The world's most beautiful waterfalls



Slide 1 of 31: Waterfalls are a source of endless fascination, from vertiginous cascades like Angel Falls in Venezuela to broad beauties like Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Then there are the spectacular settings, with incredible waterfalls deep in rainforests and thick jungle or set against backdrops of dramatic cliffs and mountains. Here are some of the world’s most spectacular, from tall trickles to sculptural masterpieces.
Slide 2 of 31: When one waterfall just isn’t enough, there’s Iguazú Falls – the world’s largest waterfall system and certainly among the most awe-inspiring sights. The chain of cascades, which encompasses more than 270 waterfalls and covers 1.7 miles (2.7km), straddles the border of Brazil and Argentina, and flows in a staircase formation. Its setting, in the heart of a national park thick with rainforest, is equally beguiling.
Slide 3 of 31: Iceland seems to overflow with waterfalls, each with its own fascinating features. Seljalandsfoss, in the south, isn’t the tallest (with a drop of 200 feet/61m) but it’s one of the few waterfalls in the world that you can walk all the way around. Which just means more angles from which to admire its beauty against a landscape of seemingly endless green meadows, dotted with yellow and violet flowers watered by the fine spray.
Slide 4 of 31: In the heart of Jajce, a charming 14th-century city surrounded by medieval walls, Pliva Waterfall splashes down a drop of just 55 feet (17m). But its breadth and picture-perfect surroundings – with red rooftops peeping from hillsides thick with trees – mean it punches (and splashes) well above its height when it comes to beauty.

Slide 5 of 31: Oregon’s tallest waterfall is a neck-craning 611 feet (186m) tall, framed by sheer basalt cliffs and slopes thick with maple trees, whose leaves turn gold in fall. It crashes down in two tiers, fed by rainfall, snowmelt and underground springs. A man-made attraction, Benson Bridge, adds to the natural spectacle. Built in 1914, its concrete arches span the creek.
Slide 6 of 31: Technically, the largest known falls is the Denmark Strait cataract, which lies beneath the Atlantic Ocean. But, on land, Angel Falls takes the literal top spot as the world’s tallest waterfall, crashing 3,212 feet (979m) over the edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain and into the Churun River. Its location in Canaima National Park is equally dramatic, with flat-topped mountains and mist-shrouded forest.
Slide 7 of 31: A mighty sight on the mighty Zambezi River, Victoria Falls is more than 5,500 feet (1,700m) wide and has a sheer drop of 355 feet (108m). In other words, it’s an incredible sight – and has a roar to match. The thundering sound as the water crashes down the near-vertical drop is loud and creates such a veil of mist that the Kalolo-Lozi people named the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya, or ‘The Smoke That Thunders’.
Slide 8 of 31: One of the world’s largest waterfalls is tucked deep in the Bosque de Cataratas Gigantes de Cuispes – which, appropriately, translates as Forest of Gigantic Waterfalls of Cuispes – near the town of Chachapoyas. At nearly 3,000 feet (914m) high, it’s an extraordinary sight with its silvery cascade surrounded by verdant, tangled jungle.
Slide 9 of 31: India’s tallest plunge waterfall has a dramatic drop of around 1,100 feet (335m) but it would be beautiful at a tenth of the height. It rushes over red-rock cliffs thickly blanketed with forest, which surrounds the falls with swathes of emerald green trees draped in mist. Heavy rainfall here in Meghalaya, in eastern India, keeps the landscape verdant, while locals have created bridges from living trees to help them get around in times of monsoon.

Slide 10 of 31: The colors of Havasu Falls look otherworldly but this eye-popping combination of orange-pink rock and a pool of cerulean blue, fed by a silken cascade, is definitely real. One of five waterfalls on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, within the Grand Canyon, the water owes its vibrant hue to calcium carbonate in the water. Take a look at more of America's most beautiful waterfalls here.
Slide 11 of 31: Every inch of the Faroe Islands archipelago feels otherworldly, from the green-carpeted mountains to Nordic villages and fjords shrouded in cool mist. One of the most dramatic sights is on Vágar, one of the largest islands. Here, Múlafossur waterfall drapes from a verdant, clifftop perch, emptying into the sea like white velvet.
Slide 12 of 31: This national park, located between Zagreb and Zadar, is all about blue and green, with a chain of 16 lakes scattered across a lush, wooded landscape and interconnected by a series of wondrous waterfalls. They trickle between forest and in rivulets carved in limestone, pouring into turquoise pools. They’re not the tallest – the longest drop is 255 feet (77m) – but the sheer number of them, and the beauty of their surroundings, makes for a jaw-dropping sight.
Slide 13 of 31: President Theodore Roosevelt called them the eighth wonder of the world and while there’s a lot of competition there, these falls in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, northern California, are certainly wondrous. The multiple cascades are fed by underground springs, flowing 129 feet (39m) into a sapphire pool that pops against the green of the surrounding forest.
Slide 14 of 31: One of the most famous sights in the pristine Krka National Park, in southern Croatia, these seven small waterfalls tumble over one another in their rush to get to the gin-clear, turquoise-tinged pool at the bottom. And who can blame them? The scene could hardly be more inviting, especially tucked amid thick, vibrantly verdant vegetation.

Slide 15 of 31: In the heart of Tat Ton National Park in central Thailand, this waterfall is one of many in the area. But its beauty is stand-out: silken curtains of water tip over the edge of perfectly flat plateaus and cascade down sculptural, elephant-gray rock formations. Chaiyaphum province, where the fall is located, is also home to Mor Hin Khao, sometimes called Thailand’s Stonehenge.
Slide 16 of 31: Perhaps Iceland’s most famous waterfall, Gullfoss is the magical result of the Hvítá river traveling from the glacier Langjökull. The cascade drops just 105 feet (32m) but height isn’t everything. It’s the breadth of the falls, which tumble over a series of ridges, and the vast, barren beauty of the landscape that make Gullfoss so heart-stoppingly lovely – particularly when it’s dusted with snow in winter. Take a look at these photos of the coldest places on Earth.
Slide 17 of 31: Europe’s most powerful (and third largest) waterfall looks like it’s emerged, roaring, straight from the pages of a fairy tale. There's even a castle perched above its impressive cascades. Located on the High Rhine, the fast-flowing water is so loud that vibrations can be felt nearby.
Slide 18 of 31: The mist produced by the Blue Nile Falls in northwestern Ethiopia is so dense, the waterfall’s local name is Tis Abay – Amharic for 'great smoke’. Straddling the White and Blue Nile rivers, its biggest drop is around 140 feet (43m) and its widest point is 1,312 feet (400m), creating a dramatic sight amid lush rainforest.
Slide 19 of 31: There’s beauty at every turn and in every direction in California’s vast Yosemite National Park. But, even in the face of such stiff competition, Yosemite Falls is undisputedly one of the most magnificent sights. It’s divided into three sections, the tallest of which is Upper Yosemite Fall – one of the world’s highest waterfalls with a head-spinning drop of 1,430 feet (436m). Together, the falls tumble magnificently for 2,425 feet (739m), cascading down granite cliffs studded with pines.
Slide 20 of 31: What this series of waterfalls lacks in height, it makes up for in sheer, ethereal beauty. Located on the Isle of Skye at the foot of the Black Cuillin mountains, the Fairy Pools are so-named because the crystalline, blue-and-green-dappled water is so crisply beautiful it seems to defy nature. And they have a magical, hypnotic effect on those who gaze upon them. Discover more of the world's most magical places.
Slide 21 of 31: The second highest plunge waterfall in Karnataka, India, flows in a series of segmented, seemingly independent cascades, though all come from the Sharavathi River. Rainbows often form in the fine mist below and the surroundings – dense evergreen forest – are pretty lovely too.
Slide 22 of 31: This waterfall straddles the border between China, where it's called Detian Falls, and Vietnam, where it's called Ban Gioc. Fed by the Quay Son River, it tumbles down several staggered levels, all surrounded by jungle-clad limestone rock and karst mountains, whose jagged, pointy shapes are formed by rainfall.
Slide 23 of 31: Pistyll Rhaeadr in Wales staggers over a 240-foot (73m) cliff face in three stages, pooling in the Afon Rhaedr river below. It’s set within the Berwyn Mountains, surrounding by rolling green hills and enchanting woodland. Now take a look at the world's most stunning natural wonders.
Slide 24 of 31: Yellowstone National Park doesn’t scrimp on natural beauty, from the dazzlingly colorful Grand Prismatic Spring to wildlife including gray wolves and grizzly bears. Then there’s Yellowstone Falls, which is actually made up of three joined-up falls that flow in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, slicing through a dramatically beautiful landscape of gray and apricot–hued cliffs studded with pines.
Slide 25 of 31: The world’s largest single-drop waterfall (by volume) looks like something from a picture book. Framed by leafy Guyanese rainforest, rainbows often form in the mist rising from the thundering water below. Located in the Kaieteur National Park in west Guyana, it’s also one of the world’s most powerful (and noisy) waterfalls.
Slide 26 of 31: Located in the village of Balaa, in north Lebanon, Baatara Gorge is one of the most unusual waterfalls. It’s certainly one of the most fascinating to gaze upon, with its cascade encased in a limestone cave divided by three natural bridges. Trickling from a height of 837 feet (255m), it only flows in March and April, fed by snowmelt.
Slide 27 of 31: Located in the remote part of Fjordland in the South Island, Sutherland Falls is made up of three streams that thunder from a height of 1,904 feet (580m) – putting it among the world’s tallest. There’s often not a soul around to hear their roar as the falls are tucked within remote bushland, with water flowing from Lake Quill. Here are 50 more reasons to love New Zealand.
Slide 28 of 31: Cascading slinkily and silkily from a height of 442 feet (135m), 'Akaka Falls – on the island of Hawaii’s northeastern coast – looks pretty much how we might picture paradise. It empties into a gorge surrounded by a tangle of rainforest, bamboo and tendrils of draping ferns.
Slide 29 of 31: It’s hard to believe these hot springs pools, linked by a series of shallow cascades, aren’t man-made. Staggered like a giant’s staircase near the pretty village of Saturnia, in southern Tuscany, they look like they’ve been crafted for a luxurious spa resort. Fed by thermal springs that heat the water to a balmy 99.5°F (37.5°C), the pools of Terme di Saturnia are believed to have therapeutic properties – but their beauty is entirely natural. Discover these stunning lakes that you won't believe are actually man-made.
Slide 30 of 31: The Yerköprü Waterfall, in southern Turkey, is dreamily gorgeous, cascading in fine curtains into a vivid, almost milky, turquoise lake below. It’s believed the waterfall formed due to erosion by a stream, Ermenek, which feeds the river Göksu, forming a cavern through which the water flows.
Slide 31 of 31: We could compare Bigar Waterfall to a mossy mushroom, if only in shape. The strange yet beautiful attraction, in Romania’s protected Cheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park, cascades over a fat, rounded stone carpeted in emerald moss. The water trickles around its edges to create a gorgeous, misty veil reminiscent of an umbrella in a rainstorm. Now take a look at the world's most stunning rivers

Wonder falls

Iguazú Falls, Brazil and Argentina

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Pliva Waterfall, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA

Angel Falls, Venezuela

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia

Yumbilla Falls, Peru

Nohkalikai Falls, India

Havasu Falls, Arizona, USA

The colors of Havasu Falls look otherworldly but this eye-popping combination of orange-pink rock and a pool of cerulean blue, fed by a silken cascade, is definitely real. One of five waterfalls on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, within the Grand Canyon, the water owes its vibrant hue to calcium carbonate in the water. Take a look at more of America’s most beautiful waterfalls here.

Múlafossur, Faroe Islands

Plitvice Lakes National Park waterfalls, Croatia

This national park, located between Zagreb and Zadar, is all about blue and green, with a chain of 16 lakes scattered across a lush, wooded landscape and interconnected by a series of wondrous waterfalls. They trickle between forest and in rivulets carved in limestone, pouring into turquoise pools. They’re not the tallest – the longest drop is 255 feet (77m) – but the sheer number of them, and the beauty of their surroundings, makes for a jaw-dropping sight.

Burney Falls, California, USA

Skradinski Buk falls, Croatia

Tat Ton Waterfall, Thailand

Gullfoss, Iceland

Perhaps Iceland’s most famous waterfall, Gullfoss is the magical result of the Hvítá river traveling from the glacier Langjökull. The cascade drops just 105 feet (32m) but height isn’t everything. It’s the breadth of the falls, which tumble over a series of ridges, and the vast, barren beauty of the landscape that make Gullfoss so heart-stoppingly lovely – particularly when it’s dusted with snow in winter. Take a look at these photos of the coldest places on Earth.

Rhine Falls, Switzerland

Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia

Yosemite Falls, California, USA

Fairy Pools, Scotland

What this series of waterfalls lacks in height, it makes up for in sheer, ethereal beauty. Located on the Isle of Skye at the foot of the Black Cuillin mountains, the Fairy Pools are so-named because the crystalline, blue-and-green-dappled water is so crisply beautiful it seems to defy nature. And they have a magical, hypnotic effect on those who gaze upon them. Discover more of the world’s most magical places.

Jog Falls, India

Ban Gioc-Detian Falls, Vietnam and China

Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales

Pistyll Rhaeadr in Wales staggers over a 240-foot (73m) cliff face in three stages, pooling in the Afon Rhaedr river below. It’s set within the Berwyn Mountains, surrounding by rolling green hills and enchanting woodland. Now take a look at the world’s most stunning natural wonders.

Yellowstone Falls, Wyoming, USA

Kaieteur Falls, Guyana

Baatara Gorge Waterfall, Lebanon

Sutherland Falls, New Zealand

Located in the remote part of Fjordland in the South Island, Sutherland Falls is made up of three streams that thunder from a height of 1,904 feet (580m) – putting it among the world’s tallest. There’s often not a soul around to hear their roar as the falls are tucked within remote bushland, with water flowing from Lake Quill. Here are 50 more reasons to love New Zealand.

‘Akaka Falls, Hawaii, USA

Terme di Saturnia, Italy

It’s hard to believe these hot springs pools, linked by a series of shallow cascades, aren’t man-made. Staggered like a giant’s staircase near the pretty village of Saturnia, in southern Tuscany, they look like they’ve been crafted for a luxurious spa resort. Fed by thermal springs that heat the water to a balmy 99.5°F (37.5°C), the pools of Terme di Saturnia are believed to have therapeutic properties – but their beauty is entirely natural. Discover these stunning lakes that you won’t believe are actually man-made.

Yerköprü Waterfall, Turkey

Bigar Waterfall, Romania

We could compare Bigar Waterfall to a mossy mushroom, if only in shape. The strange yet beautiful attraction, in Romania’s protected Cheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park, cascades over a fat, rounded stone carpeted in emerald moss. The water trickles around its edges to create a gorgeous, misty veil reminiscent of an umbrella in a rainstorm.

Now take a look at the world’s most stunning rivers

Source: Read Full Article

Related News:
  1. The beautiful little commuter town named the best place to live in the UK
  2. Australia to start charging influencers for access to popular photo spots
  3. Organizers don’t know if Denver’s Viva Streets will return in 2024
  4. Spirit Airlines suspends New York-area flights following CDC warning
  5. ‘I’m a travel expert and flight prices are cheaper at a specific time of day’
  6. Chinese space debris could disrupt holiday flights this weekend – affected destinations
  7. Travel Insiders on Where They Want to Go Next