Who doesn't like spending an evening by the beach, staring at the crashing waves for hours or enjoying a glorious sunset? Beach holidays can be therapeutic and a lot of fun too. Thanks to its long coastline, India has enough beaches to choose from along its eastern and western coasts. Gear up for some epic beach-bumming even as we give you a low-down on lesser-known beach destinations in India.

Varkala

Varkala Beach SunsetSunsets in Varkala are magical. Grab yourself a drink at one of the many pretty cafes lining the cliff and enjoy unobstructed views of the beach ahead and watch the sun go down in all its splendour. Just about an hour away from Thiruvananthapuram, capital of the southern state of Kerala, Varkala is a sleepy little beachside place. It is popular among backpackers and has some good stay options by the beach on the north and south cliffs. You could take a stroll by the beach or even take surfing lessons, volunteer at any of the cafes, learn yoga or cooking.

St Mary’s Island

St.Mary's Island RocksThis is a bunch of four islands in the Arabian Sea, located off the western coast of the state of Karnataka. A geo-tourism site, this island is known for its basaltic columnar rocks, along the lines of Giant’s Causeway in Ireland. St Mary’s Island is accessible only by boat and the nearest boathead is Malpe Beach, Udupi; it’s a 30-minute boat ride. With its swaying palm trees and clear blue skies, this tropical island would make for a great getaway if you are looking for some quiet time all by yourself. The nearest airport is Mangalore, which is about 60km from Malpe.

Tranquebar

Fort Dansborg BeachA Danish port in the state of Tamil Nadu, Tranquebar or Tharangambadi is steeped in history and has a beautiful rocky shoreline. Literally translating to ‘land of the dancing waves’, Tharangambadi has a fort by the Bay Of Bengal ocean and also houses one of the oldest protestant churches in the country, the Zion Church, besides a Shiva temple built in 1306. The place has strong Portuguese and Danish influences and was once a thriving port. The nearest airport is Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, and from thereon, it’s a five to six hour drive.

Mypad Beach

Located in the Nellore district in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, Mypad beach has emerald waters lined with coconut groves. A relatively unexplored paradise, this beach is 25 km or so from Nellore and the nearest airport is Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) or Chennai (Tamil Nadu). One can do a number of activities in the beach right from angling to parasailing and wind surfing. Or just sit back and enjoy the view.

Tarkarli

Tarkarli BeachAt the confluence of the Karli river and the Arabian Sea is this beautiful beach, Tarkarli. Located in the western state of Maharashtra, it is about 545 km from the state capital, Mumbai, and is easily accessible from Panaji, Goa. Buses ply down this stretch up to Malvan in Maharashtra and it takes about 5 hours by road to reach Malvan from Panaji. From Malvan, Tarkarli is just about 6 km or so. This scenic beach is also a key fishing hamlet and has water sports for adrenaline junkies.

So maybe it’s time to pick from Satara's range of sun loungers and have some fun in the sun!

Image Sources:

By Man On Mission (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

Sballal at en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Nikolas Becker (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I, Eagersnap [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons