Varkala: Kerala's Cliff-Top Beach Town

Varkala's defining feature is its cliff — a red laterite bluff that runs along the beach with cafes, shops and guesthouses strung along the top and steps down to the sand. It has a longer-established travellers' scene than Kovalam, with more of a surf-and-yoga character, and Experience My India's own route treats it as the natural coastal finish of a Kerala trip.

Experience My India groups Varkala with Kovalam under a combined two-to-four-night coastal stay, so plan Varkala as most of that if it is your only coast stop, or split the nights between the two. October to March gives calmer seas and comfortable beach weather; the June-to-September monsoon brings rough surf and stronger currents, which matters if you plan to swim.

Varkala is in the south of the state, within reach of Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), Kerala's other main international airport — useful if you are travelling south-to-north and want to finish in the hills, or flying directly into the coast. The cliff-top strip itself is walkable; getting between the cliff and the wider town is by auto-rickshaw or on foot.

Cliff-top guesthouses and small hotels are the classic Varkala stay, most with a sea-facing cafe or restaurant attached. Quieter beach resorts sit a short distance along the coast for travellers who want the beach without the cliff-top's cafe crowds.