According to the details shared by locals, Varkala beach got famous around the 70s when many European travelers visited the then unexplored Kovalam beach. These travelers continued to move north of Kovalam and reached Varkala. The city’s sea-facing cliff is what impressed the travelers, and since then, Varkala became a world-famous tourist spot. Although not as many international tourists visit this city now as in the 70s/80s, Varkala has started getting famous among Indian travelers lately!
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Here’s a quick travel guide to help you tour the Cliff Beach of South India!
“Just take care when you are traveling, you are a girl!”
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“Reach back home before it’s dark, you are a girl!”
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“Avoid going to isolated streets, you are a girl!”
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“Don’t trust anyone, you are a girl!”
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..but how could I not trust someone who called me “Chechi (Elder Sister)” when we first met!
If you are from India or a tourist in India, a place that you would never want to miss apart from the chilly mountains, is the God’s Own Land, Kerala. And so like many others, Kerala had been in my “must-visits” since a very long time. After a few years of failed plans, I was finally visiting this beautiful green land of India.
The first city I visited in Kerala was Wayanad, and I instantly fell in love with its endless greens.
Here is a detailed itinerary to help you plan your trip and cover the beautiful places of Wayanad in 2 days.
How to reach Wayanad?
If you have read my preceding posts about my trip to Mysore, and Coorg, you would know that I was in Coorg before I visited Wayanad.
There is no direct bus that goes from Coorg to Wayanad. So, I planned to go to Mysore first, spend a night there, and then take a bus from Mysore to Wayanad.
Regular KSRTC buses leave from Mysore to Wayanad. It takes around 4 hours by road to reach Wayanad from Mysore, and the general KSRTC bus ticket costs just Rs 140.
From Bangalore:
Many KSRTC and private buses go from Bangalore to Wayanad that take around 7 hours to reach.
From anywhere else:
If you are coming from far away, you can either take a flight to Bangalore and Mysore and choose the options mentioned above.
And finally, you can always rent a two-wheeler or self-drive car, or hire a cab to reach Wayanad.
Where to stay in Wayanad?
Wayanad is full of hotels, retreat centers, resorts, hostels, and homestays. I chose a homestay for myself, Kudajadri Drizzle, in Kanyambetta, a village near to the main town of Kalpetta of Wayanad district.
It was the first time I was staying in a homestay, and I could not ask for a better experience.
Kudajadri Drizzle is amidst the greens, and it was great waking up to the chirping of the birds every morning. My room had an attached bathroom, and it gave a feeling of rural lifestyle combined with the comforts of the urban world. The daily home-cooked Kerala food and endless conversations with the family made the overall stay a very comfortable one.
Places to see in Wayanad
You can hire a private taxi, or rent a scooter, or a self-drive car, or take local buses to tour around the city. Most of the viewpoints are within the range of 30 km from the city center, so it is better to either rent a two or a four-wheeler or take a private taxi. This way you can save some time commuting to the viewpoints.
And it goes without saying, the roads are beautiful and some times more intriguing than the actual destination.
Sit by the serene Karlad Lake
Famous amongst the adventure seekers, Karlad Lake was opened to the public some time in the starting of 2016. Apart from the many adventurous activities that the place offer, you can boat in the calm and serene waters of the lake or just sit by its quiet surroundings.
There are a few paid parking spots just outside the lake entrance, and also a few restaurants by them.
Visit Asia’s second-largest dam, Banasura Dam
Apart from being Asia’s second-largest dam, Banasura dam also had India’s largest floating solar power plant. Located around 3 km from Karlad lake, you can visit both of the places in one day.
With magnificent views of the water, Banasura Dam is a perfect place to adore the vast greens and blues of Kerala.
It was raining when I visited the dam, so the views though beautiful, were quite misty.
Enjoy the magical greens of Kerala from Phantom Rock viewpoint
This was a completely unplanned stop that I made on my way to Eddakal caves (another commonly visited tourist point).
As I mentioned before that the roads and the scenic views on the way to your destination might grab your attention, and you could have one of the best experiences of your trip. My stop at Phantom rock viewpoint was one such example.
I was driving by when I saw a beautiful turquoise color water body that was so enchanting that I couldn’t resist stopping by. While I was enjoying the view when the owner of a restaurant opposite to where I had parked, signaled me to go further and climb up a few rocks, to maybe get a better view. I followed his instructions, and I was welcomed by the most mesmerizing views I had seen so far during my whole trip.
There was not a single person on the trail and at the viewpoint, and I had the whole place to myself.
PS: It was on my way down, that I realized it was the Phantom rock viewpoint.
Walk back into the pre-historic times at Edakkal caves
I skipped Eddakal caves, because at the time I had not researched the place thoroughly, and didn’t know what it was famous for. Assuming that it will also have a similar valley view as was from the Phantom Rock viewpoint, I decided to skip my visit to Edakkal caves altogether.
But when I saw pictures of the caves later, I regretted not visiting it. Edakkal caves have ancient scriptures and carvings of the pre-historic time, which make them all the more interesting apart from the scenic views.
Visit the ancient Sultan Bathery Jain Temple
Sultan Bathery Jain temple dates back to 13th century. It served both as a religious site as well as a place where Tipu Sultan kept his armory (or battery) when he invaded Kerala. And this is where the town got its name from, Sultan’s Battery (Sultan Bathery). The temple is now a protected site under the Archaeological Survey of India, but you can still visit it inside and see the old temple ruins and statues of Jain Tirthankaras.
Hike to the highest peak of Wayanad district, Chembra Peak
Famous for the heart-shaped lake that you see on your way up to the peak, the climb up to the Chembra Peak is very scenic, surrounded by lush green tea plantations.
You need prior permission from the forest department for this trek. During monsoon, the hike to the top of the peak is forbidden, so do a little bit of research before you make your plans.
And as for the heart-shaped lake, I saw one on my way to Banasura dam. So if you are most excited about just that lake, you can skip hiking to Chembra peak.
I could not visit the peak because of lack of time and the required permissions, but I am sure the hike and the views from the top are gorgeous.
Crazy greens, cozy homestay, lovely hosts, and scenic views – my experience in Wayanad was full of it.
I am currently touring across South India, and Coorg (or Kodagu) was the second stop I made after Mysore. Also known as the Scotland of India, Coorg is a perfect stop for nature lovers. It is a hilly district of the Karnataka state, which is why the temperature here is a little more cooler.
I met my friend from college, Ankita here and we spent two days exploring this beautiful town. Read the post to know how our experience was and also get tips to plan your trip to Coorg.
Immerse yourself in the virtual tour of Kanyakumari.
I toured South India during June and July’19, covering 11 cities across three states. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to complete this 2-month long tour without breaking down, and so when I reached Kanyakumari, I was extremely happy and proud of myself. And despite the exhaustion of a non-stop travel, I was looking forward to the last few days of the trip.
Read the complete Kanyakumari travel guide for an absolute travel immersion.
You cannot not think of backwaters and houseboats when you talk about Alleppey (also known as Alappuzha). I was very excited to visit Alleppey, the place that I had heard about since I was a kid. I imagined myself relaxing on a houseboat in the tranquility of the backwaters as the sun sets.
PS: This was just an imagination, I did not actually do it 😅
Chilling on a canoe in Alleppey (no there was no sunset)
Alleppey was the 8th stop of my South India tour. I toured the city with Alex, who I met at Poornodaya. Alex is a person of faith, so in addition to the backwaters and beaches of Alleppey, we also visited a few temples.
This is the ultimate travel guide that you will ever need to plan your trip to Alleppey.
How to reach Alleppey?
If you are coming from far, you can take a flight to Kochi (Cochin International Airport), which is around 80 km from Alleppey. From Kochi, you can either take a bus, train, or taxi to Alleppey. You can also rent a two or a four-wheeler and drive to Alleppey.
We were visiting Alleppey from Kottayam, so we first took a bus from Kottayam to the Thirunakkara bus stand. Then we took an auto-rickshaw (or tuk-tuk) to Kanjiram Boat Station from where we caught our ferry to Alleppey.Â
Ferry from Kanjiram leaves twice a day to Alleppey. You can check the latest timings on the official website or confirm from the locals.
The ticket fare is just Rs 15 for the ferry ride, and it drops you at Alleppey boat station, right in the city center.
PS: The ferry ride is pleasant, and you’ll get your first backwater experience as well.
Kanjiram boat station
Me and Alex as we set on our ride to Alleppey
Open backwaters as seen from the ferry
Where to stay in Alleppey?
Alleppey is full of backpacker hostels, guesthouses, and BnBs, so you’ll not find difficulty in choosing the best place for you.
We were in Alleppey during the off-season, because of which most of the accommodations were empty and also cheaper than the regular rates.
Alex and I stayed at Carpe Diem, located in a residential society at a walkable distance to the Alleppey Beach. The first thing that we noticed when we entered our hostel was its peaceful locality and the white paint on its walls that reflected positivity.
We stayed in a 10-bed mixed dorm, and I was particularly impressed by the clean room and sheets that still smelled of detergent.
Nets were put on each bed to protect from mosquitoes and other insects.
Each room looked onto a balcony with a view of the locality and the green trees.
Paul, who is also the co-owner of the property, helped us with tips on touring the city. He also arranged for the backwater tour for us.
Common area of the hostel
Dorm room where we stayed in
Inside the room
Patio outside the room
View from the patio
With Paul
Things to do in Alleppey
If you are not in a rush and want to spend your time leisurely in the city, here is a list of activities that you can do, and the places that you can visit in 3 days in Alleppey.
Spend a relaxing time at Alleppey Beach
As I mentioned above, Alleppey Beach was within walking distance from our hostel. So the first thing that we did after freshening up was walk to the beach.
Staring into the sea infinity – Alleppey Beach
The beach was less crowded than usual because of the off-season, and it was also cleaner than what I had expected. The waves were fierce at the time and crashed right on the beach. So we avoided playing with the water and instead took a walk along the shore.
The first thing that you will notice at Alleppey beach is an old and broken pier that extends farther into the sea. It is quite a sight!
We spent our first evening at the Alleppey beach and watched the sun go down, reflecting its shimmering golden on the browns of the sand and whites of the waves.
The old broken pier at the Alleppey beach
People walking by the beach as the sun calmly sets down
The next day we decided to sit and read by the beach. We walked to the Alleppey beach, and further towards Pozhiyoram beach. The waves were as fierce as the last evening, so we decided to sit a little farther from the sea.
It was the first time that I just sat down by the beach and did nothing, but only listened to the waves, and quietly pondered.
Sitting by the Alleppey beach on a sunny morning
Watch the sunset at Marari Beach.
If you are looking for a much quieter beach in Alleppey, this one is for you. Mararikulam (or Marari) beach is around 15 km from Alleppey beach, and you can either hitch-hike or take a bus from Alleppey town to the Mararikulam village. Take a 5-minute walk from the Mararikulam bus stop, and the stunning views of the beach and backwaters will astound you.
Backwaters at Marari Beach
View of backwaters by the Marari beach
The quieter side of Marari Beach
Looking eagerly at the fierce waves of Marari Beach
Taking a stroll by the beach
The fierce waves of the Marari Beach
Since it is a little far from the main Alleppey town, the beach is less crowded and even cleaner than the Alleppey beach. One can easily spend an entire evening here watching the waves crash at the shore, and the sun softly go down.
Sun reflecting its light on the golden sands of the beach
Sunset scene at the beach
Take the Alleppey backwater Canoe tour
If you are wondering why didn’t I spend a night in a houseboat in Alleppey – houseboat stays tend to be quite expensive for solo budget travelers.
Houseboat on Alleppey backwaters
Although we experienced riding on Alleppey backwaters on our way from Kottayam, Alex was eager to go on a canoe tour that includes riding through narrow canals along with the open waterways.
Paul booked the canoe village tour through Oscar Cruise, and the ride cost us Rs 800 per person (discounted rate due to off-season).
Canoe ready to leave for the backwater tour
View of backwaters from Canoe
Laali, our canoe rider, in the background
The tour starts at 8:30 am when a motor-boat takes you to a nearby village, where you first have Kerala-style breakfast at a local’s place. The actual canoe tour starts after that, and it lasts for four hours with a snack-break in between. Post that you have lunch at the same place where you had breakfast in the morning, and get ready to leave for the main town.
Lunch at a local’s home after the ride
The canoe takes you through narrow canals and streams, passing through many villages. The most enjoyable part for me throughout the ride was observing the routine village life of the locals – everyone busy in their daily chores, undisturbed by tourist boats passing by their houses, doing laundry, cleaning utensils, and catching fish.
Passing through villages during our canoe tour
Try a Toddy
Toddy is the local alcohol of Kerala made of coconut and palm. If you are doing a canoe tour, you can ask your boat rider to buy you some on the way. We bought a 1-liter bottle of toddy for 200 Rs that 3 of us from the group shared. PS: Toddy is best consumed fresh when it is prepared in the morning because it gets bitter and stronger with time.
We got Toddy in this bottle from a local shop
Watch the world-famous Snake boat race
Alleppey hosts around 15 snake boat races throughout the year, of which the Nehru Trophy Boat race is most famous. If you are in the city during the time of the race, you can witness one of the most enjoyable boat races. All villages of Alleppey district compete in the race, and you can see a 100 people seated on one boat rowing strenuously in synchronization. It’s a captivating sight!
If you are not able to watch the actual race, you can still see the practice, which starts a month before the race.
Snake boat race practice
Visit the revered temples of Alleppey
Right in the city center of Alleppey, you’ll find many adorned temples.
The first temple that we visited was the Mullakkal temple. It was hosting a dress-up ceremony of a God’s idol for its new home(or temple). Many priests were playing music on the traditional instruments while a few of them were chanting and performing the ceremony. It was glorious.
Inside Mullakkal temple
Priests dressing the idol in Mullakkal Temple
Priest playing traditional musical instruments during the ceremony
Gardens surrounding Mullakkal temple
Next, we went to Kidangamparambu Sree Bhuvaneswari Temple, which was just a 10-minute walk from the Mullakkal temple. This temple was architecturally rich, with many gods carved on the temple walls. There was some function happening here as well, so we left quickly after paying our respects.
Inside Sree Bhuvaneswari Temple
Many idols adorning the walls of the temple
All in all, we were able to cover many places of Alleppey in 3 days, and also spend some quiet leisure time.
Kochi was not a part of my original South India travel itinerary. It was instead an impromptu plan that the volunteers made with the director of Poornodaya Vidyanikethan, Anish, on a Friday evening.
Kochi is most famous for Fort Kochi, the fortification that was built around the city a long time back. You do not see the fort anymore now, but most of the points of interest lie within its plausible boundaries.
You can see most of the city in one day on foot! Amazing right?
So if you are on a tight schedule, this is how you can plan your time to explore Kochi. Read the complete post to know more!
Munnar is known for its endless tea gardens and unparalleled green landscapes. But the city was a lot more than just picturesque views for me. Read about my experience and tips to tour the city in this extensive travel guide.
I had read about Poornodaya on Worldpackers around 4 months before I even thought of my South India tour.
Why did I decide to volunteer with Poornodaya?
The first and foremost thing that caught my attention was the ideology behind the institute. The way the institute tried to impart knowledge resonated with my idea of education, which is why I decided to be a part of this family and contribute in whatever way I could.
We are in a continuous process of learning and unlearning. And as we grow older, this process gets slower, and it becomes even more difficult to amend our habits, thoughts, and actions!
With the above statement, I want to emphasize that education is not a one-time thing. It becomes a part of our life from the moment we are born to the moment we die.
What is Poornodaya Vidyanikethan?
Poornodaya Vidyanikethan is a school in the town of Kurvilangad in Kerala. But it is not just a “school” where kids go to attend a few classes and take homework with a focus on becoming well-read. It is a little more than that, a place for education, not only for kids but everyone else who is a part of it, be it, teachers, parents, helping staff, or volunteers. In Anish’s (the Director of Poornodaya) words, Poornodaya is and strives to be an extended home, and an extended family, where everyone feels more comfortable and freer.
We as a society give a lot of importance to good grades in school, a good position professionally, and a sound bank balance. Sometimes in an effort to achieve all this, we tend to forget the basic ethics and shut down our curious minds, kill our creativity, forget to respect our environment, as well as our fellow beings! As an institute, Poornodaya Vidyanikethan tries to instill these learnings in the kids as well as the elders.
How is Poornodaya contributing to the society?
Educate the future generations of the country
Our home is our first School!
As kids, we learn what we observe at our homes, and our actions are mostly governed by what we observe. A school becomes our second step in the learning process. As part of the Poornodaya program, they make sure that kids get the right kind of education. It tries to align the things that the kids learn in school, with what they learn at their homes and vice versa.
The process of education at Poornodaya does not only focus on grades but follows a more holistic approach to it. Along with intellectual development, the institute tries to develop the social, physical, creative, and spiritual aspects of the kid.
As part of this holistic approach, Poornodaya tries to make the kids more tolerant of the differences between individuals, be it their personality traits, or societal identities.
Introduce creative ways to make learning fun and easy
At Poornodaya, they try to make sure that learning is done right, but not in dull old ways of reading from textbooks and gulping it down. Instead, it focuses on including more and more creative ways, so that the kids enjoy their time in school and are eager to learn more.
I remember an incident narrated by one of the teachers in the school.
There was a kid who was finding it difficult to learn and write the alphabet. But that kid seemed to enjoy colors and drawing, and was actually good at it.
The teachers tried to use the strength of that kid, and work on its weakness.
So instead of making that kid write alphabet over and over again till it stuck in its head, the teachers made that kid draw that alphabet on a big drawing sheet. With its creative cells triggered, the kid was not only able to enjoy the activity but was eventually able to learn the alphabet.
Most of the times, we make the kids write and re-write or read and re-read something until that thing sticks to their mind. But we rarely use creative ways, that are playful and joyful to help them learn.
And in this creative process of teaching, the kids start to learn with ease as part of the activity that they are enjoying.
Provide a platform for knowledge and culture exchange
The institute invites volunteers from all around the world that work with kids (teach language or any other activity, or play with them). These volunteers also assist in training teachers and working with them to develop more creative ways to make learning easy and more fun.
This kind of environment helps the kids, their teachers, and parents to be more tolerant and welcoming to different cultures, languages, colors of skin, food, etc.
This way, Poornodaya is able to provide a platform for knowledge and cultural exchange.
The more we share, and the varied information we share with each other, the more we become aware of the world around us, and are less surprised or shocked to see and experience something new.
Instill in kids the respect for nature and fellow beings
One of the most important values that Poornodaya aims to instill in everyone who is associated with it, is the responsibility towards the preservation of the environment. As part of this initiative, the institute discourages the use of plastic and motivates the kids, and the rest of the staff to use as much of the reusable, and recyclable products as possible. This not only inculcates respect and love for nature and its preservation, but also helps everyone to find creative ways to use what is already there, and not depend on buying new products or using something that is harmful to the environment.
As they say, a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, at Poornodaya they take good care of the kind of food the kids eat. Breakfast and lunch are provided to the kids keeping in mind the essential nutrients they must have as part of their diet. Parents are also motivated to develop healthy food habits in their kids at home.
Poornodaya follows the philosophy of Veganism in their effort to promote a more sustainable way of life. The food is prepared using the products from the local market, thereby promoting homegrown food and it also helps in giving back to the local community.
At Poornodaya, they put a continuous effort to maintain a balanced relationship between the kids, the teachers, the parents, the volunteers, and everyone else who is associated with it, as well as their environment.
As a volunteer, I had so much to experience in just one week. I learned more about Kerala’s culture as well as became aware of the cultures of other countries, that the rest of the volunteers were from. We taught and played with the kids and despite the language barrier, it was amazing to see these kids get so comfortable talking to complete strangers that were going to be their family for a few days.
