Wadi al-Kuf

Wadi al-Kuf cuts a deep gorge through the Jebel Akhdar plateau, wooded on its sides with juniper and carob and holding caves in the limestone walls, and the road from Al Bayda crosses it on a bridge that was for a time among the longer spans in Africa. The gorge is the best surviving stretch of Cyrenaican woodland, protected in part as a reserve, and the view from the bridge and the rim is the usual reason to stop.

What you actually see

• The gorge - the deep cut through the plateau with wooded sides.
• The bridge - the long span carrying the road across it.
• The woodland - juniper and carob on the slopes, the best remaining stretch.
• The limestone caves - the openings in the gorge walls.

When to go

March to May and October to November are the comfortable months. Spring is greenest. Winter brings rain and mist to the plateau.

Honest expectations

The gorge is largely viewed from above; there are no maintained paths into it. Facilities are none. Travel in Libya requires arrangements through a licensed operator.

Nearby

Al Bayda is east, and Ptolemais is northwest.