Towering cliffs
Golden colours.
Skander zarrad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2ahmed zakaria — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ettounsi21 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ettounsi21 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Touzrimounir — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Selja Gorge is a narrow, winding valley several kilometres long between the towns of Metlaoui and Redeyef in western Tunisia, carved by the Oued Selja, about 10 km in a straight line north-west of Metlaoui. It was declared a nature reserve in 2009 and listed as a Ramsar wetland site in 2012. The riverbed twists sharply between towering rock walls in beige and gold, in places huge overhanging slabs hang above it like roofs, and at one point the gorge widens into a natural amphitheatre. Grasses, reeds and wild fig trees grow along the water's edge. In 1896 the Gafsa phosphate company built a railway through the gorge to carry phosphate from the region's mines, cutting tunnels through the rock. A historic tourist train known as the Lézard Rouge, the «Red Lizard», has run through it from Metlaoui, stopping at the widest point of the gorge, but its service has been suspended at times. Check the train's schedule before you go, or walk the valley with a local guide. Summers are extremely hot, so October to April is the best time to visit, with shoes suited to walking on gravel.
Golden colours.
Above the riverbed.
A historic train.
Between Metlaoui and Redeyef, Gafsa Governorate, Tunisia
It has been suspended at times, so check before you go.
October to April.