The Red Lizard (Le Lézard Rouge)

Scenery Highlights

• Approach to the Seldja Gorge — the train enters the cliff walls through Tunnel 1 (the longest bore on the line, ~140 m)
• The mid-gorge cliff-edge disembarkation point — a narrow concrete ledge about 8 m above the dry riverbed with sweeping canyon panoramas
• Passing through Tunnels 5 and 7, where the red limestone is so close the carriage windows almost scrape the rock face
• The Oued Seldja spring — a small permanent water source where date palms and oleanders cling to the canyon floor
• Djebel Seldja's eastern wall at sunrise (Tuesday/Sunday 10:00 departures) — the canyon faces east and catches direct morning light
• The 1903 steel bridge over the Oued Mides, with original lattice girders still in service
• Métlaoui phosphate yard on departure — open-top ore wagons, towering conveyor belts, and the red dust that gives the train its name
• The drive-through at Tunnel 11 (the turnaround loop) — the train reverses inside a short dead-end tunnel cut into the cliff
• Views back across the Gafsa phosphate plateau from the western portal of Tunnel 1 on the return run
• Late afternoon (Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10:30 departure) — lower sun angles throw long shadows across the gorge walls