12 of the most spectacular waterfalls on Earth
First time I leaned over Niagara Falls and felt the thundering through my entire body, I was soaked and spellbound. Not knowing better, I’d worn a silk shirt. Little tip — don’t wear a silk shirt to a waterfall. Trust me. :)
There’s something magic about waterfalls. Negative ions, of course, but more. Something wild in the sensory experience, the magnificence and wonder.
Before my my clock stops ticking, I’d love to see at least some of these. The biggest, widest and most truly awe-inspiring waterfalls in the world. Some, I’d never heard of until I went digging. Enjoy!
1. Angel Falls — Tallest Waterfall in the world
Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world — 15 times taller than Niagara, it plunges 3,212 feet over Devil’s Mountain in Venezuela. It seems to defy logic, because it’s source is nothing but the soggy cloud forest above.
2. Iguazo Falls — Poor Niagara!
It would take more than one photo to show the size of these spectacular falls at the border of Brazil and Argentina. There’s an incredible 275 individual waterfalls that form a horseshoe stretching 2 miles wide. When seeing the view for the first time, Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed, “Poor Niagara!”
3. Victoria Falls — largest curtain of water in the world
The largest “sheet” waterfall in the world, 5,604 feet across, 354 feet high, with a flow of 1 million liters per second. The mist and spray rises more than 100 feet above the falls and can be seen 30 miles away. On the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
4. Khone Falls — the widest waterfall in the world
At 45 feet tall, Khone Falls is less than 1/3 the height of Niagara, but it’s the widest waterfall in the world. 35,376 feet wide, on the border of Laos and Cambodia, and spills 2.5 million gallons of water per second — double the volume of Niagara Falls.
5. Inga Falls — largest by flow rate
Another way to measure waterfalls is by flow rate. Inga Falls is a cascade waterfall that drops 315 feet across 9 miles along the Congo River. Water rushes down the falls at the rate of 910,000 cubic feet per second! For comparison, the flow of Niagara Falls is 85,000 cubic feet per second.
6. Burney Falls — Eighth Wonder of the World
Located on Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park in California, Burney Falls were called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by President Roosevelt. The roaring water is 129 feet high, flowing from an underground spring. It has a flow of 100 million gallons a day.
7. Niagara Falls — most popular on the planet
Niagara Falls is actually 3 separate falls: Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Horseshoe Falls is almost entirely on the Canadian side of the border and the most powerful of the three. About 90% of the Niagara River tumbles over the 173 foot tall, 793 foot wide Horseshoe at 600,000 gallons per second. It’s said to be the most popular waterfall on the planet and gets around 20 million visitors per year.
8. Kaieteur Falls, most pristine land left on Earth…
One of the tallest single-drop waterfalls in the world, Kaieteur Falls is 741 feet tall, (4.2 times the height of Niagara) and 370 feet wide. It’s located in the Amazon Rainforest in some of the most pristine land left on Earth. Fun trivia note — David Attenborough visited the falls in his Life on Earth series
9. Para Falls, Venezuela
Para Falls (Salto Para) is an series of 200 ft tall waterfalls that stretch out 18,400 feet wide in a half moon arc between green jungle islands. The amazing part is that the water flows into a “throat” that ends on sand-banks where you can swim, picnic or overnight in hammocks in a jungle paradise.
10. Saltos del Mocono
At only 35 feet tall, Mocono Falls isn’t a tall waterfall, but it’s 6,775-foot wide semi-circle of rushing water. Most of the Mocono Waterfall is in Argentina, but it extends into Brazil, and that’s where the best viewpoints are.
11. Albion Falls
At only 62 feet tall, Albion Falls is about half the height of Niagara. The beauty is that it’s a cascade waterfall, with water tumbling down a series of rock steps. Also Canadian, it’s in King’s Forest Park in Hamilton, Ontario.
12. Gullfoss
Why Iceland? Reindeer, northern lights, and geothermal pools heated by energy from the earth that are warm enough to swim in year round. Plus, Gullfoss! It’s the most popular tourist attraction in Iceland, a waterfall that makes an abrupt right turn and plunges in 2 stages — one 36 feet, the other 69 feet. The amount of water running down the fall is 4,900 cu ft per second in the summer and 2,800 cu ft per second in the winter.
Did I mention any you hadn’t heard of?
Have you seen any of these waterfalls?
I’d love to hear stories from another waterfall fanatic.
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