The North Cliff is where most travellers stay and eat in Varkala — the long path running along the top of the laterite cliff, lined with restaurants, yoga shalas, Ayurvedic clinics, and guesthouses with views over the Arabian Sea. The cliff-path is essentially Varkala's high street, and it runs for about a kilometre from the Janardhana Swami Temple at the southern end to the northern viewpoint.
Sunset from the North Cliff is the town's signature moment. The path fills with people watching the sun go down over the water, and the restaurants put out their fresh-fish boards around this time. The atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried — Varkala moves at its own pace, and the cliff-path is where that pace is most visible.