Agumbe

Agumbe sits in Shimoga district, a small village in the Western Ghats known for receiving some of the highest rainfall in South India, earning it the nickname "Cherrapunji of the South." Its dense evergreen rainforest is home to an unusually high concentration of king cobras, studied at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), one of the few dedicated king cobra research facilities in the world. The village gained additional popular recognition as the filming location for a long-running Kannada television series, though its natural draws — waterfalls, rainforest biodiversity, and a celebrated sunset point — are what bring most travelers. Agumbe suits nature enthusiasts and travelers specifically drawn to rainforest ecosystems and herpetology, as well as anyone chasing one of South India's most photographed sunset views from Agumbe's dedicated sunset point, where the sun appears to set directly into the Arabian Sea on clear evenings. Nearby waterfalls — Barkana, Onake Abbi, and Jogigundi among them — reward those willing to trek into the surrounding forest, while the ARRS occasionally offers guided walks and information sessions for visitors interested in the region's remarkable reptile biodiversity. Given its position between Chikmagalur and the coast, Agumbe works well as a detour on a wider Western Ghats itinerary rather than a standalone multi-day base.