Edava Beach · Varkala · Kerala
Your first waveis closer than you think.
A surf school and a guesthouse on the quiet side of Varkala. ISA Certified instructors, small groups, and a rooftop you will struggle to leave.
- 50 stepsfrom Edava beach
- Max 5surfers per instructor
- 14beds in the house
- Includedbreakfast with every stay
Start here
Choose your way in.
Catch your first wave. Sleep beside the break. Join a fixed-date camp. Or bring your own group.
Surf
Catch your first wave.
Private and small-group lessons on a forgiving sand-bottom break, with an instructor in the water beside you.
Book a lessonStay
Sleep beside the break.
Five private rooms and a four-bed dorm, with Kerala breakfast upstairs on the rooftop every morning.
Check roomsCamp
Join the week.
Five days, four nights, daily surf and the same crew around the long table from Monday to Friday.
See camp datesRetreat
Bring your people.
Your group, your dates, and a week built around what you actually want from the water.
Plan a retreat
- Fifty steps from the water
- Max five surfers per instructor
- Ninety minutes is the whole lesson
- Five bedrooms. One big rooftop. One dog
- Kerala breakfast on the rooftop
- ISA Certified instructors, in the water with you
What we offer
Everything Kuma does,
and what it costs.
A surf school first, a house second, and a rooftop that turned out to be the reason people come back. Prices are what they say they are.
- 01Group Lessons₹1,500 per person · 90 min · max five to an instructor
- 02Private Lessons₹2,000 · 90 min · 1 instructor, max 2 surfers
- 03Kids' LessonsFrom around age seven, waist-to-chest-height water
- 04Board RentalSoft-tops, funboards, shortboards · 2h to full day
- 05Private RoomsFive rooms · King bed, A/C, en-suite bathroom
- 06Dorm BedsFour beds, A/C, shared bathroom, breakfast in
- 07Surf CampsSix a year · five days, four nights, max fourteen
- 08Custom RetreatsYour group, your dates, quoted after a conversation
I surf
Ninety minutes
is the whole lesson.
Board, rashguard and beach transfer, all included. We start on the sand: warm-up, pop-up technique, paddle drills. Even the pros do this. Then roughly seventy minutes in the water with a ISA Certified instructor beside you the whole time.
- Private Session
- Up to 90 minutes · 1 instructor, max 2 surfers
- ₹2,000per session
- Group Session
- Up to 90 minutes · small group
- ₹1,500per person
The water
You won't be a pro on day one. But you'll be hooked.
You don't need experience. You don't even need to be a strong swimmer. Our instructors are certified, lessons happen in max chest-height water, and the sand bottom below you is softer than your ego. What you will get from day one: a working pop-up, a first real read of the waves, and that specific feeling of riding something all the way in.
I stay
Five bedrooms. One big rooftop.
One dog.
Five private rooms. Huge Queen bed, A/C, en-suite bathroom. One dorm with four beds and a shared bathroom. That is the whole house. In season it fills from the dorm upward.
3 rooms · Sleeps 2
A/C Double
₹2,000/ night
2 rooms · Sleeps 2
A/C Deluxe
₹2,500/ night
4 beds · Per bed · 4 beds total
A/C Dorm Bed
₹700/ bed
The rooftop
You came for the waves.
You stayed for this.
Kerala breakfast every morning. Fresh juices. Yoga on the roof, dance evenings, skate and slackline. The rooftop where strangers become regulars, and Pulli, the house dog and self-appointed feel-good manager, following you everywhere.
See the house
I camp
Five days. Four nights.
Fourteen people, maximum.
Six camps a year. Daily surf, Kerala breakfast and brunch, ice bath, video analysis of your own session, a family dinner and a BBQ night. Early bird closes four weeks before each start.
Explore Varkala
The stuff the guidebooks
have not found yet.
Kappil Beach
Where the backwaters meet the sea. 15 minutes north, best at sunset.
Flow Cult
Brand new skatepark down the road. Surfers, locals, free souls, every evening.
Mamma Champos
Off the beaten path, and the best fish in the area. No contest.
The toddy shop
A Kerala classic. Ask us which one, not all of them are equal.
The wall
Photographs, not renders.
All of it shot here, on this beach, in this house. Tap any frame to see it properly.
Don't take our word
We could write our own
reviews. We haven't.
Every guest who has stayed here has had somewhere to say what they thought. Go and read those instead. They are more useful than anything we would put on our own website.
About us
When your name is on the door,
you keep the door worth walking through.
Kuma is a nickname that stuck since school. Long before there was a surf school or a guesthouse, there was simply Kuma, known up and down Varkala for a radiant smile and a big head of curly hair. The name grew on its own. No marketing, no plan.
Meet the houseBefore you book
The questions everyone asks.
What kinds of rooms do you have?
Five private rooms, each with a huge King bed, A/C and an en-suite bathroom, plus one dorm with a shared bathroom. That is the whole guesthouse. Kuma is a house, not a hotel, and in season it fills from the dorm upward.
Is breakfast included?
Yes. Every room and bed comes with the homemade Kerala breakfast, served on the rooftop. Fresh fruit, appam, eggs, juice, coffee. Not staying with us? You're welcome at the table for ₹250, chai or juice included.
Can I do my laundry at the house?
Yes. ₹15 a piece. Hand it to Kuma and it comes back dry and folded, which after a week of saltwater is a bigger deal than it sounds.
What are the house rules?
Short list. Pet-friendly, though Pulli isn't allowed in the guest rooms, a rule he disputes. Parties and drinks are welcome, just keep the volume reasonable. A lost key or damage may cost you.
Where can I rent a scooter?
Just ask. There are several places within easy reach and we know which ones look after their bikes. Having one turns Kappil and the cliff from a plan into a whim.
How do I get to the beach from the house?
Edava beach is about 50 metres away, a two-minute walk. For lessons we run a beach transfer anyway, and it's included in the price.
Book a surf session
Board, rashguard and beach transfer included. We confirm within 24 hours.
Request this sessionBook a room
Five bedrooms and a dorm, Kerala breakfast on the rooftop. Check-in 1pm, out 11am.
Not sure which fits?
Send your dates, headcount and surf level. We'll point you toward the right room, session or week.
Ask Kuma on WhatsApp+91 99953 38248