The Demodara Railway Loop - A Sri Lankan Railway Marvel Hidden In The Mountains

The Demodara railway loop is an unexpected treat in the mountains near Ella in the highlands of Sri Lanka. This little known engineering triumph sits in a beautiful location and is a fun and easy walk from the backpacker haven of Ella. Demodara also holds the secret to getting uncrowded train photo’s and a unique perspective over the iconic nine-arched bridge!

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Getting to the Demodara Loop - The Walk from Ella

After a few rain soaked days in and around Ella, we were getting a little stir crazy. There’s only so much time you can spend at the Chill cafe whilst staring at the rain. 

We had heard about the Demodara railway loop during our visit to the Kadugannawa Railway Museum and hadn’t realised it was so close to Ella. 

Looking at the train map, we could see that Demodara was the next station on from Ella so we decided to check it out. We made our way to Ella train station and quickly realised that trains running along this line were not as frequent as we had hoped. However, after a quick Google Maps search we could see that the station was still close by even if we went on foot, so we hatched a plan and, during a break in the weather, headed off for Demodara. 

The walk to Demodara follows a small back road that winds through the countryside. Along the way you are treated to hillsides full of tea fields, great views across the surrounding mountains and lush woodlands. Dotted along the trail we also encountered small shops, waving tea pickers, the occasional tuk tuk and even a peacock. 

The 6km walk took us just over an hour and was mainly downhill (obviously this was Ella to Demodara).

It was an easy walk, and a lovely way to see the local landscape. Maybe it was because we had been cooped up by the rain, or maybe it was due to us being in the backpacker bubble of Ella, but wandering down the sleepy backroads was like a breath of fresh air we didn’t know we needed. 

For a rough route check out google here.

Approaching Demodara the temperature rose a little and the local agriculture changed with the tea fields changing to rice paddies. Demodara itself was slightly bigger than Google Maps had made us think and was made up of a collection of produce shops, bakeries and mechanics.

The train station is set slightly out to the other side of Demodara town. Walking up an incline we re-entered the tea fields, past the railway station and a sizeable tea factory and made our way to the viewpoint marked on GoogleMaps. The “viewpoint” was inside the tea estate and was not so much a defined viewing platform but as a bend in the road. Confusingly, the “Demodara Loop Viewpoint” didn’t actually have a view of the loop itself but rather an excellent view across the iron rail bridge (a pedant may argue that the bridge is still part of the loop).

Demodara railways station isn’t exactly Kings Cross, but it is much prettier!

After admiring the view, we decided to move down to the station. Behind the station building is a model of the loop and a small viewing platform that looks over the tunnel exit before the tracks loop around behind a hill. Also behind the train station was the ubiquitous tuk-tuk and tout mafia. As always they were very  eager to explain (for a price) guide (for a price) or just not leave you alone (totally free). The touts were trying to escort us to another viewpoint up the hill. We did see that this was a thing on Maps.me but didn’t want to miss our train back to Ella, so we politely declined.  Thankfully they weren’t too persistent and we got to lounge around with a great view whilst we waited for the train to make its appearance on the loop. 

The Demodara railway loop was an elegant engineering solution to the difficult question posed by the challenging geography of Demodara. 

This railway engineering marvel was born out of necessity, as during the construction of the extension of the line to Badulla, the steep ascent was found to be too much for the track and a novel approach was needed, so a 3000 foot (900 metre) rising loop was constructed in 1923. 

To enter the station, trains have to perform a wide loop that goes through a tunnel under the station before circling back around, and climbing in a spiral to pull into the platform. 

According to Wikipedia (we know we use such learned sources) local legend has it that Devapura Jayasena Wimalasurendra, the engineer responsible, was inspired after watching a local untie and retie a turban on his head. 

Catching the train at Demodara - the secret way to see the Nine Arch Bridge

As we said at the start of this article, the train schedule is not like the London Underground and you do have to plan when and where you’re going. This is especially true on the Kandy to Ella line  which is rightly world famous for its beauty and, consequently, any reserved seating on the trains sells out very fast.

We had seen that if we walked to Demodara we could then catch the 11.45am train back to Ella which would mean we got to ride across the very famous Nine Arch Bridge, something you don’t get to do if you just ride from Kandy or Colombo to Ella. We bought two tickets (40 LKR for both tickets - £0.10 or $0.11) to do the short hop between Demodara and Ella train station. 

We watched our train arrive through the tunnel and curve around the climbing loop. We then quickly scuttled from the viewing platform to the station platform. This scuttle proved to be totally unnecessary as the train progresses through the loop very slowly, so after our dash there was a fair bit of embarrassed loitering on the platform waiting for the train. 

Our experience of the Kandy - Ella line mentally prepared us for a very crowded journey. However as the train pulled in we could see that outside of the observation carriage there was nearly no one onboard!

Uncrowded train photo’s

Hopping into a third class doorway, we had free reign of both carriage doors, uninterrupted views and of course perfect opportunities for train door selfie snappage!

The train line from Demodara to Ella follows a much higher route than our walking path had earlier, so we were treated to sweeping views over the tea fields, valley and mountain peaks beyond. The scenery was amazing and with the peaceful carriage we really relaxed and enjoyed the gorgeous surroundings. 

Seriously this would be one of our best takeaway tips for Sri Lanka, the train to Kandy to Ella is extremely busy (because it is so beautiful) and the carriages are a constant queue for an opportunity to take “that” photo out of the door. Going one stop past Ella and taking the train back, it was just us and a couple of locals who presumably have had the novelty of train door selfies worn off for them. If you get on this section of the line, you not only get a quiet carriage, your ideal photo spot but also get to ride the train over the iconic Nine Arch Bridge. 

As we headed closer to the famous bridge, the banks to either side of the railway line became busier and busier with a mixture of local life, waving children and high-fiving tourists. Driving over the Nine Arch Bridge, we could see the scale of its curve and the depth of the valley below.  

As we pulled back into Ella railway station and hopped off the train we struggled to think of a better use of 10p and a morning stroll.

Tip: if you're travelling between Demodara to Ella, stand at the doors to the right of the direction of travel to get the best view of the Nine Arch Bridge.

If you are looking to stay in Ella check out what Hotels and accommodation are on offer with our handy travel map below:

Thanks for reading,

John & Ellie x

#adventuresofjellie

This little post could be seen as part two of our anoraking adventures around the world. For part one check out our article on the Kadugannawa Railway Museum. For our thoughts on one of Sri Lanka’s most unexpectedly beautiful lines make sure you check out our blog on the Colombo to Kandy Journey. We have also now been to the National Railway Museum in Delhi check out our article here.

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