One of my favorite ways to unwind after a hard week at work is to take a short beach break. So, for Easter this year, we planned a trip to Varkala, also known as the Goa of Kerala. The plan was to go on a four-day budget trip that included the journey from Bangalore to Varkala. Now, train journeys with a couple of friends are always a fun experience. So, without any second thoughts, we booked four sleeper class tickets on the Bangalore SBC express. Each ticket cost us Rs. 545, which is much cheaper compared to a road trip to flight fares. Since the train runs every day of the week, making reservations was not a challenge.
We boarded the train at Bangalore city junction at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. The train ride went pretty well, and we arrived at Varkala station at 12 p.m. the next day. We chose to stay at the well-known Lost Hostels, which are known for providing outstanding amenities at fair prices. If you only need single beds, you can book a dorm room at Lost Hostels. Private rooms with twin beds and an attached toilet are available for couples. We booked two standard double rooms for 2 days. Each room had an attached kitchen and a small balcony. The room cost was Rs. 700 a day. Rooms with balconies are normally more expensive during the peak winter season, but because it was the hot month of April, we got lucky.
We wanted to have a relaxed lunch at one of the beach cafes after a quick change in the hostel room. We took an auto to the Jairam Café because it was too hot to walk up to the beach. It’s a multi-cuisine restaurant featuring a wide variety of delectable seafood dishes. Two pizzas, a special prawn bowl, and some fresh fruit juices were ordered. For the four of us, the net expense was Rs. 1000. We went for a walk in the popular Varkala Beach Bazaars as the afternoon sun began to fade. The market is located on a cliff with a view of the sea. The shops are brimming with a wide range of goods. At this place, you will find some pretty cool beachwear. We bought four identical t-shirts after walking around the shops for a nice memory of the town.
We began walking back to the hostel after purchasing some Maggi packets. Throughout the stroll, it rained. It was refreshing to step through the light showers after a hot day. We arrived at the hostel at about 8:30 p.m. to see a huge group gathering in the common room. They were all tourists lodging at Lost Hostel. We could hear music and chatter that felt like they were having a good time. After eating the Maggi we had just purchased, we wanted to join the crowd. We dashed to our rooms and prepared the Maggi in the kitchen. However, one of my friends suggested that we share the food with the rest of the party in the common hall. As a result, we joined them with noodles and some drinks. The best thing was that all of them had already taken food items to the get-together. The next few hours were spent dancing, dining, exchanging travel memories, and much more. Our first day was indeed a success. We also had another couple join us on our adventure the next day.
We woke up early the next day and, after a nice shower, got ready to visit the couple we met the night before. We all went to the Black beach. In the morning, the weather was much better, with a cool sea breeze rushing in. We took a walk along the cliff road, which was lined with palm trees on the left and small shops on the right. The black beach took us about 15 minutes to enter. When we arrived, we discovered that the beach only had a small patch of black sand, which gave rise to the name. Even though the beach was not exactly what we expected, the water was clean and the place was not so crowded, so we ended up spending an hour sitting on the sand.
Since we were at the Varkala cliff, we decided to have our breakfast in one of the cafes there. The majority of cafes in this area are very pricey. We found the Oottupura vegetarian restaurant after some searching and enjoyed some freshly cooked south Indian dishes. We had a filling breakfast for Rs. 600 for the six of us. It is the most affordable choice at the Varkala cliff.
Next, we planned to drive to the Kappil beach on rented two-wheelers which cost just Rs. 350 each for a day. We enjoyed a fun trip through Varkala’s narrow streets after renting three such bikes. The city is tiny but lovely, with plenty of greenery. The buildings are usually one- or two-storeyed, providing a stark contrast to the concrete jungle in which we all live. This small beach town is also kept in excellent condition. We drove for about 8 kilometers and arrived at Kappil beach, a popular tourist destination. It’s an interesting spot to explore because it’s where a narrow sliver of land separates the gorgeous blue Arabian Sea from Kerala’s backwaters. Many people were participating in a variety of water activities at the Kappil beach. We planned to spend some time on the beach at Kappil before returning to the Varkala Helipad for a late lunch. We spent our time taking photos, trying fresh local fruits from beach stalls, and exploring the beach. The weather was just beautiful, making the afternoon ideal for us.
We left the Kappil beach at about 3 p.m. and drove back to the Varkala cliff. We went to a comfortable café and had a lovely meal. It was at a fair price this time too. The Varkala beach, the city’s main attraction, was our next stop. Since the beach is located below the cliff, we had to descend quite a distance to get to it. The tall trees on either side of the road offer plenty of shade. Many resorts have similar private access to the Varkala beach. The seas around Varkala are said to be ideal for beginner surfers. On their surfboards, a large number of visitors and locals paddled across the waves. It’s a pretty good source of entertainment, to be honest.
Our party took a quiet spot on the beach and waited for the sun to set. We’d learned great things about the sunset scenery at this beach and were excited to see it for ourselves. We actually had one of the most relaxing views of the trip at 6 p.m. The orange from the setting sun was now reflected in the blue waters. The sound of small birds soaring in the distance, the breeze blowing through the palm leaves, and the waves enlivened our day. We all sat quietly on the beach and cherished the moment. At 6:45 pm, we climbed up from the beach to the market on the cliff. It was our last night in this amazing city and we wanted to make the most of it. We tried various seafood items, cooked in the Kerala style, bought a few gifts and other personal articles, and finally headed back to our hostel in the two-wheelers.
The four of us checked out the next morning, left our luggage at reception, and returned to the Varkala beach for one last look. After an hour, we hired two autos to take us to the railway station, where we boarded the train back to Bangalore, putting our brief beach vacation to a close.