OUR DESTINATIONS
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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
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- Destinations
- Asia
- India
- Kerala
- Varkala
Varkala
Located on Kerala's south-western coast, just 32 miles (50km)
from the state capital of Trivandrum, Varkala is one of those
tourist destinations that gets more and more popular each year, as
word of its stunning coastline and lively atmosphere gets out.
Considered a less-busy, less-commercial alternative to the beaches
of Goa, although Varkala's main beach (Papanasam Beach) cannot
boast the white sand and towering palm trees of some of its Goan
counterparts, it is flanked by a steep and staggeringly beautiful
cliff-face. As all the tourist accommodation, restaurants and shops
are located on top of this cliff, overlooking the water, it is
almost a daily ritual in Varkala for life to come to a stand-still
at about sunset, and for everyone just to watch the sun sink into
the Arabian Sea. In between relaxing on the beach and shopping at
the markets in town, tourists can also take an enjoyable walk to
the nearby Janardanaswamy Temple, a 2,000-year-old structure.
Varkala is also a great centre for Ayurvedic medicine, and there
are numerous treatment and massage centres in the vicinity.
Information & Facts
Language
Although English is generally used for official and
business purposes, Hindi is the official language and is spoken by
about 40 percent of the population. Urdu is the language common
with the Muslim demographic. India has a total of 22 official
languages
Money
The currency is the Indian Rupee (INR), which is divided into
100 paise (singular paisa). Major currencies can be changed at
banks, and authorised bureaux de changes. It is impossible to
obtain rupees outside India, but no matter what time you arrive in
India there will be an exchange office open at the airport. It is
illegal to exchange money through the black market and it is
advisable to refuse torn notes, as no one will accept them apart
from the National Bank. It is best to change money into small
denominations. Travellers cheques and major credit cards are widely
accepted, particularly in tourist orientated establishments. ATMs
are not generally available.