The Western Ghats is one amongst twenty-five identified hot spots for biodiversity conservation in the world.

[1] Banakal is surrounded by coffee estates and paddy fields and known for its pleasant weather throughout the year.

The vokkaliga community is dominant and owns most of the landed property like agricultural fields and coffee estates.

Some traditional dishes like Edli-chatni, Iruve-chatni [chigaLi chuttney] Edi Sambar(Crab) and Maralu-meen-saru are now vanishing from the daily menu.

Banakal Jatre is the car-festival that occurs once a year and attracts a lot of people from adjacent villages.

Rice which forms the chief food of people in southern India is the main crop and is being produced in large scale.

Both the genetic subspecies of high quality coffee, namely Robusta and Arabica, are being produced, processed and exported.

Generally lifestyle is slow-paced and people do live cordially irrespective of caste and religious differences.

Although Gowdas are economically dominant, Bunt and Billava are the immigrant Tuluva communities from adjacent Dakshina Kannada also are seen.

A good number of Christians belonging to Roman Catholic speaking Konkani and some Protestants also are inhabitants of Banakal.

The nearby places are Mudigere, Chickmagalur, Kottigehara, Charmadi ghats, Dharmasthala, Kalasa, Kudremukh.