Long renowned by Hindus as a place of pilgrimage, VARKALA, 54km northwest of Thiruvananthapuram, with its beautiful sands and cliffs, is a considerably more appealing beach destination these days than Kovalam. Centred on a clifftop row of budget guesthouses and palm-thatch cafés, the tourist scene is somewhat less full on, although the arrival in recent years of the first charter groups and luxury hotels may well be the harbinger of full-scale development and building inland and at both ends is already proceeding apace. The best time to visit is from October to early March; during the monsoons the beach is virtually unusable.
Known in Malayalam as Papa Nashini ("sin destroyer"), Varkala's beautiful white-sand Papanasam beach is backed by sheer red-laterite cliffs and drenched by rolling waves off the Arabian Sea. It's imposingly scenic and still a relatively peaceful place to soak up the sun, though the "hello pineapple" hawkers can irritate at first. Bear in mind that the town is quite conservative and nudity, or topless bathing for women, are not acceptable. The expanding string of chilled travellers' cafés, hotels and souvenir shops of the clifftop area feels a world apart from the village a short way inland. The beach is reachable via several sets of very steep sandy steps cut into the cliffs from the beach, as well as along a gentler path up starting behind the Marine Palace restaurant, or the metalled road from the village. Beware that the rope cordoning off the precipitous cliff edge is flimsy and actually extends beyond the edge in places where it has crumbled. Two yoga schools on North Clifftop, the Scientific School of Yoga & Massage and the Progressive School, offer Ayurvedic massage, and courses in meditation, massage and yoga; the former also runs the small Prakrithi Stores, selling honey, essential oils, herbs, handmade soaps and books.
Back in the village, the tank at Temple Junction is a hive of activity in the early mornings, when pilgrims come to bathe. Nearby is the Janardhana Swamy temple,
said to be more than 2000 years old; devotees bring the ashes of departed relatives here for "final rest". Unlike many temples in Kerala, non-Hindus are welcome into the temple courtyard but not into the small shrines. At the eastern edge of the village, Sivagiri Hill harbours a traditional ashram that attracts pilgrim devotees of Shri Narayana Guru, a saint who died here in 1922. Born into the low ezhava caste, he fought orthodoxy with a philosophy of social reform ("one caste, one religion, one God for man") which included the consecration of temples with an open-door policy to all castes, and had a profound effect on the "upliftment" of the untouchables. Aimed unashamedly at the tourist market, the Varkala Cultural Centre (Telephone0470/608793), behind the Sunrise restaurant on North Clifftop, holds daily Kathakali and Bharatanatyam dance performances (make-up 5pm; performance 6.30-8pm; Rs150). It's a pleasant enough introduction to the art, especially if you're not going to make it to Kochi.
AccommodationVarkala has a reasonable range of places to stay, from basic rooms with shared bathrooms to luxury resorts. The hotels along Beach Road are a good bet for late arrivals, but the places on the cliff-top have more inspiring views and vibes. Auto-rickshaws from the railway station and village tank go as far as the helipad or round the back to North Cliff, and on the way it's worth stopping to see if the wonderful Government Guest House has vacancies. Accommodation is tight in peak season (late Nov-Jan), when it's worth booking in advance.
EatingSeafood lovers will enjoy Varkala's crop of clifftop café-restaurants, which dish up delicious baked, steamed or coconut-curried freshly caught shark, marlin or butterfish, as well as pasta, pizza and, if you're lucky, some Indian dishes too. Prices are fairly high: expect to pay around Rs50 for a simple veggie curry, Rs50-100 for pizza or pasta and over Rs100 for a fresh fish dish. Service, though, can be very slow here, but the superb location more than compensates, especially in the evenings when the sea twinkles with the lights of distant fishing boats.
Due to Kerala's antiquated licensing laws, which involve huge amounts of tax, a lot of cafés choose to serve beer discreetly; a teapot-full costs Rs75-90. The Taj Garden Retreat's licensed bar is nice but far more expensive.
Caffé Italiano Clifftop. Authentic Italian menu starring several varieties of pizza and pasta, and very good - but pricey - cappuccino.
Chillout Café North Clifftop. Simple thatched café with a limited menu but you can't beat the Rs40 breakfast specials.
Clafouti North Clifftop. Wonderful French bakery offering real croissants, pain aux raisins, baguettes and sweet pies, served at little tables under rustling palm trees. There's a range of moderately priced multi-cuisine options, including seafood dishes, and a set three-course evening menu (Rs150).
Funky Art Café North Clifftop. Trendiest place at the northern end, with a good musical vibe and a selection of Indian and Western fare.
Kerala Coffee House Clifftop. The funkiest place on this stretch of clifftop, pleasingly close to the edge, with great music, a friendly vibe and with a more extensive Indian menu than at many places hereabouts. Expect to pay Rs50-100 for a main course.
Sea Rock Clifftop, next to heliport. A fairly standard range of Indian and Continental cuisine. Plays good Indian music and shows films.
Sea Queen North Clifftop. Good views and plenty of fish, calamari, mussel and prawn dishes amongst the pizza and pasta - only the wine is missing. The adjacent Gnosh is a very similar alternative.
Shri Padmam Varkala village. This grubby-looking café might seem unpromising, but the veg food is cheap and delicious, and the location is very atmospheric, with a large rear terrace affording views of the temple tank.
Sunrise North Clifftop. Great-value Israeli, French, Italian, English and South Indian set breakfasts, good fruit juices and an evening Keralan speciality of fish with coconut and spices, steamed in a banana leaf and served with rice.
Arrival and informationVarkala's railway station, 2.5km east of the village, is served by express and mail trains from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam (hourly; 45min), and most other Keralan towns on the main line. An auto-rickshaw to the beach costs around Rs40. Regular buses also run from Thiruvananthapuram's Thampanoor stand, and from Kollam (1hr 30min). A few go all the way to the beach, but most stop in the village centre, a five-minute auto-rickshaw ride away. If you can't get a direct bus, take any "superfast" or "limited stop" bus along the main NH-47 highway to Kallamballam, from where you can get a local bus to Varkala (15km), or an auto-rickshaw (Rs80-100) or taxi (Rs120-150).
The new Kerala Department of Tourism office (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Telephone0470/260 2227, Websitewww.keralatourism.org) is in the same complex as its Government Guest House, behind the Taj Garden Retreat. You can rent two-wheelers everywhere in Varkala; the going rate for a scooter is Rs200-250, Rs300 for a motorbike and Rs350 for an Enfield. Travel agents may also try to sell you expensive "day-long" elephant rides in a nearby forest, which last an hour. The official government rate is Rs350 per hour per person, plus a taxi to the forest costing Rs50 return.
There are numerous places to change money on the clifftop and also at Nikhil's hotel on Beach Road. The many Internet centres in Varkala charge Rs35-40, with a minimum charge of Rs20.
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