r/varkala

Made for a very memorable birthday week :)

After watching solo travel YouTubers for so long, I finally found the courage to plan and complete my first solo trip to Varkala! ❤️ I had so many doubts, but I did it on my own, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. 3 days, so many memories, and a big achievement for me! 🌿🏍️

In Ponmudi, I found a hidden spot with steps leading up to a viewpoint. Since it was a long weekend, almost every place was crowded. But this spot was completely empty! 🥹 The sound of birds, the water flowing below, the trees all around, and the moss-covered steps made the place so peaceful. Going there was totally worth it! ❤️

Meenmutty Falls was also a nice experience. About 1 km before the main falls, there’s a spot where families can enjoy the water, have food, and spend some time together. I feel it would be really nice to visit that place with family. You can trek to the main falls and enjoy the view, but getting into the falls for a bath is not allowed.

I also overthought a lot about going kayaking in the mangroves. I kept thinking, “How am I going to do this alone? Will I be able to manage?” 😅 But after doing it, I was so happy that I didn’t miss the experience. Definitely don’t miss it! Just make sure you have enough energy and eat well before going.

Since it was a long weekend, there was quite a lot of crowd. Still, I got to explore the places I wanted and create some really good memories.

First of all, I want to thank myself for making this decision and actually doing it instead of just overthinking. ❤️

My first solo trip, successfully completed! 😊🏍️🌿

Had an awesome 3 day experience at Varkala, clean place good roads lovely people !!

🌴 VARKALA TRIP GUIDE — OUR EXPERIENCE & RECOMMENDATIONS 🌊

Planning a trip to Varkala? Save this! 📌

Sharing the places we visited, experiences we tried, what we loved, and what we would avoid.

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🌅 SUNSET SPOTS

1️⃣ Black Sand Beach

✨ Clean beach with a really good vibe.

A great place to relax and enjoy the sunset.

2️⃣ Kappil Beach

🌊 One side is the Arabian Sea and the other side is the Kappil backwater/lake, separated by a road.

The view is beautiful, especially around sunset.

3️⃣ North Cliff — ⭐ MUST TRY

☕ Find a good café with 1st-floor seating, grab a seat and watch the sunset from there.

⚠️ Don't leave immediately after sunset!

Stay there for at least another 30 minutes.

Trust me — the colours and views after the sun goes down make the experience even better. 🌅❤️

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🏄 WATER SPORTS & EXPERIENCES

🏄‍♂️ Surfing — DON'T SKIP THIS!

📍 Black Sand Beach

🌅 Try it around sunrise.

We went with Moana Surf Club and had an amazing experience.

👉 Ask for Jordan as your trainer.

He was really good at explaining everything during both the land session and water session.

They offer:

• 1–3 day courses

• 7–11 day courses

• Single-day sessions

We chose just the one-day session, and honestly, it was an awesome experience.

🔥 Personal recommendation: Don't skip surfing in Varkala!

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🛶 Kayaking — Mangroves Westland

This was one of our favourite experiences.

🌿 This is a backwater + mangrove kayaking experience, not sea kayaking.

We covered almost 6 km, going through the beautiful mangrove waterways and backwaters.

The staff were very friendly and helpful.

💡 Don't get intimidated by the 6 km distance.

It wasn't as difficult as we expected.

⏰ Best time:

🌅 Sunrise

🌇 Sunset

❌ Avoid noon if possible — the heat and direct sun can make kayaking much harder.

🔥 Personal suggestion: Don't skip this!

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🌅 SUNSET RIDE — MUNROE ISLAND

We booked a 2.5-hour sunset country boat ride with:

📍 Scenic Mundro Island Tours

Munroe Island is part of Kerala's famous backwater system, located around the confluence of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada River.

The boat ride takes you through backwaters, narrow canals, mangroves and the surrounding waterways, with the sunset experience along the way. 🌴🛶🌅

A completely different experience from Varkala's beaches and definitely worth considering if you have enough time.

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🏨 STAY

📍 Kulture KonnectT — Kurakkanni

Our experience:

✅ Clean

✅ Good vibe

✅ Budget-friendly

We stayed in a dorm, and overall it worked well for us.

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🛵 SCOOTY RENTAL — ⚠️ BE CAREFUL

❌ DO NOT TAKE A SCOOTY FROM LESAAZ BIKE RENTAL VARKALA

We had a very bad experience.

🔗 https://maps.app.goo.gl/pYZJwHU58pBdtXrM6?g\_st=ac

We took 3 scooters, and unfortunately all three were in similar condition:

❌ Brakes were not working properly

❌ Signal lights were not working

❌ Very little fuel

❌ One scooter actually stopped while we were going to our stay

When we asked for replacement scooters, we were told that there were no other scooters available.

We also had a very unpleasant experience with the management regarding the security deposit, with what felt like repeated attempts to find reasons to deduct from it.

⚠️ Our advice: thoroughly check the scooter, brakes, indicators, fuel level and everything else BEFORE accepting it.

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🍛 FOOD

🥗 Darjeeling Cafe

👍 Good option for vegetarian food.

❌ We didn't like the non-veg — there was an unpleasant smell.

🍴 Juicy Cafe

👍 Good food.

Worth trying.

🍚 VLH — Varkala's Lunch Home

⏰ Lunch only — closes around 3 PM

🔥 MUST TRY

They serve Kerala-style veg meals with add-ons like:

🐟 Fish

🦑 Squid

Definitely worth trying if you enjoy Kerala food.

🍽️ Chimney Restaurant

💰 Expensive

❌ We didn't feel it was worth the price.

⚠️ Check the menu carefully — some items don't have prices listed.

🧑‍🍳 Tickety Boo

❤️ A place proudly run by a fully Deaf team.

👍 Good food

👍 Great concept

Definitely worth visiting and supporting.

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🍛 THE FOOD WE KEPT GOING BACK TO

One combination we had multiple times during the trip:

🥞 Parotta + Channa Curry / Egg Curry / Chicken Curry

And honestly…

🔥 Kerala parotta was DAMN GOOD! 🔥

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🌴 ONE LAST THING — PLEASE RESPECT KERALA

One of the things that really stood out to us was how clean and disciplined Kerala felt throughout our trip.

If you're visiting Varkala:

♻️ Keep the surroundings clean

🚯 Don't litter

🙏 Respect the local culture

📜 Follow the local rules

🌊 Don't damage or pollute the places you visit

We are visitors. Let's enjoy these beautiful places without becoming the reason they get spoiled.

❤️ Travel. Explore. Respect. Leave it better than you found it.

Happy travelling! 🌴🌊