Varkala is a popular tourist destination, famous for its sea beach and it is visited by a lot of foreign tourists. Varkala Beach is also known as Papanasham Beach. The word “Papanasham” means to wash away sins and the local people believe that dipping into the waters of this beach will wash away their sins. The main attraction of Varkala is that the beach is surrounded by cliffs and one needs to climb down a series of stairs in order to reach the sea. There are numerous hotels, restaurants, shops etc on the edge of the cliff from which one can see and get amazing photographs of the sea. The beach is considered very good for swimming and sun-bathing. Varkala is also a hub for ayurveda and yoga, as I found numerous people coming here from abroad for treatment.
There is a fishing village near to Varkala and I suggest checking it out if you want to experience the local culture. If you walk towards the Odayam beach which is on the right side of the Varkala cliff for 2 kms, you come across a fishing community. Head out early in the morning if you want to pictures of the local fisherman catching fish in the sea. Varkala is around 45 kms from Thiruvanthapuram and 30 kms from Kollam and can be easily reached by train. From the train station, it costs 100 rupees to reach the Varkala helipad at the cliff by tuk-tuk. A private car costs 1200 rupees from Thiruvanthapuram. Some of the pictures that I have taken during my photo tour are given below
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If you are interested in knowing more about Kerala, visit my other blogs on Alleppey backwaters sightseeing, Alleppey landscape photography, Kovalam, Kochi and Kerala sea beaches.
