Varkala & Kovalam

Cliff beaches and Ayurvedic retreats around Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram: Varkala's red cliffs, Kovalam's Lighthouse Beach and the Poovar backwaters.

This destination is centered on Kerala's capital, Thiruvananthapuram, and includes Kovalam Beach about 16 km to the south and Varkala's cliff beach about 50 km to the north. Together they form the southernmost beach and Ayurvedic wellness region of India. The climate is hot and humid: November–March is beach season, with clear skies and calm seas; April–May is sultry; June–September brings heavy rain and big waves from the southwest monsoon, when many beach shacks close and swimming is prohibited, though it is also the traditional season for Ayurvedic treatments. Activities fall into three areas: ① half a day to a day in Thiruvananthapuram, seeing the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and Kuthira Malika Palace, the Napier Museum and the zoo, then Shanghumukham Beach in the evening; ② 2–3 nights in Kovalam, with Lighthouse Beach, Ayurvedic massage, a boat trip at the Poovar estuary and Vellayani Lake, and a day trip by private car to Kanyakumari and Padmanabhapuram Palace; ③ 2–3 nights in Varkala, with sunset walks along the clifftop path, yoga and surfing, and nearby Kappil Beach, Golden Island backwaters, Anjengo Fort and the Jatayu Earth's Center. Getting there: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has flights to the Middle East and within India, about 15 km from Kovalam; Varkala can be reached by train (about 1 hour) or private car. We suggest 5–7 days. Notes: the inner sanctums of most Hindu temples are open only to Hindus and have dress codes; rip currents are strong at the beaches, so swim only in the areas marked by lifeguard flags; drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited in Kerala, and beach restaurants usually serve it from a "secret menu."

Top sights

• Kovalam Beach – A three-bay beach on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, with a red-and-white lighthouse and palm trees. It was Kerala's first developed b…
• Varkala – A beach town on red cliffs, with a row of restaurants and yoga studios overlooking the Arabian Sea from the clifftop. Below, Papanasam Beac…
• Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple – The temple that gave Thiruvananthapuram its name. It is a Dravidian-style temple dedicated to Vishnu reclining on the serpent Ananta, and i…
• Padmanabhapuram Palace – The old capital palace of the Travancore kingdom. It is one of Asia's largest wooden palace complexes, with carved ceilings and gleaming bl…
• Kanyakumari & Vivekananda Rock Memorial – The southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent, where three seas meet. Watch the sunrise here, then take a ferry out to the Vivekananda Ro…
• Napier Museum & Sree Chitra Art Gallery – A red-and-white brick building from 1880 in the Indo-Saracenic style, displaying bronze statues and ivory carvings, with a neighbouring gal…
• Thiruvananthapuram Zoo – One of India's oldest zoos, opened in 1857, surrounded by forest and lakes, where you can see lions, tigers and rare local species
• Kuthiramalika Palace – A 19th-century royal palace beside a temple, with 122 wooden horses carved under its eaves, now a museum of Travancore royal artefacts
• Shanghumugham Beach – A city beach beside the airport, famous for the 35 m long mermaid sculpture ‘Jalakanyaka,’ with sunsets and aircraft taking off and landing
• Veli Tourist Village – A leisure park where the Veli Lagoon meets the sea, with floating bridges, boating, a sculpture garden and a children's train, a weekend fa…
• Attukal Bhagavathy Temple – Known as ‘the Sabarimala for women,’ where millions of women cook rice porridge in the streets each year during the Pongala festival, a fea…
• Kanakakkunnu Palace – A former royal palace on a hill opposite the museum complex, with lawns and tree-lined paths where locals walk, often hosting cultural fest…
• Beemapally Mosque – A large pink-and-white mosque by the sea, dedicated to the saint Beevi Beema, where people of all faiths gather during the Urs festival
• Vellayani Lake – The largest freshwater lake in Thiruvananthapuram district, with lakeside roads, rice paddies and lotuses, a popular spot recently for suns…
• Poovar Island – A golden sandbar where the Neyyar River, backwaters and the Arabian Sea meet, reached by boat through mangroves to the river-mouth beach, t…
• Ponmudi – A hill retreat at about 1,100 m, where 22 hairpin bends wind past tea plantations and rainforest to a summit of clouds and panoramic views…
• Neyyar Dam & Wildlife Sanctuary – A reservoir and forest sanctuary at the foot of the Western Ghats, with boating on the lake, a crocodile breeding centre and watchtowers, a…
• Kottoor Elephant Rehabilitation Centre – A rehabilitation centre by a forest river caring for injured, orphaned and retired elephants, where you can watch elephants bathing and bei…
• Varkala North Cliff Walk – A sea-view walkway along a cliff top of 30 m red sandstone, with cafés and shops on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other. Most popular…
• Kappil Beach – A quiet beach separated from the Arabian Sea only by a road, beside a backwater lagoon where you can go boating, far calmer than Varkala
• Janardanaswamy Temple – An ancient Vishnu temple in Varkala, roughly 2,000 years old. Devotees bathe at the cliff-side Papanasam Beach to wash away their sins, the…
• Sivagiri Mutt – The ashram and mausoleum of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, a major spiritual center in Kerala where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims…
• Ponnumthuruthu (Golden Island) – A small island in the Ashtamudi backwaters, reached by a hand-rowed boat through a channel lined with coconut palms. The island is home to…
• Anchuthengu (Anjengo) Fort – The first fort the British East India Company built in Kerala, in 1695. Its walls, a British cemetery, and a red-and-white lighthouse still…
• Jatayu Earth's Center – A 60-meter-long statue of the mythical bird Jatayu on a rocky hilltop, said to be the largest bird sculpture in the world. A cable car take…

Where to eat

• Abba Restaurant and Everest German Bakery – An established open-air garden restaurant on Varkala's North Cliff, famous for its brick-oven bread, seafood, and cliff…
• Bait – An open-air beachfront restaurant at Taj Green Cove Resort & Spa, Kovalam, renowned for its fresh daily catch and coast…
• Trattorias Restaurant – A multi-level ocean-view restaurant on the clifftop at the northern end of Black Beach, specializing in wood-fired pizz…
• Juicy Cafe – A budget-friendly local eatery tucked behind the clifftop, popular for its dosa breakfasts and parotta with beef curry.
• Malabar Cafe – A cozy seafood joint along Lighthouse Beach where you can select your own fresh fish of the day, famous for its fish gr…

Itineraries

• Classic Kerala – Fly into Kochi and out of Trivandrum, taking in tea plantations, a tiger reserve, backwater houseboats, and red cliff b…