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Due to numerous inquiries, we've decided to showcase the tallest waterfalls that we've personally visited in our travels. A critical definition to make clear on this page is that "tallest" refers to the highest vertical drop of the waterfall. By "vertical drop," we mean the waterfall section in question must either be free leaping or have a slope steep enough to be considered vertical beyond a reasonable doubt. We have a separate list for waterfalls with the tallest cumulative drop in elevation.While I've been critical of 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), the criteria of highest leap is actually a bit easier to define and evaluate. And once again, we're limiting this list to just the ones we've seen. The result is our list in reverse order...
10. WALLAMAN FALLS [Queensland, Australia] Arguably Australia's tallest permanent waterfall with a free-leap of around 268m (879ft), it's the prized attraction of Girringun National Park in Queensland. It's also part of some of the oldest rainforest on the continent, which has earned the park UNESCO World Heritage status. Even though it's about a half-day trip from Ingham, it's one of the country's more accessible waterfalls and certainly a must-see waterfall if you're in the area.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
9. PAPALAUA FALLS [Hawai'i, USA] Plunging some 509m (1,644ft; corroborated in Topo! Hawaii ) in cumulative height, its upper tier has a drop of roughly 273m (898ft; as inspected in Topo! Hawaii). But lots of controversy and misinformation surrounds this waterfall since it sits on the remote north shore of Moloka'i. But one thing's for certain, this beauty has legitimate volume and perhaps is the tallest permanent waterfall left on the islands.
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8. VETTISFOSSEN [Sogn og Fjordane, Norway] Possibly the prized waterfall within the Utladal Valley (Utladalen), which itself is part of Jotunheimen National Park in Norway, this 275m monster is regarded as the tallest singular free-leaping waterfall left in the country that has managed to escape regulation. In fact, Utladalen has the highest concentration of unregulated waterfalls in the country and this waterfall is merely one of them.
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7. STAUBBACH FALLS [Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland] This free-falling waterfall ostensibly makes its presence known in the lovely Lauterbrunnen Valley. Its height at 297m has been measured by the Swiss who are known for being precise. And when the wind blows, you might wonder what has happened to the rest of its drop as the plume scatters in the wind often times making the waterfall seemingly disappear before hitting the ground during its freefall. In any case, even the position we're giving this waterfall might be surrounded in controversy as it's been said that this shouldn't even be considered the tallest waterfall in the valley. But we're sticking with our assessment, and we get into our reasoning later in this page.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
6. MARDALSFOSSEN [Møre og Romsdal, Norway] Already claiming a spot as one of Norway's tallest waterfalls in terms of cumulative height at around 656m, its tallest of its two leaps is roughly 297m. However, some have reported its tallest leap is 358m (but one needs to be careful about the middle cascades between the two main leaps). So you can see this waterfall is shrouded in controversy regardless of whether it's statistical or environmental (as it was the subject of intense protests due to hydroelectric developments). But no matter how you slice and dice it, a visit to this waterfall in the summer tourist season is certainly worthwhile.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
5. NOHKALIKAI FALLS [Meghalaya, India] I'm grudgingly putting this waterfall this high on the list because the only number I've seen regarding its height is an unofficial 335m. Boastful claims and signs at the falls say this is the 4th highest waterfall in the world, but they don't even back it up with numbers themselves or point to any authorities vouching for those measurements. So based on our field observations, we can envision this falls being close to its unofficial height, but without the science to back it up, it's really a WAG (wild ass guess). So we'll stick with the falls occupying this spot for now until proven otherwise.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
4. YOSEMITE FALLS [California, USA] Already one of the tallest waterfalls in North America at 2,425ft, if you break down its components, you'll see that its uppermost leap is 1,430ft (436m) while its middle cascades and lower falls measure in at 675ft and 320ft, respectively. To get a closer look at the long leaping upper tier, there's a trail leaving the Sunnyside Campground eventually reaching the top of the entire falls in a steep and very hot and sunny 3.5 miles. If you're up for it, this is a great way to see what a waterfall with this tall of leap looks like up close!
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
3. RIBBON FALLS [California, USA] It's hard to believe that this waterfall is often overlooked because it sits directly across the valley from Yosemite's iconic Bridalveil Fall. Nonetheless, it's got a 1,612ft (491m) vertical drop adjacent to El Capitan and has a flow that lasts for at least the Spring months and early into Summer. So if you happen to be driving along the Southside Drive in Yosemite Valley, pullover and evaluate for yourself whether this waterfall sits this high on the list.
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
2. CATARATA GOCTA [Cocachimba/San Pablo, Peru] With the lower drop of this mammoth 771m waterfall measuring at around 541m, that puts it as one of the taller vertical drops in the world! Statistically stacking up to some of the other acknowledged waterfalls in the world, it's certainly something the Chachas people are proud of amongst its ancient archaeological ruins. To get a closer look at the lower tier of the falls (even getting right down to its base), you'll have to leave from the humble Cocachimba and hike nearly 3 hours one-way. Keep an eye out for ancient sea fossils on this route!
Click here to read more about this waterfall.
1. ANGEL FALLS (SALTO ÁNGEL) [Canaima, Venezuela] Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that this waterfall not only is the consensus tallest one on earth in terms of cumulative height, but it's also got the tallest vertical drop on earth as well! Indeed, of the cumulative height of 979m (3,212ft), it's got an 807m (2,648ft) vertical drop, which on its own even surpasses many other "world's tallest" waterfalls' cumulative heights. So I guess this falls makes a very compelling claim to being earth's tallest regardless of what types of definitions of "tallest" you throw at it.
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 didn't get nitpicky about whether the waterfalls in question was a singular drop or had multiple drops in which one of its leaps happened to be very tall. Thus, we kept waterfalls like Angel Falls, Catarata Gocta, Yosemite Falls, and even Mardalsfossen. Meanwhile, waterfalls like Kaieteur Falls, Feigefossen, and Jog Falls got pushed out. We also left out Horsetail Falls leaping off El Capitan in Yosemite as well as Hi'ilawe Falls because they don't last long enough to count (i.e. they go dry too quickly), in our opinion. Finally, to follow up on the point we're making about Staubbach Falls, the signage in the Swiss literature claim that taller freefalls occur at Murrenbach Falls at 417m and at Seerenbach Falls at 305m on its middle (2nd) tier. Even though the Swiss tried to explain that Murrenbach Falls should meet the steepness requirement for vertical waterfalls (by the way, there's no consensus to determine how steep a waterfall must be in order to count as a vertical drop), our observations from a cable car and from the Lauterbrunnen Valley floor itself caused us to disagree with this assessment. That's why we didn't put Murrenbach Falls on the list. As for Seerenbach Falls, we don't think it passes the longevity test. We showed up to this waterfall in mid-June of 2010, which was the month of the highest snowmelt and the year of unusually heavier-than-normal rains throughout Europe, and this waterfall still had very wimpy flow that probably wouldn't last much longer into the Summer. Whether its drainage had been altered or diverted is still unknown to us, but in any case, we wouldn't consider this a major waterfall due to its lack of volume or lack of reliability in its flow. As a result, we kept this off the list, too. And once again, Skrikjofossen was left off the list because its estimated height was so far declared in the literature to be 260m. We're not sure if this waterfall is being shortchanged, but if this number does hold for its highest drop, then it wouldn't supplant the current number 10. I'm sure there are others that you could argue should belong on this list, but we'll leave them 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 overall cumulative height, click here.
What's YOUR Top 10 List?
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Or do you have a favorite waterfall?
Is there one (or more) waterfalls that you think should've been on this list?
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What Other Visitors Have Said
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Kaieteur Falls
Not rated yet
Definitely Kaieteur Falls in Guyana .
The Kaieteur Falls is the tallest sheer drop waterfalls in the world. No doubt about it. Have visited Angel ...
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