The 20 waterfalls below range from Angel Falls at 979 meters to the 19-meter Albion Falls, and each is a real, visitable place with a published height or width. We checked the figures for every entry in October 2026 and added what to know before you go: the season, the access and the one thing that is easy to get wrong.
| # | Waterfall | Where | Key figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria Falls | Zambia / Zimbabwe | 1,708 m wide |
| 2 | Iguazu Falls | Argentina / Brazil | about 275 falls |
| 3 | Crabtree Falls | North Carolina, USA | 70 ft |
| 4 | Albion Falls | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | 19 m |
| 5 | Lower Falls of the Yellowstone | Wyoming, USA | 308 ft |
| 6 | Seljalandsfoss | Iceland | 60 m |
| 7 | Upper Yosemite Fall | California, USA | 1,430 ft |
| 8 | McWay Falls | Big Sur, California, USA | 80 ft |
| 9 | Tugela Falls | Drakensberg, South Africa | 948 m |
| 10 | Silver Falls State Park | Oregon, USA | 10 falls, 7.2 mi trail |
| 11 | Niagara Falls | New York, USA / Ontario, Canada | 57 m high |
| 12 | Skógafoss | Iceland | 60 m |
| 13 | Langfoss | Fjæra, Norway | 612 m |
| 14 | Plitvice Lakes | Croatia | 16 lakes |
| 15 | Blackwater Falls | West Virginia, USA | 62 ft |
| 16 | Angel Falls | Canaima, Venezuela | 979 m |
| 17 | Kaieteur Falls | Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana | 226 m |
| 18 | Jiuzhaigou | Sichuan, China | Nuorilang: 20 m high, 320 m wide |
| 19 | Seven Sisters Waterfall | Geirangerfjord, Norway | 250 m free fall |
| 20 | Kuang Si Falls | Luang Prabang, Laos | 60 m main drop |
Not everyone has the time and money to travel the world, but those who do still need a reason to pick a place. Start with the waterfalls where timing matters most: Victoria Falls, Angel Falls and Jiuzhaigou.
1. Victoria Falls, Zambia / Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls drops into the Zambezi gorge on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe and is about 1,708 meters (5,604 ft) wide. Its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means the smoke that thunders. The river floods from February to May and peaks in April, when spray can rise over 400 meters. From September to January up to half of the rock face can run dry, so timing decides what you see. Both countries run national parks at the site, and the falls are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
2. Iguazu Falls, Argentina / Brazil
Iguazu is a system of roughly 275 separate falls on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. The steps are 35 and 40 meters high, and the Devil’s Throat is the deepest and loudest section, with the border running through it. About 80% of the falls sit on the Argentine side, while Brazil holds over 95% of the river basin. Argentina’s side has a 1 km walkway over the Devil’s Throat, and Brazil’s side gives the wide panorama.
3. Crabtree Falls, North Carolina, USA
This is the North Carolina Crabtree Falls, a 70-foot (21 m) cascade near the McDowell and Yancey county line. The drop is modest compared with the giants on this list, which is why it works as an easy stop on a Blue Ridge road trip. Do not confuse it with the much taller Crabtree Falls in Virginia, which is a separate waterfall in Nelson County.
4. Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Albion Falls is a 19-meter (62 ft) cascade on the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley. The top of the falls is on Mountain Brow Boulevard, and the base is reached by trail from King’s Forest Park. The Bruce Trail passes close by.
5. Lower Falls of the Yellowstone, Wyoming, USA
The Lower Falls drop 308 feet (94 m) in Yellowstone National Park, nearly twice the height of Niagara. The Yellowstone River is only about 70 feet wide at the brink, so the flow is far smaller than Niagara’s. It swings from about 680 cubic feet per second in autumn to about 8,400 at the late-spring peak. The falls feed the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which is up to 1,000 feet deep.
6. Seljalandsfoss, Iceland
Seljalandsfoss falls 60 meters (197 ft) beside Route 1 in southern Iceland, fed by meltwater from the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. Visitors can walk behind the curtain into a small cave, so bring a rain jacket. Its position makes it a short stop on the way to Þórsmörk.
7. Upper Yosemite Fall, California, USA
The Upper Yosemite Fall is a 1,430-foot (440 m) plunge, more than half of the 2,425-foot (739 m) total drop of the three-part Yosemite Falls. Flow peaks in late spring and thins out later in the year. Trails reach both the top and the base of the upper fall.
8. McWay Falls, Big Sur, California, USA
McWay Falls is an 80-foot (24 m) waterfall in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park that flows year-round from McWay Creek. At high tide it is a tidefall, pouring straight into the Pacific, and only one other tidefall exists in California. A short 0.5-mile trail from the parking area just east of Highway 1 leads to the overlook, while the cove beach below is reachable only by boat.
9. Tugela Falls, Drakensberg, South Africa
Tugela Falls replaces the South African entry in the original version of this article, which we could not tie to a documented waterfall. Tugela is a seasonal complex of five free-leaping drops in Royal Natal National Park, with an official total of 948 meters (3,110 ft). A 2016 expedition measured it at 983 meters, so it is disputed whether Tugela or Angel Falls is the tallest in the world.
10. Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, USA
Silver Falls near Silverton is Oregon’s largest state park at over 9,000 acres. Its 7.2-mile Trail of Ten Falls follows Silver Creek past ten waterfalls, and the trail passes behind four of them: South Falls, Lower South Falls, Middle North Falls and North Falls. South Falls drops 177 feet (54 m) and is the most visited.
11. Niagara Falls, New York, USA / Ontario, Canada
Niagara is three waterfalls on the US-Canada border. Horseshoe Falls is about 57 meters (187 ft) high and 790 meters wide, and it is the most powerful waterfall in North America by flow rate. The falls draw more than 20 million visitors a year, with summer the peak. Floodlights light them for hours after dusk from the Canadian side.
12. Skógafoss, Iceland
Skógafoss is 25 meters wide and drops 60 meters (200 ft) at the old coastline cliff on the Skógá River. The spray often makes a rainbow, sometimes a double one, on sunny days. A 527-step staircase climbs to the top, where the trail continues toward Fimmvörðuháls.
13. Langfoss, Fjæra, Norway
Langfoss falls about 612 meters (2,008 ft) into the Åkrafjord and the E134 road runs along its base. This is one of the few large Norwegian waterfalls never used for hydropower, so it keeps its natural flow. Snowmelt makes it strongest in late spring and early summer, and boat trips on the fjord give a full view.
14. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Plitvice Lakes National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 for its cascading tufa lakes and connected waterfalls. Sixteen lakes can be seen from the surface, and the Plitvica waterfall, called Veliki slap, is 78 meters high. The park has introduced limits on summer visitors since 2019, so check current entry rules and book ahead for July and August.
15. Blackwater Falls, West Virginia, USA
Blackwater Falls is a 62-foot (19 m) drop in Blackwater Falls State Park near Davis, where the tannin-dark river enters Blackwater Canyon. People usually cite it as the highest above-ground waterfall in West Virginia. In winter it often freezes over completely.
16. Angel Falls, Canaima, Venezuela
Angel Falls is the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall at 979 meters (3,212 ft), with an uninterrupted plunge of 807 meters, on Auyán-tepui in Canaima National Park. Getting there takes a flight to Canaima camp and then a river trip, usually from June to December when the rivers are deep enough. Aviator Jimmie Angel gave it his name after flying over it in 1933.
17. Kaieteur Falls, Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana
Kaieteur is a single drop of 226 meters (741 ft) on the Potaro River, about 251 meters counting the cascades below. That is roughly four and a half times the height of Niagara, with an average flow near 663 cubic meters per second. Few waterfalls combine this much height and volume.
18. Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, China
Jiuzhaigou is a UNESCO World Heritage valley of multi-level waterfalls and colored lakes. Nuorilang Falls, 20 meters high and 320 meters wide, is reportedly China’s widest highland waterfall. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake in August 2017 closed the valley until March 2018, when it reopened with limited access, so confirm which areas are open before you travel.
19. Seven Sisters Waterfall, Geirangerfjord, Norway
The Seven Sisters is a 410-meter waterfall made of seven separate streams, the tallest with a free fall of 250 meters, on the Geirangerfjord. Across the fjord a single fall called the Suitor faces it. The area is part of the West Norwegian Fjords World Heritage Site, and the best view is from the water.
20. Kuang Si Falls, Luang Prabang, Laos
Kuang Si is a multi-tiered waterfall about 29 km south of Luang Prabang. The main fall drops 60 meters over white limestone into turquoise pools, and the trip from town takes under an hour. Most visitors treat it as the default day trip from Luang Prabang.
Which one would you want to see first?
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FAQ
What is the tallest waterfall in the world?
Angel Falls in Venezuela is generally cited as the tallest uninterrupted waterfall at 979 meters. South Africa’s Tugela Falls, at an official 948 meters (983 m in a 2016 measurement), is disputed as a rival, and neither measurement has been revalidated.
Which waterfall is the widest on this list?
Victoria Falls is about 1,708 meters wide, the widest single curtain of water here. Iguazu is split into roughly 275 separate falls instead.
When is the best time to see Victoria Falls?
The river floods from February to May and peaks in April, giving the most water and spray. From September to January up to half of the rock face can run dry, though that is when low water opens some swimming spots like Devil’s Pool.
Can you walk behind any of these waterfalls?
Yes. Seljalandsfoss in Iceland has a path into a small cave behind the falls, and the Trail of Ten Falls at Silver Falls State Park passes behind four waterfalls. Wear waterproofs, and check the park’s current trail status first.
Which of these waterfalls are easiest to reach?
Langfoss is visible from the E134 road, Seljalandsfoss sits beside Route 1, and McWay Falls is a short walk from Highway 1 parking. Angel Falls is the hardest, needing a flight and a river trip.
Did anything change since the original article?
We replaced an unverifiable South African entry with Tugela Falls, corrected locations, and added measured heights and access notes for each fall. Plitvice and Jiuzhaigou now carry notes on visitor limits and the 2017 earthquake closure.
How we put this list together
We kept the original 20 places where they could be documented and checked each height, width and access detail against encyclopedic and park information. Where a figure is disputed or an entry could not be verified, we say so or replaced it.
Last updated: October 2026.
