Selja Gorges
- Hike
- Distance
- 15.4km
- Duration
- 4.5HRS
- Ascent
- 271M
Listed 15.4 km / drawn track 10.5 km
Elevation profile
239-427 M / TERRAIN TILES SAMPLED ALONG THE TRACK
Photographs
Photos: Astiosaurus (CC BY-SA 4.0), Touzrimounir (CC BY-SA 4.0), Ettounsi21 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start point
- Car
- About 7 km west of Metlaoui town; Metlaoui is 40 km from Gafsa and 450 km from Tunis.
- Louage
- Louage from Tunis Moncef Bey station to Gafsa or Metlaoui (verify locally), then taxi.
- Bus / train
- SNCFT train Tunis-Gafsa-Metlaoui (night train).
The trail
An out-and-back walk up the Selja gorge beside the Lezard Rouge railway, from the Metlaoui end to Selja station.
The Selja (Thelja) Gorges are a winding canyon several kilometres long where the Oued Selja cuts through the mountains between Metlaoui and Redeyef, linking the Gafsa basin to the Redeyef plateau. Red and pink strata rise in cliffs over 100 m high, and a phosphate railway built in 1896 threads the gorge through tunnels; the Lezard Rouge tourist train once ran here. The gorge became a nature reserve in 2009, and remains of Roman dams can be seen along the wadi.
- Red and pink cliff strata
- Railway tunnels and bridges
- Remains of Roman dams
- Nature reserve since 2009
Weather and season
- SEASON
- Oct-Apr
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.5 C | 5 C | 7 mm |
| February | 16.9 C | 5.8 C | 13 mm |
| March | 20.9 C | 9.2 C | 20 mm |
| April | 26.3 C | 13.7 C | 14 mm |
| May | 30.7 C | 17.6 C | 6 mm |
| June | 35.5 C | 22.1 C | 1 mm |
| July | 38.5 C | 24.7 C | 0 mm |
| August | 37.5 C | 24.4 C | 4 mm |
| September | 33.5 C | 21.7 C | 7 mm |
| October | 27.8 C | 16.6 C | 10 mm |
| November | 20.8 C | 10.5 C | 10 mm |
| December | 16.3 C | 6.2 C | 6 mm |
Monthly normals 2011-2020 at the start point, from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). Shaded months are the season this trail is listed for.
Practical
- Water
- None in the gorge; carry 2-3 L.
- Guide
- recommended
- Hazards
- Active phosphate railway in the gorge: keep off the track and tunnels; flash floods after rain; heat.
- Route
- Approximate line along mapped paths between verified waypoints. Follow a guide or a GPS track on the ground.
Go with a guide
These operators and clubs organise guided hikes in Tunisia:
- WildyNessTunisian booking platform for guided hikes with local guides (Cap Blanc, Mides, Selja, Dahar, El Haouaria), several with GPS downloads.
- Association Tunisienne des RandonneursHiking association in Tunis that runs and writes up group hikes across the country.
- Mosaic North AfricaTour operator offering custom hiking trips, including the Chebika, Tamerza and Mides oases.
- Destination DaharPublishes the official topoguide (12 stages, 194 km) of the Grande Traversee du Dahar.
- Grand Sahara AventuresDjerba-based operator running Berber village and desert treks in the south.
- Destination TunisTunis-based guide publishing and leading day hikes around Tunis and Cap Bon.