Guellala is a potters' village, and has been for as long as anyone can remember. The clay beneath the hills of southern Djerba is a fine, pale material that fires to a warm terracotta, and the workshops around the village shape it into jars, plates, oil lamps and large amphorae, still using techniques similar to those of Roman times. Potters work at wheels in open yards, stack their wares to dry in the sun, and fire them in kilns fuelled with olive wood, and visitors can stand and watch. A small museum about local culture lies a short drive away.
The Mosque of Guellala belongs to the island's group of Ibadi places of worship, whitewashed and heavily built, and the contrast between its plain walls and the colourful pottery workshops is part of the pleasure of the village. The village sits on an upland ridge at the south end of the island, and from there you can look out over olive groves, palm trees and fields toward the sea, and on a clear day you can see the Tunisian mainland as a low line on the horizon.
The roads around Guellala are among the best for riding on Djerba, with gentle bends, mild gradients and light traffic. The coast road along the southern shore passes beaches of pale sand, some quiet, some busy with hotels. Surfaces are good but sandy at the edges, and in the summer months the heat can reach forty degrees, so rest in the shade at midday. Keep an eye out for goats, donkeys and the occasional camel, which are used for tourist rides near the beaches.
Fuel is available in Erriadh, about eleven kilometres away, or in Houmt Souk, so top up before heading south. Cafés in the village sell mint tea and pastries, and small restaurants serve fish grilled over charcoal.
Buy a piece of pottery if you can, although the bigger jars are too awkward for a bike, and small bowls and lamps pack better.