Plan your weekend: Agumbe offers panoramic view of countryside

The hill station is surrounded by rich biodiversity and is one of the last surviving lowland rain forests. Since Agumbe is home to several rare species of medicinal plants like Garcinia, Myristica, Listsaea, Diospyrous, Hoiligarna, Eugenia and Ficus among others, it is also called ‘Hasiru Honnu’ which means ‘green is gold’.

Most tourists visit Agumbe to trek through its forests or to visit the waterfalls. Trekking to the Kudlu Theertha Falls or Nishani Gudda offers a once in a lifetime experience. The high points of the treks are the visual treats that Agumbe offers. Sunset Point, a gallery erected to view the sunset, offers panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and even the Arabian Sea on a clear day. Remnants of temples dating back to the Hoysala Empire are also worth a visit.

India’s sole permanent rainforest research station is based at Agumbe. It is also equipped with India’s first automatic weather station.

The station exclusively monitors changes in rain forests. Agumbe is also called King Cobra capital because of the high number of snakes of the species being found here. The best time to visit the place is during monsoon when the hill station is full of sparkling streams and several waterfalls.

Location: Shimoga district in Karnataka

Distance from Chennai: 615 km

Interesting Fact: Agumbe served as the setting for India’s most popular fictional town, Malgudi in the TV series Malgudi Days (that itself was based on the eponymous book by RK Narayan)