This Top 10 Best Portugal Waterfalls List highlights our personal favorite waterfall experiences in the Portuguese Mainland as well as its offshore islands (namely the Azores Archipelago). If you follow the links on this page, we also point you the way on how to visit each of these falls.
Anyways, pursuing waterfalls in Portugal was as unexpected as chasing them in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, because the climate there tends to be hotter and drier than the rest of Europe.

Since most of the world is not aware of the geography of Portugal other than its most famous places like Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, The Algarve, and to a lesser extent The Azores, our pursuit of waterfalls in the country forced us to really delve deep into almost all aspects of the country’s geography and its culture.
In any case, over the span of a month, we have enough of a sampling of waterfall visits to have a respectable list of the country’s Top 10 Waterfalls.
Regarding the country’s survey of waterfalls, we’re including both the mainland and the islands as part of this survey.
Therefore, with such an exclusive and limited list of only 10 out of more than 2 dozen or so of them that we’ve personally visited, there were bound to be snubs.
Amnong the honorable mentions that didn’t make this list include Cascata da Fraga da Pena, Cascata da Fraga da Agua d’Alta, Cascata da Cabreia, Cascata do Pincho, Cascata da Portela do Homem, and the Grena Park Waterfalls among others.
Nevertheless, this is a living list so stay tuned for changes to this list as we try to personally experience more of the other Portuguese Waterfalls if given the opportunity.
In the meantime, if you’d like to see the rest of our survey of Portugal Waterfalls, you can check out this page to see our humble sampling so far.
You can check out our other Top 10 Lists so you can see what we put into these kinds of lists. And in case you’re curious about all of the Europe Waterfalls we’ve visited, we have a separate page showcasing all that we’ve seen in the continent so far.
Nevertheless, we now present our picks for the Top 10 Portugal Waterfalls in reverse order…
#10 CASCATA DO ARADO
Braga District, North Region
I viewed this as the “LP Waterfall” because it featured pretty prominently on the version of the Lonely Planet Portugal book that was one of the first resources we used to plan for our Portugal Trip in Summer 2024.
Indeed, prior to our trip, we were hard-pressed to come up with waterfalls to visit in the country, especially in light of our pre-conceived notions of Portugal being typically hot and dry.
However, the Peneda-Gerês National Park reserve in Northern Portugal was perhaps the wettest part of the country, and so it made sense to make this waterfall its poster child.
Besides, it was very easy to visit, especially since we were staying nearby in the town of Gerês, and its multi-tiered characteristic surrounded by impressive rocks just nudged it onto this pretty competitive list of our Portugal Top 10 Waterfalls.
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#9 SALTO DO ROSAL
Ilha de São Miguel, Azores Region
It actually took me two tries to finally visit this waterfall because I came too late in the afternoon to the Mata-Jardim Jose do Canto on my first attempt (at least too close to closing time).
Nevertheless, when we came as a family the following day, we got to experience peeking into an intriguing chapel, going into a forested grove of exotic trees (including a California Giant Red Sequoia Tree), and ultimately arriving at this roughly 30m tall waterfall.
Given that we had to hike about 2.5km (5km round-trip) from the garden entrance to this waterfall, it truly felt like we were immersed in the Nature off the southern shores of Lagoa das Furnas.
It was one of the more pleasurable waterfalling experiences on the busy São Miguel Island, and it’s why I’m putting it onto our rather competitive list of the 10 best Portugal Waterfalls.
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#8 CASCATA DA PEDRA DA FERIDA
Coimbra District, Central Region
This somewhat hidden waterfall involved a little bit of an unpaved drive and hike from the town of Espinhal not far south of the city of Coimbra.
It involved a deceptively rough hike that started off innocently enough on a well-maintained flat trail through a picnic area, but then quickly became a bit of a moderately rough hike on ledges, over mill ruins, and past muddy patches.
Closer to the waterfall, there was even a section where we had to hold onto rope while trying not to slip-and-fall on the rocky surface from past rockfalls.
While it was possible to continue hiking higher up the gorge to an elevated miradouro beyond the spots where we got the best views of this waterfall, we were already pretty content with our close and intimate experience right at the base of the falls.
Indeed, while this spot wasn’t totally unknown, it still felt off-the-beaten-path, and thus we could appreciate why hidden gems like these are so valuable when it comes to cleansing body and mind even when you’re on an extended trip within Portugal like we were doing in June 2024.
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#7 FRECHA DA MIZARELA
Distrito de Aveiro, North Region
We actually had to wait to visit this waterfall due to weather that threatened to obscure this fairly high elevation waterfall with low clouds on the day before our actual visit.
Indeed, when it comes to waterfalls like this, it’s more about the panoramic scenery with a waterfall tall enough to be noticeable amid such grandeur as opposed to getting intimate with swimming at its base.
Being situated near both Porto and Aveiro (as well as Arouca of the Passadiços do Paiva fame), it’s curious that this place doesn’t see more visitors than it currently sees (at least as of our June 2024 visit).
Nevertheless, grandeur is the operative word for this towering 60-97m tall waterfall (depends on who you talk to or which source you consult), and there were opportunities to extend a visit beyond the lookouts (e.g. going to the bottom of the waterfall or going all the way to the hamlet of Ribeira.
Add it up and we felt compelled to include this waterfall on the list of 10 Best Portugal Waterfalls.
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#6 CASCATA DA RIBEIRA GRANDE
Ilha das Flores, Azores Region
This waterfall is perhaps the tallest one on the Ilha das Flores though it doesn’t quite get the same fanfare as the waterfall it’s next to (look further down this list for that one).
Nevertheless, my hike up to the end of its ravine in a cirque-like enclosure was well-rewarded as I got to witness up close a plunging waterfall that twists with the wind while also flanked by a series of springs (each with its own cascade) right next to its main drop.
And if up-close looks at this waterfall wasn’t enough, there was also a miradouro letting me witness its context as well as its famous neighbor along with some nice coastal views and contextual views of the valley it’s in near both Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha.
Thus, I had to make room for this waterfall just based on the pleasant experience of the hike though it certainly was easy on the eyes as well!
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Like What You See So Far?
#5 CASCATA DA RIBEIRA QUENTE
Ilha de São Miguel, Azores Region
This was a thermal waterfall dropping some 40-45m on the aptly-named Ribeira Quente (“hot creek”).
It was at the head of a hidden ravine between a pair of tunnels (one of which we had to walk through) that required a bit of a moderate trail-of-use scramble through overgrowth and clinging to narrow ledges.
Nevertheless, the reward was this tall, plunging waterfall backed by some reddish cliffs further adding to its ambience.
Granted, our visit happened right at the onset of a surprise rain storm that made the hike/scramble a bit wetter and more slippery (while also muddying the Ribeira Quente), but perhaps it was fitting for such a secluded spot that seemed more fitting of something out of a Jurassic Park movie.
In any case, I found this to be one of São Miguel Island’s most impressive waterfalls, and thus I had to give this place its props by including it in the upper half of our list of Top 10 Best Portugal Waterfalls.
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#4 POÇO DO BACALHAU
Ilha das Flores, Azores Region
This towering 90m waterfall tended to scatter with the ocean breeze backing Fajã Grande on the western side of Ilha das Flores.
That created a sort of sunshine rain effect at the plunge pool at its base, which was refreshingly cool and offset the heat and especially the humidity that the Azores Islands are known for.
Further adding to this waterfall’s scenic allure were more towering waterfalls that were just as tall and strandy as they tumbled down cliffs facing the Atlantic Ocean seemingly as if there was a parade of waterfalls.
And there were also historic mills adjacent to the Ribeira das Casas harkening back to a time when locals had to use the resources available to them to subsist in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Add it all up, and I just had to give this Azorean Waterfall its props by placing it this high on our exclusive list of the best waterfalls in Portugal.
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#3 CASCATA DAS AGUIEIRAS
Aveiro District, North Region
Among the waterfalls to be found on Portugal’s mainland, this was probably one of the more popular ones simply because it involved walking on the Passadiços do Paiva boardwalk or the 516 Arouca Suspension Bridge (one of the longest such pedestrian bridges in the world).
That said, despite its popularity, this waterfall actually seems to play second fiddle to the walkway and suspension bridge (which we needed to pre-book our timed entry tickets).
In fact, it might not dawn on most of its visitors that this also happens to be one of the Portugal mainland’s tallest waterfalls at a reported 120m tall!
Fortunately, we didn’t have to do the whole 8km shuttle hike along the Passadiços do Paiva to experience this waterfall, but we still had to earn it due to the amount of elevation gain and loss involved to get to the rim of the Paiva Gorge.
Nevertheless, this waterfall left an impression on us, and we just had to place it high up on our list of 10 best Portugal Waterfalls.
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#2 POÇO DA RIBEIRA DO FERREIRO
Ilha das Flores, Azores Region
Of all the waterfalls in this list, this is by far the most internationally recognized of the bunch.
Indeed, I think of this place like the Azorean Wall of Tears (a name that might be familiar to people who have been fortunate enough to witness this effect in the interior of West Maui or even Kaua’i).
In any case, this sanctuary of Nature involves a short uphill hike to a lookout across from a lagoon named after ducks, where the multiple strands of waterfalls serves as a backdrop to the reflective lagoon.
This waterfall is absolutely the poster child of the beauty on offer on the Azores, but it could also be the poster child of the most mind-blowing waterfalls in Portugal in general.
And that’s why this waterfall sits nearly atop our list of the Top 10 Best Portugal Waterfalls.
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#1 FISGAS DE ERMELO
Vila Real District, North Region
This waterfall may have been the biggest unexpected surprise of our time in Portugal as it blew our minds as to how big waterfalls could be in the country.
As if its size and volume on the Rio Olo wasn’t enough, this excursion had the right mix of adventure, swimming, and multiple ways to view different parts of the waterfall’s many tiers.
We wound up spending easily about a half-day trying to experience all that was safely available to us, but it did feel like we could have extended this already fairly long excursion to an all day affair taking in more waterfall tiers, more swimming holes, and more scenery.
Add it all up, and this waterfall just barely edged out the Azorean Wall of Tears as our favorite waterfall in all of Portugal.
And thus, it tops our list of the Top 10 Best Portugal Waterfalls.
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Looking for more of our favorites?
Below are a few more Top 10 lists of the waterfalls we’ve visited.
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