Sanoor is in the Karkala taluk of Udupi district. The Shambhavi River originates here and flows into the Arabian Sea at Mulky. The nearest coastal town is Surathkal, away by road. The village is on the slopes of the Western Ghats, and its population is concentrated between hills and beside the river. Its forest type is tropical wet evergreen, with cashew plantations on the lower hills. Sanoor has the district's highest rainfall.