Kerala is blessed with a stunning coastline that spreads 550 km in length along the Arabian sea. I went to Kerala on March of this year and obviously, I could not visit all the beaches. However, I managed to visit few of the popular beaches in Varkala, Kovalam, Alleppey and Kochi. In this blog, I will mention some of the beaches I felt were the most scenic and worth visiting for landscape photography.
Varkala
Varkala is a seaside town frequented by tourists from abroad and India. 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.



Fishing village
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.



How to reach
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.
Anchuthengu
Anchuthengu is a small town near to Varkala. To get there, you have to take a train from Varkala station and get down at the next stop which is Kadakavur. From there you can take a tuk-tuk and reach the lighthouse. There is a lighthouse in Anchuthengu, from where you can take panoramic photos of the surrounding backwaters and sea from the lighthouse.


Kovalam
Kovalam is a beach town, located very near to Thiruvanthapuram, around 18 kms from the city center. It has mainly three beaches – the Lighthouse Beach, Hawa Beach and Samudra Beach. Only the first two beaches are frequented by tourists, whereas the last beach does not have much tourists. There are numerous hotels, restaurants and shopping centers near the beach. The waters are clear blue, which makes it great for photography.




Fishing village
There is a fishing community in these beaches and you can lots of fisherman with their boats and nets trying to catch fish in the sea.


How to reach
Kovalam is 18 km from Thiruvananthapuram and can be reached by bus. Public buses depart from East fort every 10 minutes and takes 45 minutes to reach Kovalam. The bus stand is very near to the beach and can be reached by foot. Similarly, if you want to get back to Thiruvananthapuram, all you have to do is get back to the same bus stand and board the bus.
Marari beach
Marari beach is famous for its white sands. The name ‘Marari’ originates from ‘Mararikulum’, a local fishing village. There are various staying options near the beach like resorts, villas and home stays or you could stay in Alleppey, like I did and visit it during the day. It is frequented by lots of tourists from abroad, but at the same time it is quite and peaceful. There are few beach shacks available offering local cuisine, which you can try.


How to reach
It is 15 kms from Alleppey and can be reached by bus or train. I would recommend bus as the bus stop is quite near to the beach, also the train station is far away and trains are frequently delayed. To check bus schedules, one of the best websites I use is https://www.aanavandi.com/.
Ambedkar beach
Vypin island in Kochi has a long coastline with a number of beaches. Cherai beach is the most famous of them all, it is good for swimming and other water activities, however I did not like it very much as it is not very good for photography. I visited an unknown beach named Ambedkar beach and I was the only tourist there. It is calm and peaceful, good for photography purposes, however swimming is not allowed nor there are any kind of activities. It depends on your taste, you may or may not enjoy it. If you want to go there, you have to use google maps to reach. Public buses ply on the main road in Vypin, and you have to get down on the stop that you feel is nearest to the beach, then turn left and keep walking by using GPS, or you can simply get a tuk -tuk and reach there.


Caution
It is very easy to walk along the sea and get lost while taking pictures but be careful, stray dogs in Kerala are vicious. They will attack and bite you if you are not cautious. There have been many incidents of dog attacks on tourists. Also, a lot of fisherman feed these dogs and they in turn protect them by barking at strangers who come near to the fishing boat. So, if you happen to come across a pack of dogs barking at you, just turn around and leave the place immediately or you will get bitten.
When to visit
Kerala is very hot and humid, generally November to February is the main tourist season. However it can be visited whole year round.
If youโre interested in using my photography or article please contact me as I am available for freelance work.
If you are interested in knowing more about Kerala, visit my other blogs on Kumbalangi, Alleppey backwaters sightseeing, Alleppey landscape photography, Kovalam, Kochi and Varkala.
Great post! I did not know there are wild dogs around these beaches. Beautiful pictures and great tips!
They mostly lurk where people are less.
Oh, my mum used to live here! She always told me how beautiful the place was but I’ve never actually seen pictures before reading this post – Kerala is gorgeous! I’d love to visit Varkala some day – I’m super obsessed with yoga. And Marari beach sounds like such a serene place to sample local cuisine.
Lots of people come to Varkala for yoga
Oh wow, you got some beautiful pictures of the beaches here. I would love to visit, it looks so beautiful here. Thanks for the advice, I think I would really keep an eye out for the dogs.
Dogs are vicious out there
Hey, I am planning to go to Kovalam and Alleppey next month. It was really nice to go through your blog.
Thanks
Good to know
Kerala adds beauty to India ๐ Such a lovely place to visit! would definitely visit soon maybe this year or coming year.
These beaches truly look amazing, it seems like I could touch that golden beach with my toes
I would love to sit on a beach this summer. These sea beaches are truly stunning.
This is so interesting! I so want to go to Varkala just because of what the stories say about it.
Thanks for sharing the beauty of the Arabian beaches. I have never been that part of the world. I’m sure it is beautiful!
Beautiful photos! Love reading about the fishing villages!
Nice snaps first of all. I have been to Kovalam and Varkala and found them to be very peaceful in spite of the crowds. It does have an authentic feel to these unlike Goa!
Iโve never been to any of these beaches but they all sound and look fantastic. I especially like the sound of Varkala Beach – I find the concept of washing your sins away very interesting! Thank you for sharing ๐
What beautiful beaches Kerala have. I knew about Goa beaches but seeing your HD images of those enchanting places have really presented to me a new picture of Indian beauty
Thank you
I’ve never heard about this place before but good to know that there is a beautiful beach side. Lovely pictures”
Thanks
Those are some pretty great beaches there. I always love it when there are cliffs jutting out into the ocean. The fishing village looks pretty cool too.
Thanks