Varkala Beach

Varkala, in the Thiruvananthapuram district of southern Kerala, does not look like anywhere else on the Indian coast. Most of that coast is flat and sandy; here, near-vertical red laterite cliffs rise straight out of the breaking waves of the Arabian Sea. The paved path along the North Cliff is where everything happens — open-air cafes, seafood grills, yoga centres and handicraft shops. Below it the shore opens into wide sandy bays for swimming, surfing and lying about, and natural mineral springs run down the laterite walls.