Tunisia Skander zarrad · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
124 metres, to scale.
A slice through Selja Gorges where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Big Ben · 96 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
124m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
10.3km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
22°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
205m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
Afternoons, up top and down below.
In July the afternoon reaches 40 °C. The best months to hike are in March and in November. The floor passes 35 °C from June to August: walk at dawn and carry water.
- 15°14°Jan
- 17°16°Feb
- 21°20°Mar
- 26°25°Apr
- 31°30°May
- 36°35°Jun
- 40°39°Jul
- 38°38°Aug
- 33°32°Sep
- 28°27°Oct
- 20°19°Nov
- 16°15°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Canyon in Tunisia
Selja Gorges is a canyon in Tunisia. The relief model measures 124 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 150 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 10 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Metlaouinearest town · 6.9 km in a straight line
- Tozeur Nefta International Airport (TOE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 52 km in a straight lineCar hire at DJE airport (Mellita)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In March and in Novemberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The the river runs highest in March and from December to January.
The the river carries about 0.57 m³/s on average here. It runs highest in March and from December to January. It is lowest from June to August.
- 1.6 m³/sJan
- 1.0 m³/sFeb
- 1.3 m³/sMar
- 1.2 m³/sApr
- 0.8 m³/sMay
- 0.3 m³/sJun
- 0.1 m³/sJul
- 0.1 m³/sAug
- 0.5 m³/sSep
- 0.6 m³/sOct
- 1.1 m³/sNov
- 1.3 m³/sDec
From about 0.11 m³/s in the lowest month to 1.6 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 683 km².
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 22 × 22 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 3hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmHôtel Thelja, Camping Les Jardins, Maison Des Jeunes Metlaoui
- viewpoints within 5 km
- marked hiking routes within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- caves within 3 km
- car parks within 3 km
- information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- bus stops within 2 km
- campsites within 8 km
- restaurants and cafés within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Metlaoui6.9 km in a straight line
- Moularès16 km in a straight line
- Ar Rudayyif18 km in a straight line
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 15 | 17 | 21 | 26 | 31 | 36 | 40 | 38 | 33 | 28 | 20 | 16 |
| Afternoon · rim | 14 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 39 | 38 | 32 | 27 | 19 | 15 |
| Night · rim | 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 9 | 4 |
| Rain (mm) | 24 | 12 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 20 |
| Rainy days | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Sun hours/day | 7.2 | 8.2 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 11.4 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 7.3 | 6.8 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | 14 | 3 | 24 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 17 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 21 | 20 | 8 | 24 | 9.0 |
| Apr | 26 | 25 | 12 | 23 | 10.0 |
| May | 31 | 30 | 16 | 18 | 11.1 |
| Jun | 36 | 35 | 20 | 8 | 12.5 |
| Jul | 40 | 39 | 24 | 3 | 12.7 |
| Aug | 38 | 38 | 24 | 9 | 11.4 |
| Sep | 33 | 32 | 20 | 22 | 9.4 |
| Oct | 28 | 27 | 16 | 19 | 8.4 |
| Nov | 20 | 19 | 9 | 22 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 16 | 15 | 4 | 20 | 6.8 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (205 m) and the rim (355 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 79% | 0% | 254% | 97% | 52% | 157% | — | 7% | 137% | 72% | 51% | 71% |
| 2021 | 14% | 24% | 65% | 55% | 39% | 29% | — | 69% | 25% | 28% | 46% | 8% |
| 2022 | 25% | 141% | 184% | 27% | 39% | 46% | — | 90% | 146% | 6% | 10% | 18% |
| 2023 | 8% | 52% | 4% | 29% | 449% | 175% | — | 66% | 1% | 0% | 64% | 100% |
| 2024 | 7% | 68% | 37% | 101% | 110% | 25% | — | 69% | 126% | 132% | 29% | 20% |
| 2025 | 64% | 188% | 48% | 110% | 127% | 11% | — | 28% | 65% | 80% | 14% | 94% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Selja Gorges
Tunisia
- 124 mDepth
- 10 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 22°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q3110992) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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