Untouched Western Ghats : Agumbe and Kudremukh

From the beaches of Goa to the perfect weather of Ooty. Tourists travelling to India have forgotten one of the world richest heritage sites of fauna and flora that is the Western Ghats. Western Ghats are just mesmerizing during the monsoon season. If the word serene has to depict something, it is definitely this. Two of the many unexplored places of this mountain range are Agumbe and Kudremukh. 

Agumbe is a small town located in the district of Shimoga and is sometimes called the Cherrapunji of South. This is because of the amount of rainfall it experiences every year. Being a UNESCO world Heritage Site, Agumbe is associated with rainforest conservation, documentation of medicinal plant and promotion of cottage industry. Agumbe was also the place where various episodes of the all-time favourite show, ‘Malgudi Days’ was shot. Yes! It is true. Agumbe is Malgudi. Hence, the exact description is vaguely clear to every Indian, red brick houses with a slope shaped ceiling bring back so many old memories. 

The hilly wet region of the Western Ghats is perfect for trekking, photography and to relax and get away from the busy life. Agumbe has a number of waterfalls around it which can be visited throughout the year. Similar to Agumbe is another place located in the Western Ghats itself, Kudremukh. The name of this place means “horse’s face’ and hence it is named after a peak which has a shape like a face of a horse. The Kudremukh National Park is the second largest wildlife protected area which belongs to the tropical type evergreen types of forests. Kudremukh was a mining city with a functional iron-ore mine but due to the Naxals, the mine was shut down and the city is mostly abandoned hence another factor to visit the place more because of the adrenaline rush. 

The best thing to do at Kudremukh is to go bag packing. Put camps and tents and sleep there with a bon fire. It is also a perfect place to go trekking at. There are almost 30 different trekking routes. These places are so incredible but they lack promotion of tourism. One must visit these places and he/she will be awed by the beauty of the place.