With an annual rainfall of 4000 mm to 8500 mm, Agumbe lays claim to the moniker 'Cherrapunji of South India'. The wettest place in south India, Agumbe in the monsoon is a land transformed. The forested cliffs of Agumbe rise up more than 2,000 feet above sea level, trapping the monsoon winds that drift in from the coast. Fog clings to the thick vegetation and the undergrowth echoes with the cries of birds such as whistling thrushes, fulvettas and bulbuls. In the treetops, monkeys such as the rare Lion-tailed Macaque may be seen. But the most visible signs of life stir underfoot, amid bushes and leaf litter. Snakes and frogs, insects and crabs are drawn out by the abundance of food and in search of mates.
Agumbe receives the heaviest rainfall in southern India. Monsoon rains feed streams, rivers and the many waterfalls here. The dense rainforests of Agumbe are home to several species of reptiles, amphibians, birds and other wildlife.
Agumbe and its surroundings are rich in biodiversity. It is contiguous with one of the last surviving lowland rainforests in India -- the Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kudremukh National Park. Many new species of flora and fauna have been discovered here.
The road to Agumbe
Agumbe abounds in natural beauty. The high hills and many waterfalls and streams flowing through the dense jungles add to the joy of hiking the trails in this hidden paradise nestled in the Malnad region of Karnataka. Agumbe is also called 'Hasiru Honnu' - green gold -- as it is home to several rare species of medicinal plants like Garcinia, Myristica, Listsaea, Diospyrous, Hoiligarna, Eugenia and Ficus.
A Bronzed Frog
A common toad in Agumbe
A Malabar Pit Viper in Agumbe. This venomous snake hunts warm-blooded animals at night. It may come in green, grey and brown colour morphs.
Old natural forest interspersed with plantations of arecanut.
Agumbe in winter makes for great sunsets
A raindrop clings to moss in Agumbe. Mosses are among the most important constituents of a rainforest.
A crab in the rainforest at Agumbe. Crabs are scavengers and consume algae in the moist forest floor.
A babbling, gurgling stream. Monsoon rains feed seasonal streams and irrigate the rainforest. Streams are also important sources of food to many of the creatures that live in the rainforest. Frogs and toads lay their eggs in streams while fish breed in them.
A fungus grows on a tree bark. The moist rainforest harbours many species of mushrooms and other kinds of fungi. Some species of mushrooms exhibit bio-luminescence -- they glow in the dark.
The Blue-eyed Bush Frog is a nocturnal frog that lives in the bushes surrounding marshes in the rainforests.
A green vine snake is a mildly venomous species of tree-dwelling snake that hunts by day on trees and bushes.
A hairy moth caterpillar. The rainforests are home to some large and colourful moths such as the Atlas Moth, Luna Moth and the Malaysian Moon Moth.
Monsoon rains transform Agumbe into a magical land.
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