Varkala is a sea side resort and an important Hindu pilgrimage centre, 54 km from Thiruvananthapuram and 37 km from Kollam. High cliffs with rich mineral springs rise majestically from the coastline bordering an excellent beach. This is the only place in southern Kerala where one can find cliffs adjacent to the Arabian sea. These tertiary sedimentary formation cliffs are a unique geological feature in the otherwise flat Kerala coast, and is known among geologists as Varkala Formation and a geological monument as declared by the Geological survey of India. The 2000 year old Janardana Swamy Temple and the Nature Centre are the two main attractions here. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties.

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