Stay on Varkala Cliff if you want cafés, shops, sunsets and nightlife within a short walk, and you don't mind sharing them. Stay in Edava if you want quiet mornings, a sandy beach that suits learners, and a village where fishing boats outnumber cafés. The two are about ten minutes apart by scooter, which is why so many people sleep in one and spend their evenings in the other.
We live and teach in Edava, so read what follows knowing which side of the argument we sleep on. We have tried to be fair to both, because the Cliff is genuinely wonderful for the right trip.
The short comparison
| Varkala Cliff | Edava | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Lively, social, touristy in the best and worst ways | Quiet fishing village |
| Beach | Papanasam and the cliff beaches below | A long, sandy beach break |
| For surfers | Busier line-ups | Sandy bottom, suits beginners |
| Food | Dozens of cafés and restaurants on foot | A handful nearby; the Cliff a short ride away |
| Nights | Music, bars, late dinners | Early nights, the sound of the sea |
| Getting around | Walkable along the cliff path | Scooter or auto-rickshaw for evenings out |
| Best for | First-timers, groups, nightlife | Surfers, couples, light sleepers, longer stays |
Varkala Cliff: why people love it
The cliff is the reason Varkala is famous. Kerala Tourism notes it is the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs stand right beside the sea, and the red laterite cliffs have been declared a national geological monument (Kerala Tourism). The path along the top is lined with cafés and guesthouses looking straight out to sea, and at sunset the whole town seems to stop and face the same direction.
Below the cliff is Papanasam beach, where, according to Kerala Tourism, a dip is believed to wash away sins, with the ancient Janardhana Swamy temple close by (Kerala Tourism).
It suits you if it is your first time in Varkala, you want to walk everywhere, you are travelling with friends, or you want the evening to be the main event.
The trade-offs: noise late into the night in peak season, crowds on the path and the beach, and prices that rise with the view.
Edava: why surfers end up here
Edava is a fishing village about five kilometres north of Varkala (Wikipedia). The beach is long and sandy, and most mornings the people on it are fishermen hauling in nets, a few surfers and not many others.
For learning to surf, the difference is real. The Surf Atlas describes the waves around Edava as "still very much beginner to low-intermediate stuff", with a couple of small rocky headlands that produce rare point breaks on bigger days (The Surf Atlas). Beginner lessons run on the sandy stretch, away from those headlands, in water no deeper than your chest.
It suits you if the sea is the point of the trip, you want to surf before the cafés open, you sleep lightly, or you are staying long enough that you would rather live somewhere than visit it.
The trade-offs: fewer places to eat within walking distance, and evenings on the Cliff mean a short ride each way.
Food and evenings
This is where the Cliff wins outright. Its path has more cafés and restaurants than you could eat at in a fortnight, from South Indian breakfasts to rooftop seafood.
Edava has a few good spots of its own, and it is ten minutes from the Cliff by scooter or auto-rickshaw, so dinner up there is easy. The difference is that in Edava, dinner out is a decision; on the Cliff, it is the default. Our food guide covers the places worth the trip from either side.
Noise and sleep
On the Cliff in December and January, music can carry late into the night, and the path is busy until well after dark. Plenty of people love exactly that.
In Edava, nights are quiet. The loudest thing is usually the sea, followed by the fishing boats heading out before dawn. If you are getting up for a 06:30 surf, this matters more than you think.
Getting around
The Cliff is walkable along the path, though reaching some guesthouses means steep steps. From Edava you will want a scooter, which most people rent for the week, or an auto-rickshaw. Either way, the two places are close enough that you never have to choose one to the exclusion of the other.
For the journey into Varkala itself, see how to reach Varkala; the nearest railway station to Edava is Edava's own small station, and most long-distance trains stop at Varkala Sivagiri.
In the water at each
Neither beach is a swimming pool, and it is worth knowing how each behaves before you go in.
Below the Cliff, Papanasam and the neighbouring beaches draw the biggest crowds, both on the sand and in the water. On a good surf day the line-up near the cliff gets busy, which is harder on beginners who are still learning to steer. Kerala Tourism lists Varkala Beach and nearby Black Beach as the main surfing spots, so expect company.
At Edava, the beach is quieter, but quiet is not the same as calm. Currents at Edava and Kappil can be strong, and rip currents catch swimmers here every year, mostly people swimming alone. Learn with a school, swim with someone who knows the beach, and stay within your depth. Our guide to surfing safely as a beginner covers how to spot a rip and what to do.
Travelling with children
Both work, for different reasons. The Cliff has more food choice and more to do on foot, but the steep paths and the edge itself need watching with small children. Edava is calmer and closer to a sandy beach, but you will be riding up to the Cliff for most meals out. For families with children old enough for a surf lesson (we teach from age seven), Edava usually wins.
A day in each
A Cliff day: a late breakfast looking out to sea, a swim or a lesson at the beach below, an afternoon in the cafés, the sunset from the path, and dinner a few doors down.
An Edava day: a dawn surf lesson on a quiet beach, chai with the local surf crowd, breakfast, a sleep through the hottest hours, a sunset walk past the fishing boats, then a ride up to the Cliff for dinner if you feel like it.
The honest verdict
- First time in Varkala and staying three nights or fewer: the Cliff. You will see the most with the least planning.
- Here to learn to surf: Edava. Being close to the beach where lessons run changes everything.
- Couples after quiet: Edava, with evenings on the Cliff.
- Groups who want nightlife: the Cliff.
- Staying a week or longer: Edava. After a few days, the quiet is the part people talk about.
Our wider guide to where to stay in Varkala, area by area adds South Cliff, Black Beach and Kappil to the comparison, and Varkala in 2 to 3 days shows how to combine both areas in one short trip. For our own corner of Edava, the local guide lists the beaches, cafés and dinner spots we send guests to, and the stay page shows the rooms.
