Demodara Railway Loop
Uva Province
About Demodara Railway Loop
The Demodara Loop is the most ingenious piece of railway on the island: faced with a slope too steep for any conventional alignment, the British-era engineers made the line circle a full 360 degrees - the track loops around a hillside and burrows through a tunnel directly beneath Demodara station, emerging thirty metres below the platform it just departed. Local legend credits the idea to a Kankani (foreman) who, asked how the gradient could be beaten, untied his turban and looped it around his head. Completed in 1923, the loop still carries every Colombo–Badulla train; you can ride it (sit left from Ella and watch the station reappear below), walk to viewpoints above the tunnel mouth, or visit the charming station with its exhibits on the loop's construction. Twenty minutes from Ella past the Nine Arch Bridge, it completes hill-railway pilgrimage in one morning.
Top Activities
- ✓Riding the loop by train
- ✓Loop viewpoints and tunnel mouth walk
- ✓Demodara station exhibits
- ✓Combine with Nine Arch Bridge
- ✓Railway photography
Nearby Attractions
Travel Tips
Ride Ella→Demodara→Badulla to experience the loop, then return by bus or tuk-tuk.
The stationmaster's team happily explains the loop diagram on the platform.
Walk the Nine Arch Bridge and the loop together as one rail-heritage morning.
Quick Info
Best Time
December to March
Weather
Mild; mornings clearest for views and photos.
Estimated Daily Budget
6.8992°N, 81.0703°E
Open in Google Maps →Ready to Visit?
Add Demodara Railway Loop to your trip and let AI create your personalised itinerary.