☰Batasia Loop

The Batasia Loop is an engineering marvel on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, about 5 km below the town at Ghoom. The narrow-gauge track makes a complete spiral here to lose altitude — the train completes a full circle and passes under its own track, dropping around 300 metres in the process. The loop is set in a manicured garden with a War Memorial at the centre, commemorating Gorkha soldiers from Darjeeling who died in service since 1947. From the loop there is a fine view back up toward the town and north toward Kanchenjunga. The toy train passes through on scheduled runs; you can also reach the loop by road.