Varkala Tourist Places: Cliff, Beaches and 10 Places to Visit

Short answer: Varkala’s tourist places start at the cliff. The North Cliff footpath 30 m above the sea and Papanasam beach below it are the heart of the town, with the 2,000-year-old Janardanaswamy temple and Sivagiri Mutt a short auto ride inland. North along the coast are Black (Odayam) beach, Edava and Kappil; south are Anjengo fort and the Ponnumthuruthu island temple. Two nights cover the twelve places below; December to March is the season.

Why is Varkala different from other Kerala beaches?

Varkala is the only place on the Kerala coast where red laterite cliffs rise straight out of the sea. Geologists call the formation the Varkala Formation, and the layered cliffs are a declared national geological monument. For travellers that means something unusual in India: a long clifftop footpath lined with cafes, guesthouses, yoga schools and shops, with the beach 30 m below, reached by steps. The evening walk along the cliff as the sun drops into the Arabian Sea is the reason people stay three nights instead of one.

The town also has a religious life that predates tourism by two millennia. Papanasam (“destroyer of sins”) beach below the cliff is where Hindu families perform rites for the dead and bathe in the spring-fed water, and the Janardanaswamy temple above it is one of the oldest Vishnu shrines in Kerala. Sivagiri Mutt, the hilltop ashram where the reformer Sree Narayana Guru is buried, draws pilgrims in yellow from across the state every New Year. So Varkala is a beach town and a temple town at once, and the two coexist a few hundred metres apart.

From north India, the simplest way in is to fly to Thiruvananthapuram (50 km, about 1 hr 15 min by taxi) or take the Kerala Express, which stops at Varkala Sivagiri station, about 5 km inland from the cliff; autos from the station to the cliff cost roughly ₹80 (Wikivoyage, checked 30 Oct 2026). Local passenger trains and KSRTC buses connect Varkala with Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam through the day.

Varkala tourist places at a glance

Distances are approximate road or walking distances from the North Cliff. Temple hours, the Anjengo fort timings and the Sivagiri pilgrimage dates are from Outlook Traveller and Wikivoyage listings checked on 30 October 2026; temple festival schedules change yearly, so ask locally.

What should you do on the cliff and the beaches?

North Cliff is a kilometre-long paved path with the sea on one side and a continuous row of cafes, seafood restaurants, Tibetan and Kashmiri shops, Ayurvedic massage centres and yoga schools on the other. It is busiest from 17:00, when everybody gathers for sunset, and stays lively until about 23:00; seafood is displayed on ice and priced by weight, so ask before ordering. The helipad at the northern end is the main sunset platform. The South Cliff, across the Papanasam beach access road, is quieter, with a few resorts and homestays and better for a peaceful stay.

Papanasam beach below is wide and golden, with a fresh-water spring near the southern end believed to wash away sins, which is why you will see families with priests performing bali rites for departed relatives in the mornings, especially on new-moon days. Swim in the lifeguarded zone only; the surf is strong and the drop-off steep, and from May to September the sea is not safe. Black beach at Odayam, 1.5 km north along the promenade, has darker sand and a handful of guesthouses, and Edava and Kappil further on are nearly empty on weekdays. At Kappil the backwater lake runs parallel to the sea behind a palm-lined bar of sand, and you can hire a small boat on the lake side.

Which temples and religious sites should you visit?

Janardanaswamy temple, a kilometre from the cliff on the hill above Papanasam, is dated by tradition to around 2,000 years ago, with the present structure rebuilt in the 13th century. It is a Vishnu temple with a large banyan tree and a bell donated by a Dutch captain in the 17th century, and the Arattu festival in March–April ends with a procession to the beach. Only Hindus may enter the inner courtyard; men wear a mundu or trousers (no shorts) and women a saree, salwar or long skirt. Timings are roughly 05:00–12:00 and 17:00–20:00 (Outlook Traveller listing, checked 30 Oct 2026).

Sivagiri Mutt, 3 km inland on a low hill, is the headquarters of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham, founded by Sree Narayana Guru (1856–1928), the reformer whose message “one caste, one religion, one God for mankind” shaped modern Kerala. His samadhi is in a white, octagonal shrine, and the Sarada Mutt and a small museum are on the same campus. It is open to all and calm on ordinary days; from 30 December to 1 January the Sivagiri pilgrimage brings tens of thousands of yellow-clad devotees (Wikivoyage, checked 30 Oct 2026), so book your Varkala stay well ahead if your dates fall then, or avoid the Mutt on those days.

Ponnumthuruthu, the “Golden Island”, is a small island in the Anjengo backwater with a 100-year-old Shiva–Parvati temple, reached by country boat from the Nedunganda jetty; agree the fare for the round trip and waiting time before you set off. Sarkara Devi temple at Chirayinkeezhu, 15 km south, is a Bhagavathy temple with a large Kaliyoot festival in February–March.

What is there to see south of Varkala, towards Anjengo?

Anjengo (Anchuthengu) fort is the oldest British outpost on the Kerala coast: the East India Company obtained the land from the Queen of Attingal in 1684 and built the square laterite fort in 1695 to control the pepper trade (Outlook Traveller, checked 30 Oct 2026). The walls, bastions and a cemetery with graves from the 1700s survive, with a lighthouse next door. It is 12 km south of Varkala along a coast of fishing hamlets, open roughly 09:00–17:00 and free. Combine it with Ponnumthuruthu and the backwater, and with Kadinamkulam lake if you like birds. Further south, 40 km on, you reach Thiruvananthapuram city and Kovalam; our Trivandrum tourist places guide covers that end.

North of Varkala, Kollam (40 km) is the starting point for the eight-hour public backwater boat to Alleppey and the Munroe island canoe trips, described in our Kerala backwaters guide. Jatayu Earth’s Centre at Chadayamangalam, 45 km inland, has the giant Jatayu sculpture and a cable car, a half-day trip on the way to or from the hills.

When is the best time to visit Varkala, and how long should you stay?

The season runs from 1 December to 31 March, with the heaviest rush in December and the first week of January (Wikivoyage); the sea is calm, the cafes are all open and the evenings are 24–28°C. October and November are also good, with a few showers and much lower prices, and this is when we prefer it. April and May are hot and humid, and many cliff cafes close. The monsoon from June to September is quiet and cheap, with dramatic seas you should not swim in; several cliff guesthouses shut, and the cliff edge itself is prone to erosion and small collapses after heavy rain, so keep off the fenced sections.

Two nights is the minimum to enjoy the cliff and see the temples; three nights adds Kappil, Anjengo and the island. Varkala works as the beach finale of a Kerala trip after Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey, or as a weekend from Thiruvananthapuram. Our 7-day Kerala itinerary and Kerala honeymoon trip plan use Kovalam as the beach stop, but Varkala swaps in easily if you prefer a cliff to a cove. For the month-by-month weather, see best time to visit Kerala; for Kerala in December, the peak-month guide.

Where should you stay and eat in Varkala?

Stay on the North Cliff if you want cafes and nightlife at your door, on the South Cliff or at Odayam for quiet with a short walk to the action, or near Kappil or Edava for a resort-style beach stay. The Gateway Varkala (now a Taj Seleqtions hotel) on the South Cliff and the Clafouti and Palm Tree Heritage on the North Cliff are well-known names across the price range; we list them as examples of the areas, not as partners or with prices. Hotels raise rates sharply from 20 December to 5 January.

Eat seafood on the cliff (grilled kingfish, prawns, squid, priced by weight), Kerala meals on banana leaf at the small restaurants near the temple junction and Varkala town, and breakfast of appam and stew or puttu and kadala at any local tea shop. Tap water is not drinkable; carry a bottle. For costs across the whole trip, see our Kerala trip cost guide; for the full list of destinations, Kerala tourist places; and for Ayurveda, which Varkala sells heavily, our Ayurveda retreat guide explains what a genuine course involves.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main tourist places in Varkala?

The North Cliff and Papanasam beach, Janardanaswamy temple, Sivagiri Mutt, Black beach at Odayam, Edava and Kappil beaches with the Kappil backwater, the Varkala tunnel and lighthouse, Anjengo fort 12 km south, Ponnumthuruthu island temple and the small Varkala aquarium. Kollam and Jatayu Earth’s Centre are half-day trips.

How do I reach Varkala from Delhi?

Fly to Thiruvananthapuram, about 3 hours 30 minutes, then take a taxi 50 km north (about 1 hr 15 min). By train, the Kerala Express from New Delhi stops at Varkala Sivagiri station, about 5 km from the cliff, after roughly 48 hours. Frequent local trains and KSRTC buses also link Varkala with Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.

Is Varkala better than Kovalam?

Varkala has the cliff, the cafe promenade, the temples and a more relaxed, backpacker-and-couples feel; Kovalam has sheltered crescent beaches, more resorts and is closer to the airport. Families with small children often prefer Kovalam’s calmer Hawah and Samudra beaches; couples and longer-stay travellers usually choose Varkala.

Can non-Hindus enter Janardanaswamy temple?

Non-Hindus may walk around the outer precinct and see the banyan tree and the Dutch bell, but the inner courtyard and sanctum are for Hindus only. Dress modestly: a mundu or trousers for men, saree, salwar or long skirt for women, and no shorts or sleeveless tops. Remove footwear before the gate and avoid photography inside.

Is it safe to swim at Varkala beach?

Swim only in the lifeguarded zone of Papanasam beach and only in the December–March season. The beach shelves steeply and rip currents are common; from May to September the monsoon sea is dangerous and lifeguards fly red flags. Children should stay in the shallows. Kappil and Odayam have no lifeguards, so treat them as walking beaches.

How many days are enough for Varkala?

Two nights cover the cliff, the beach and the temples. Three nights let you add Kappil and Edava, Anjengo fort and Ponnumthuruthu island, or a yoga or Ayurveda session. Longer stays of a week or more are common among travellers who treat Varkala as a base for the south Kerala coast.