Varkala & Trivandrum- Most Amazing, Serene, Beautiful Beach Destination

 

Varkala is famous for its beautiful beaches and cliff view, also it is called mini Goa. Cafes, cuisines, and souvenir shops at Varkala cliff and of course nightlife. Varkala is a small town and some part situated on a cliff.  Beach view from the cliff is a kind of different experience. Varkala is the only town in Kerala where cliffs are adjacent to the Arabian Sea.

Trivandrum  (45 km from Varkala) is famous for its big temple Sree Padmnabhaswamy Temple which is one of the richest temples in India. There are many beautiful attractions in and around Trivandrum like Napier Museum, scenic Kovalam beach and Poovar island where backwater and mangrove forest can be seen.

So if you want to take a break from your super busy life then these are definitely good places to unwind.

Day 1-  

You can explore the below places in Varkala.

Destinations:  Anjengo fort, lighthouse, Kappil lake & Kappil Beach, Varkala Beach,  Black beach, Varkala cliff, temples.

Activity you can try boating, surfing …

I really enjoyed shopping a lot at Varkala cliff during my trip, but yes here you should negotiate also for the product price, if you feel it is not worth it. You can find a variety of items, crafts, clothing, souvenirs, café, restaurant all there in the market on the cliff. Also, you can enjoy the evening at the cliff while watching the ocean and having snacks or dinner in any café/restaurant. It was altogether a different experience.

And during my trip, the most important thing I enjoyed at my bamboo cottage stay was when the soothing and non-stop sound of ocean waves was audible the whole night, it was like meditating sound when the whole night there was no other sound except it.

So I would strongly recommend others choosing stay on the Varkala cliff from where ocean is visible. And ocean waves and strong winds can be felt

 

Day-2 :

Below places of Trivandrum can be covered.

Destinations: Sree Padmnabhaswamy Temple, Palace Museum (Kuthira Malika), Poovar Island.

And if you have sufficient time, then visit Kovalam beach also there you can try boating, scuba diving, paragliding too.

First of all, visit Sree Padmnabhaswamy temple, then visit Palace Museum (Kuthira Malika) which is adjacent to the temple itself.

Temple dress code: For man: Mandatory Dhoti, For women: Dhoti/Saree.

If any women wear salwar kurta or legging, then also they just have to wrap the saree/dhoti over it to enter the temple. Dhoti can be bought outside shops of the temple for 50-100 Rs.

It will take approx 2 hours to complete darshan (depending on the crowd on that particular day) and then approx 2 hours for visiting the Palace Museum.

Please note that from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, temple will be closed and from 12:45 pm to 2 pm, Palace museum will be closed. so plan accordingly. Still, for the latest update, you can call their contact number to enquire about opening and closing timing.

Next destination you can choose Poovar Island (Approx 28km from Trivandrum railway station).

To reach there, you can hire an auto/Cab or take local bus. 

Poovar Island is a must-go place I would say. It has clean backwater and a nice golden sand beach.

A boat ride in backwater and through the Mangrove forest is an amazing experience. The total boat ride trip time is nearly 1.5 hours. Where you will see Golden Sand beach which is one of the best, pristine and photogenic beaches, also during the boat ride, you will see floating cottage, floating restaurant where you can enjoy tasty food too. You will see Elephant rock and Statue of Mother Mary. And while returning they will take you through Mangrove forest which is the best and most thrilling experience. 

Charges for Boat ride will be somewhere around 1500 for 7 seating capacity. This you can book online or after reaching there directly. You can try negotiation also.

Kerala Boats

Mother Mary's Statue

And also, during my trip, once I entered Kerala, I felt one type of mild smell everywhere in the air wherever trees were there, which was kind of light and sweet smell. I really cannot figure out what was that special smell everywhere. But I guessed it might be because of coconut trees in excess or might be some other reason too.

If any reader has an idea about it, please do let me know in the comment section :)

Best time to visit: October to March

Hope now you would like to watch a small video of my 2 day trip too, Click here or follow the below link.

https://youtu.be/RLfNc-B4gAc  

For any queries, drop in a comment below or reach my instagram handle (instagram @shweta_gpta). I will revert on that.

Thanks for reading it  ☺