Varkala (India)

This resort town on the shores of the Arabian Sea is fairly unusual in the middle of some huge majestic cliffs. Varkala Beach is particularly long and beautiful, and it's very nice for those who want to spend a few days relaxing after a trip across India, which can sometimes be exhausting.

Varkala brings together a large number of middle class Indian tourists who come here to enjoy their vacation. This is a nice relaxing stop during a trip to southern India, even though it's far from being essential if you don't spend a lot of time in the area.

Be sure to drink from the natural mineral water spring that flows directly on the beach! It's a very popular attraction, where Indians sometimes wait in line for hours!

Located on the Oman sea coast, between Kollam Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), Varkala is a coastal resort currently undergoing rapid expansion. Though beautiful beaches are actually rare in this region of Kerala, there is certainly no lack of accommodation! Ayurvedic centers and resorts are springing up all around to meet a growing demand from both local and international tourists. It is actually only by chance that I ended up spending a few days in this coastal town. I was in the middle of a trip through different regions of India at that point and stopped off in Varkala to spend a little time enjoying the beauty of the beaches I'd been told so much about.

Though I wasn't greatly impressed with the bathing, which can often be dangerous due to the waves and currents, I have to admit that I did have some great experiences with the people there. I'd adopted the habit, at the end of the afternoon, of going to watch and admire the work of the fishermen who come to bring in their nets on the beaches in the northern part of Varkala. Practicing a traditional form of dragnet fishing, dozens of men coordinate their efforts and, using all their strength, bring the immense nets back in to shore. Unfortunately, the catch was often poor, with the nets containing more plastic debris than fish. However, the scene this all presented at the foot of the cliffs was still fascinating! Another interesting site for tourists I can recommend is the Vishnu Temple (also know as the Janardanaswamy Temple), which is an ideal place for a spot of meditation facing the beach.