One day covers Varkala if you start at 08:30: the Janardhana Swamy temple and Sivagiri Mutt, the boat club at Kappil from 10:30, a country boat to Golden Island, lunch, then Anchuthengu Fort and the lighthouse after 15:00. It is about 54 km by cab, back on the North Cliff by about 16:15 for the beach and the sunset.
6 places54 km by cabtimed against opening hours
Day 1
Temples, Kappil, Golden Island and Anchuthengu
The Janardhana Swamy temple and Sivagiri Mutt before their midday closing, the boat club at Kappil, then a country boat to Golden Island and lunch. The afternoon is Anchuthengu Fort and the lighthouse, which opens at 15:00. About 54 km by cab, back on the cliff by about 16:15 for the sunset.
08:30 to 16:136 places54 km by cab
1Janardhana Swamy Temple
2Sivagiri Mutt
3Kappil Lake and Beach
4Ponnumthuruthu (Golden Island)
Lunch
5Anchuthengu Fort
6Anjengo Lighthouse
Back
★
Leave Varkala North Cliff (Helipad)
2.1 km · 5 min by cab
1
Janardhana Swamy Temple
30 min here
A Vishnu temple about 2,000 years old by local tradition, on a rise above Papanasam Beach, with a long flight of steps up from the sea. Pilgrims bathe at the beach below, whose name means washing away of sins, before they pray here, above all for rites for the dead.
Temples & ashramsAbout 05:30 to 12:00 and 17:00 to 20:00, every day
Tip: Only Hindus may enter the inner temple; men go in shirtless and in a mundu or dhoti. The outer courtyard and the steps are open to all.
6.4 km · 18 min by cab
2
Sivagiri Mutt
45 min here
The hilltop headquarters of the order founded by Sree Narayana Guru, the social reformer who preached one caste, one religion, one god for all. His samadhi, a white domed shrine, sits on the hill with the Sarada Mutt temple he built nearby.
Temples & ashramsOpen 05:30 to 12:00 and 16:30 to 18:00, every day
Tip: Dress modestly; photography is not allowed inside the shrines. The Sivagiri pilgrimage from 30 December to 1 January draws very large crowds.
9.9 km · 20 min by cab
3
Kappil Lake and Beach
1 h here
A strip of sand where Kappil backwater lake meets the sea, about 8 km north of the cliff, with coconut palms on one side and surf on the other. The district tourism boat club under the bridge hires out pedal and rowing boats on the lake.
Beaches & backwatersBoat club about 10:00 to 18:00; the beach is open air
Tip: The sea here has strong currents; swim only where the lifeguards say. The boats leave from below the Kappil bridge.
14.6 km · 27 min by cab
4
Ponnumthuruthu (Golden Island)
1 h 30 min here
A small island in the backwaters about 12 km south of Varkala, reached by country boat from Nedunganda in about 30 minutes, with an old Shiva and Parvathi temple among the coconut palms. The ride passes fishing nets and village banks, a quieter taste of the backwaters than Alleppey.
Beaches & backwatersBoats about 07:30 to 17:00; some listings give 06:00 to 18:00
Tip: There is no entry fee; agree the boat fare and the time on the island before you set off. Allow about an hour and a half for the round trip.
Lunch, about 1 h. Your driver will know a place nearby. The times after this include it.
6.2 km · 11 min by cab
5
Anchuthengu Fort
40 min here
A fort built by the English East India Company in the 1690s, one of its first footholds in Kerala, now a quiet walled square of laterite above the sea with old graves of company men in its grounds.
Forts & landmarksAbout 08:00 to 17:00; free
Tip: Shade is scarce; carry water. The lighthouse is a two-minute walk away.
A short walk
6
Anjengo Lighthouse
30 min here
A red and white lighthouse beside the fort, with a view from the top over the fort walls, the fishing village of Anchuthengu, the backwater and the sea.
LighthouseOpen to visitors about 15:00 to 17:00; small fee
Tip: Only open in the late afternoon. Bags and cameras may carry a small extra fee; the stairs are narrow.
15.1 km · 26 min by cab back
★
Back at Varkala North Cliff (Helipad)
Drive times come from road routing without traffic. The lanes round the cliff are narrow and busy in the evening, and the road to Jatayu runs through small towns, so allow extra time. Opening hours marked ? are not yet confirmed, so check them before you go.
Book a cab for this day
Call or message a local Varkala operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
1 × full day, 8 h / 80 kmSedan, SUV or InnovaPrice from the operator
Yes, the main sights: the cliff and Papanasam Beach on foot, and by cab the Janardhana Swamy temple, Sivagiri Mutt, Kappil, Golden Island and Anchuthengu. Jatayu Earth's Center, 28 km inland, needs most of a second day.
Why go to the temples first?+
Both close at noon. The Janardhana Swamy temple reopens at about 17:00 and Sivagiri Mutt at 16:30, so the plan reaches them at about 08:35 and 09:25.
When is the Anjengo lighthouse open?+
Only in the late afternoon, about 15:00 to 17:00. The plan reaches the fort at about 14:35 and climbs the lighthouse after 15:15.