Agumbe is surrounded by rich biodiversity and the hill station borders one of the last surviving lowland rain forests. Since Agumbe is home to several rare species of medicinal plants like Garcinia, Myristica, List Saea, Diospyros, Hoiligarna, Eugenia and Ficus among others, it is also called ‘Hasiru Honnu’ which means ‘green is gold’. The whole area and the reserve forests around Kundapur, Shankaranarayana, Hosanagara, Sringeri and Thirthahalli are collectively referred to as the Agumbe Rainforest Complex and form one of the largest contiguous forest stretches left in India. During rains, Agumbe and the surrounding region come alive with several waterfalls; Kunchikal Falls, Barkana Falls, Onake Abbi Falls and Jogigundi Falls are some of the popular ones. Most tourists visit Agumbe to trek through its forests or to visit the waterfalls.