We spent our next three nights in Varkala which is a cliff-side beach town that is still in the state of Kerala. This was my second favourite beach town in India.

The main parts of this town are strewn across a narrow strip next to a big cliff. There are stairways that take you down the cliff to access the clean, but crowded beach. As in Vagator, there are a ton of cool restaurants and bars with seating facing the ocean. Although the town is full of western tourists, the main beach, Papanasham, is considered a holy site for Hindus who come to make offerings. It’s also a big fishing town, so in the evenings you see a bunch of little boats setting off to catch fish before sundown. By 7:00 pm the restaurants along the cliff are replete with fresh fish displayed on ice for the consumption of tourists.

I did very little in the town aside from hanging out at the Darjeeling Cafe by the cliff, and a bit of swiming on the beach. Beware, the waves here are tall and the currents strong–only good swimmers should venture into the water. It is considered one of the most dangerous beaches in India (though I saw far worse, more about that later).

The photos are all self-explanatory: