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Varkala's railway station, 2km east of the village, is served by express and mail trains from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam (hourly; 45min), and most other Keralan towns on the main line. An auto-rickshaw to the beach costs around Rs20-30. Regular buses also run from Thiruvananthapuram's Thampanoor stand, and from Kollam (1hr-2hr 30min). A few go all the way to the beach, but most stop in the village centre, a five-minute auto-rickshaw ride away. If you can't get a direct bus, take any "superfast" or "limited stop" bus along the main highway, NH-47, and change at Kallamballam from where you can hop onto a local bus to Varkala (11km) or resort to an auto-rickshaw (Rs70) or a taxi (Rs100). The new DTPC tourist information centre (daily 8am-6pm) next to the helipad on the clifftop is very welcoming and informative and you avoid all the problems of agency middlemen, who are very prevalent in Varkala. The DTPC office will also book taxis at the official government rate, which is useful if you need to leave at night or early in the morning to avoid soaring rates. You can hire two-wheelers everywhere in Varkala; the going rate for a scooter is Rs200, Rs300 for a motorbike and Rs300-450 for an Enfield. |
Elephant rides are the big tourist attraction in Varkala; travel agents will offer you expensive day-long elephant rides in a nearby forest. However, when you get there you will find that you are only allowed a trundle for an hour. The official government rate is Rs250 per hour per person, and a taxi to the forest costs Rs50 return. There are several places to change money in Varkala including the friendly and versatile Bureau de Change outlets on the corner of Temple Junction (aka Holy Cross) in the centre of town, on Beach Road, and on the southern end of the cliff top, next to the Tourist Information Office. Internet centres all around Varkala charge approximately Rs50 to 60, with a Rs15 minimum charge.
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