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Due to numerous inquiries, we've decided to showcase the tallest waterfalls that we've personally visited in our travels. One critical definition to make clear here is that "tallest" refers to the cumulative height of the waterfall. We have a separate list for waterfalls with the tallest leap.I have to admit that I've been critical about any World's Tallest list because there's no consensus as to how waterfalls are defined (i.e. when a waterfall begins and ends, how long it must flow to count, etc.) and even fewer have been accurately measured (with the clinometer and rangefinder combo along with some trigonometry). So it's extremely difficult to come up with a definitive list of tallest waterfalls. Indeed, those lists that are already out there can easily be picked apart by someone who has actually been to the waterfalls that can make that judgement call or provide solid scientific evidence for their inclusion or exclusion. That's why we're limiting this list to just the ones we've seen. And as you can imagine, it's certainly not easy to put together this list even for the ones we have been to! So we've relied on our judgment, estimates from the World Waterfall Database, and some local input. The result is our list in reverse order...
10. SUTHERLAND FALLS [Fiordland, New Zealand] This Kiwi wonder on the South Island just barely makes this list with a cumulative height of 580m over three distinct leaps (though you can argue it flip flops with Sentinel Falls and Catarata de Chinata). Still, it's widely regarded as New Zealand's most beautiful waterfall even if height technicalities ratchet this waterfall lower down the "world's tallest" lists.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
9. LANGFOSS [Hordaland, Norway] This monster cascade drops over a cumulative height of around 612m. I can vouch for this measurement after inspecting the topographic map at Norgesglasset (Norway's online Topographic Map courtesy of Statens Kartverk). Sourced by the massive Folgefonn Glacier (Folgefonna), there's no question this waterfall is legit as it's very wide and tumbles down the length of the mountainside into the Åkra Fjord (Åkrafjorden), which is at sea level. Oh yeah, the scenic allure of this waterfall is quite good, too!
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
8. SNOW CREEK FALLS [California, USA] This side creek that tumbles some 2,140ft (about 652m; corroborated by TOPO! California ) into Tenaya Canyon in Yosemite National Park, is one of the more elusive waterfalls in the park. In fact, if you want to see the whole drop of the waterfall in one go, you're gonna have to summit Yosemite's iconic Half Dome. Perhaps one of the better excuses to do the strenuous trail for waterfalls if you ask me!
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
7. MARDALSFOSSEN [Møre og Romsdal, Norway] Certainly one of the tallest waterfalls in the world at a cumulative height of 656m (or 2,150ft; corroborated by inspection of Norgesglasset), this neck-breaking waterfall has gotten a bad rap because it succumbed to hydroelectricity despite human-chain protests. Still, the falls is allowed to flow during tourist season in the Summer, which means it can be reliably viewed and thus we have no qualms about including the falls on this list. It's possible to see the context of the falls towering over the lake Eikedalsvatnet from across the lake itself (though there's no formal pullouts for this view on the narrow road).
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
6. YOSEMITE FALLS [California, USA] This is certainly one of the taller waterfalls in North America though whether it's the tallest is highly disputable depending on who you talk to. Dropping over two mighty leaps with cascades sandwiched in between, it has a cumulative height at a widely reported and accepted 2,424ft (or 739m). Statistics aside, it's the crown jewel of attractions in the incomparable Yosemite Valley, and perhaps rivals Half Dome and El Capitan as iconic symbols of Yosemite National Park.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
5. KJELFOSSEN [Sogn og Fjordane, Norway] Tumbling in multiple strands into the steep Nærøy Valley (Nærøydalen), this is often regarded as one of the tallest (if not the tallest) cumulative-drop waterfalls in Norway. Its statistics (again which we can vouch for by Norgesglasset inspection) gives this one a height of 755m or 2,477ft. You can appreciate the context of how it tumbles down the mountainside when viewed from the Stalheim Hotel Terrace, but you can find a pullout near the base of the waterfall for a neck-cranking look at the falls itself.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
4. CATARATA GOCTA [Cocachimba/San Pablo, Peru] Measured by the Millandorf expedition party and corroborated by the National Geographic Society in 2006 at a cumulative height of 771m (2,531ft), this is definitely one of the taller legitimate waterfalls in the world and is perhaps the pride of the Chachas people of Northern Peru. The falls actually consists of a 230m upper drop followed by a 531m lower drop (making this one also one of the taller free-leaping waterfalls in the world) so it certainly holds it own statistically no matter which way you slice and dice it.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
3. BROWNE FALLS [Fiordland, New Zealand] This long cascade draining Lake Browne and dropping into the Doubtful Sound has been the subject of many conversations regarding whether it's the tallest in New Zealand or not. Well, based on examining the NZMapped GPS Topographic Map (which itself is derived from Land Information New Zealand data), it's conceivable that the falls tops off at the reported 836m (2,744ft) though there have been published brochures saying the falls is 619m (possibly the first 200m or so of its drop is sloping stream before making the steep cascade). Now this waterfall blends in with many of the other cascades you might find in the Doubtful Sound so even identifying this guy is a challenge unless you knew exactly what you're looking for.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
2. CATARATA DE YUMBILLA [Cuispes, Peru] Gaining more attention since Westerners first found out about Catarata Gocta in 2006, this thin multi-drop waterfall is said to drop with a cumulative height of around 896m (2,938ft). That would put this amongst the tallest waterfalls in the world and certainly one of the tallest ones we've personally seen. Of course, being nestled in the towering Andes Mountains, perhaps it's not surprising this waterfall exists and that there are many more yet to be officially recognized as surpassing even this waterfall in height!
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
1. ANGEL FALLS (SALTO ÁNGEL) [Canaima, Venezuela] So far this waterfall has stood the test of time and debate as being the consensus tallest waterfall on earth! Statistically speaking, it has a cumulative height of 979m (3,212ft). It leaps off the Auyantepui, which itself is an isolated plateau collecting rain at its soggy, mysterious top, and thus the presence of this waterfall is a miracle and an oddity in and of itself! If you're looking to gaze upon this world wonder, be aware that clouds frequently cover its top so patience and a little luck is needed to get the view you want.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
Finally, we acknowledge that putting out a list like this opens the door for debate about which waterfalls belong and don't belong. Again, it all depends on who you talk to and what his/her criteria is so we realize that there is no definitive list of world's tallest. Anyways, just to answer some nagging concerns about some notable omissions (especially if you're wondering why we didn't religiously follow the World Waterfall Database list), let's get to it...First off, we took out Strupenfossen despite its reported height of 820m (2,690ft). That's because we looked into Norgesglasset and unfortunately could neither confirm nor dispute the claim since the markings had more to do with property boundaries as opposed to elevation. Based on obscure readings from neighboring landmarks, it's conceivable that it could run from 1263m to 314m (949m) in the best case, but this is not likely given our field observations. So given the uncertainties revolving around this falls, we've opted to leave it out. Ramnefjellfossen or (Utigardsfossen), which was reported to be 818m (2,685ft) was also left out. From examining Norgesglasset, the cliff from which the falls tumbles is said to be 600m in elevation and it ends around 75m high near Lovatnet. That would put this guy at around 525m and off the tallest waterfalls list. Døntefossen, which was reported to be 700m (2,296ft), was also left off the list. That's because a Norgesglasset inspection revealed that the cliff from which the falls drops is at 600m in elevation and the Rauma River is roughly around 124m in elevation. So that'd put the falls at about 476m in cumulative height, which would also disqualify it as one of the tallest we've seen. Seerenbach Falls, which was measured to have a cumulative height of about 585m (1,919ft) was left out because we don't think it would pass the longevity test. In other words, we don't think it has a long enough season to count amongst the major waterfalls in terms of height. Other waterfalls that were left off the list (namely the Hawaiian ones) were left off because most of them don't last long enough to be reliably seen. And again, if you're wondering why Tugela Falls isn't on here, it's because we didn't visit it yet (thereby disqualifying it from this list). Just to throw a wrench into things, we re-examined the status of Skrikjofossen, which was said to be "only" 455m (1,493ft) tall. However, upon closer inspection of Norgesglasset, we saw that its cliffside descent begins between 900m-1000m in elevation and terminates at the Opo River at around 225m in elevation. Given those numbers, that'd put this waterfall between 675m to 775m in cumulative height and thus a spot on this list. There's a question whether the sloping cascades between the base of the main drops and the confluence with the Opo River are steep enough to count as part of this falls or not, and I'm afraid that's really a judgement call since other waterfalls have been getting the benefit of the doubt regarding the inclusion of cascades in the vicinity of the main drop(s). For now, we'll leave this off the list, but it could very well sit on this list and we'll see how this plays out with some additional inquiries and discussions... Finally, after a trip to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland, we noticed a handful of waterfalls tumbling from heights that are an appreciable fraction of the peaks surpassing 13,000ft (meaning these cascades from top to bottom could conceivably have fallen over 4,000ft or more). These waterfalls seemed to have enough volume for them to be considered more than ephemeral waterfalls (i.e. they have nowhere near the volume of say Angel Falls, but probably have similar durations to say Ribbon Falls in Yosemite). Should these waterfalls count? Even though most of them don't seem to have names except maybe one stream that was signposted Mattenbach, if you were to count these waterfalls, should they supplant Angel Falls as the world's tallest? At what point does this become a contest of seeing which topographic region has the highest drainages rather than the highest waterfalls (which totally depends on how you define them)? Indeed, it's cases like these that test our tendency to want to designate a list enshrining the so-called "world's tallest waterfalls." And it's one of the main reasons why I think they're mostly bogus even though we're presenting you with such a list on this page (and this only includes the waterfalls we've personally seen). In any case, I'm sure there are other waterfalls that you could argue should belong on this list. And as you can see from the blurb we've put at the end of the list, even we have mixed feelings about what belongs and what doesn't. So we'll leave this topic up for debate, which you can get into by leaving a comment on the form below...
World of Waterfalls: An Emotive Journey
Want to see the waterfalls on this list in action? A handful of them appear in a music video celebrating waterfalls around the world. Can you spot them? See the video!
If you're curious about the tallest waterfalls we've been to based on the highest vertical drop, click here.
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Angel Falls - Venezuela
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Would love to be lucky enough to visit such a beautiful place on this Earth, Angel Falls , Venezuela . Good list...
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