Agumbe

Agumbe (Kannada: ಆಗುಂಬೆ) is a village located in the Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Lying in the Thirthahalli taluk and the Malnad region, Agumbe is among the places in India that receive very heavy rainfall earning it the sobriquet, "Cherrapunji of the South".[1] It is also the home of the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, the only permanent rainforest research station in India.[2] The renowned herpetologist, Romulus Whitaker called Agumbe the capital of King Cobra.[3] An area near Agumbe has been converted into a protected area for Medicinal Plants to help in their conservation.

Since 2005, Naxalite activity has been observed near Agumbe and hence, a lot of Karnataka State Police personnel have been deployed and checkposts created in all intersections. This however has not hindered visitors from visiting the region to enjoy the natural beauty of Agumbe and its surroundings.

Attractions

Sunset Point

Agumbe has a sunset point which receives lot of visitors. On a clear day, one can see the sun setting over the Arabian Sea though the sea is at quite a distance from Agumbe.
A fog-filled valley, view from sunset point

Waterfalls
Kunchikal Falls

Kunchikal Falls is the second highest waterfall in India and ranks 116th in the list of highest waterfalls in the world. Its total height is 1493 ft/455 mts. It is formed by the Varahi river.

Barkana Falls

Barkana Falls is the 10th highest waterfall in India with a height of 850 ft/259 mts. It is formed by the Seeta River.

Onake Abbi Falls

This is another waterfall near Agumbe. In the Kannada language, "Onake" means a pounding stick which is used to pound grains in villages.
Jogigundi

This is a small water fall which is very near to Agumbe, it takes about 10 to 15 min to reach this place.

Getting there

Agumbe is near the town of Thirthahalli which lies on the National Highway NH-13. From the state capital of Bangalore, Agumbe can be reached by taking NH-4 till Tumkur, then NH-206 till Shimoga and then NH-13 to Thirthahalli (a total distance of about 380 km.). Udupi on the Konkan Railway is the nearest railhead. The nearest airport is the Mangalore International Airport.

It can also be reached from Bangalore via Hassan ~ Belur ~ Chikkamagalore ~ Shringeri ~ Agumbe. As of today, this is the best road to reach there. The road is very good and a lot of places like Belur, Chikkamagaluru and Shringeri can be seen on the way.

Malgudi Days

Malgudi Days is a famous television serial which was directed by Shankar Nag and is based on the novels written by R. K. Narayan. Many episodes of this serial were filmed in Agumbe. In 1985, a new set of episodes of Malgudi Days have also been filmed at Agumbe under the direction of Kavitha Lankesh.