, with sunsets, surf lessons and boat rides on Kappil Lake.

Distance: Thiruvambady next to North Cliff; Kappil a few km north
Entry: Free
Timings: Open all day
Time needed: Half a day

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Anjengo Fort and Lighthouse

A fort built by the British East India Company in the 1690s, with high laterite walls between the sea and the backwaters. A lighthouse about 130 feet tall stands nearby.

Distance: About 12 km south-east of Varkala
Entry: Free
Timings: 9 am to 5 pm
Time needed: 1-2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Ponnumthuruthu Island

A quiet green island in the backwaters, reached by a country boat ride of about 30 minutes from Nedunganda. The jetty and paths are simple, built from coir, coconut husk and mud.

Distance: Reached via Nedunganda jetty near Varkala.
Timings: 5:30 am to 12 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm
Time needed: 2-3 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Sarkara Devi Temple

A Bhadrakali temple at Chirayinkeezhu known for its Kaliyoot festival in March.

Distance: About 15 km from Varkala
Entry: Free (no fee confirmed)
Timings: 6 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm
Time needed: 1 hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Getting there

By bus: National Highway 66 runs through Varkala, linking it with Thiruvananthapuram (about 50 km), Kollam and Kochi. Buses run from Thiruvananthapuram in about 1.5 hours, and private AC sleeper buses come overnight from Bengaluru and Chennai.
By train: Varkala Sivagiri railway station is about 3 km from the beach. Trains from Thiruvananthapuram Central take about 30 to 50 minutes, and there are direct trains from Kochi (Ernakulam), Chennai and Bengaluru.
By air: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is about 57 km by road (about 40 to 45 minutes by taxi). Cochin International Airport is the other option, with a train onward from Aluva.
Where to base yourself: Stay on or near the North Cliff above Papanasam Beach, where most guesthouses, cafes and shops are, or at quieter South Cliff and Edava for more space.

Getting around

Autorickshaws run between Varkala Sivagiri station, the town, the temple and the cliff, about 3 km apart.
A taxi from Thiruvananthapuram airport to Varkala costs about 850 to 1,150 rupees per car and takes about 45 minutes.
Trains between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Varkala Sivagiri take about 30 to 50 minutes and are the cheapest link to the city.
Bike rental is offered by some cliff guesthouses and hostels.
Country boats from Nedunganda take visitors to Ponnumthuruthu Island in about 30 minutes.

Often combined with

Places people usually visit on the same trip, and how long it takes to get between them.

Alleppey (Alappuzha): Train, about 2 hours, about 110 km by road. See the Kerala: hills, spice country, backwaters and cliffs trip

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Where to stay

Budget level	Type	Price per night
Budget	Tourist homes, homestays and hostels near North Cliff or in town	₹900 to ₹1,900
Mid-range	Beach resorts and cottages on North Cliff and South Cliff	₹2,100 to ₹5,100
Luxury	Upscale beach and cliff resorts at Janardhanapuram, Edava and Temple Road	₹5,600 to ₹11,000

Food

The cliff-top restaurants serve seafood and Indian and European dishes with sea views, at about 600 to 1,500 rupees for two. Simple Kerala meal places such as Oottupura charge about 400 rupees for two.

Try these

Kerala meals (rice with curries served on a banana leaf)
Appam with stew (rice pancakes with a mild coconut curry)
Puttu with kadala curry (steamed rice cake with black chickpea curry)
Fish moilee (fish in a light coconut-milk gravy)
Dosa (fermented rice and lentil crepe)
Fresh seafood in coconut-based curries

Vegetarian Kerala meals, dosas, appam and puttu are widely available.

Daily costs

Budget level	Stay per room	Food per person	Local transport
Budget	₹1,200	₹400	₹200 per person
Mid-range	₹3,000	₹900	₹800 per vehicle
Luxury	₹9,000	₹2,000	₹2,000 per vehicle

Per day. Travel to and from your city is added in the planner above.

Permits and documents

No permits are needed for Indian travellers. Carry photo ID for hotel check-in.

Safety

By day: Generally relaxed and busy with visitors. Expect persistent sales pitches from shops along the cliff.
At night: The North Cliff walkway stays lively in the evening with cafes and live music. Paths along the cliff edge are not fully lit, so carry a torch.
Solo women: Varkala is a popular backpacker stop and many solo travellers visit. Use normal care, dress modestly in town and at the temple, and avoid deserted stretches after dark.
Roads: NH 66 is busy. The cliff edge has steep drops, so take care on the walkway, especially in the monsoon when erosion is worse.
Emergency numbers: 112 (all emergencies)

Practical

Mobile network: All the main networks (Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL) work in town.
ATMs and cash: ATMs are easy to find in town. ATMs are in Varkala town.
Fuel: There are several petrol pumps in and around town. Fuel stations are in Varkala town and along NH 66.
Medical: Basic clinics are in Varkala town; major hospitals are in Thiruvananthapuram, about 50 km away.

Coverage maps: Jio · Airtel · Vi · BSNL. Report a problem

Accessibility

Seniors: The cliff walkway is fairly flat, but reaching Papanasam Beach from the cliff involves steps and slopes.
Children: Suitable for families, but keep children away from the unfenced cliff edge and watch them closely in the sea.
Wheelchair users: Sivagiri Mutt is described as wheelchair accessible. The cliff, beach and temple steps are difficult for wheelchairs.

Unless a sight is described as accessible, assume it is not step-free.

Culture and responsible travel

Papanasam is a sacred beach where families perform rites for the dead; give them space and do not photograph ceremonies.
Dress modestly when visiting Janardhana Swamy Temple and Sivagiri Mutt, and follow temple dress rules.
Keep swimwear for the beach and cover up in town.
Do not litter the cliffs or beaches; the cliffs are a protected geological monument.
Sivagiri Mutt draws large crowds during the pilgrimage season late in the year, so plan visits around it.

What to pack

Photo ID (Aadhaar, passport or driving licence); hotels and permits ask for it
Sunscreen, a hat, swimwear and sandals
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees, and socks for hot stone floors where shoes come off. Some temples do not allow phones or bags, so carry little
Some cash in small notes for autos, stalls and tips
Your regular medicines, plus basics for stomach upsets, headaches and cuts

Multi-stop trips that include Varkala

Kerala: hills, spice country, backwaters and cliffs, 9 nights

At a glance

State: Kerala
District: Thiruvananthapuram
Altitude: About 15 m
Gateway: Varkala Sivagiri railway station
Best time: Oct-Mar
Ideal trip: 3 days
Difficulty: Easy. Reached by road, and the sights need little walking.

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About this page

Checked against online sources in October 2026. Not field-verified. ATMs, fuel and hospitals from OpenStreetMap, October 2026.

Could not be confirmed online:

Train, bus, taxi and flight fares were listed by booking aggregators in US dollars and converted at about 95 rupees per dollar; they include booking-site markups and are approximate.
Kochi to Varkala budget train fare uses a starting fare of 164 rupees shown by one booking site; the mid-tier AC train fare is an estimate.
Flight fares are the lowest listed base fares plus an approximate taxi share from Thiruvananthapuram airport; real fares vary by date.
Autorickshaw fares and bike rental rates in Varkala were not found online.
Temple and Sivagiri Mutt timings differ slightly between sources; Ponnumthuruthu boat timings were not found.
Distance from Varkala to Nedunganda jetty and to Kappil Beach was not confirmed.
Altitude is based on the cliff height of about 15 m given by Lonely Planet, not an official town elevation.
Daily local transport costs are estimates.
Safety, mobile network, ATM, fuel and medical details are general guidance and were not confirmed by an official source.
District (Thiruvananthapuram) was not stated explicitly on the pages opened.

Cover photo: Wikimedia Commons

Sources: Incredible India - Varkala, Kerala Tourism - Varkala, budget travel destination, Kerala Tourism - Varkala topography, Outlook Traveller - Complete guide to Varkala, Gateway Hotels - Things to do in Varkala, Lonely Planet - Varkala, MakeMyTrip - Hotels in Varkala, 12Go - Bengaluru to Varkala, 12Go - Chennai to Varkala, 12Go - Kochi to Varkala, GoAsia - Kochi to Varkala, GoAsia - Trivandrum to Varkala, Rome2rio - Bengaluru to Varkala, Rome2rio - Chennai to Varkala, Rome2rio - Trivandrum Airport to Varkala, X-Rates - USD to INR, Trawell - Anjengo Fort and Lighthouse, Trawell - Ponnumthuruthu Island