The World’s Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls

The world offers us a lot of beautiful and mesmerizing views. Some of it can be man-made views like towers, temples, and buildings. These things mostly depend on a man’s capability to create something very beautiful.

On the other hand, some of them can also be all-natural views like mountains, oceans, and falls. Natural views are more of letting nature take its course and create such beautiful views. There are a lot of beautiful things around us that we should be thankful for and start appreciating more.

We should also learn to take care of our surroundings and not let one thing overpower the other.

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place

Waterfalls are one of the examples of all-natural beauty. They are usually a body of water (usually a river or lake) that comes from the top of a mountain, hill, or cliff that flows down to a different body of water at the bottom and flows through.

Waterfalls are often described as an area where water flows from the top in a vertical drop or series of steep drops in the course of a lake, river, or stream. These beautiful and natural things come in different sizes and heights. It’s truly a breathtaking sight to see one of these in real life.

This body of water can come in various forms and structures. Waterfalls can differ in many ways like their height, volume, and source. They may also have different uses and importance for the people in their area that the falls is located in.

It can be something that is solely recreational, or it can also be something very useful like hydroelectricity. Here in this article, we offer you the Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls around the world.

Contents hide
1 Sutherland Falls in South Island, New Zealand
2 Kaieteur Falls in Potaro- Siparuni, Guyana
3 Jog Falls in Western Ghats, India
4 Yosemite Falls in California, USA
5 Niagara Falls along the border of New York, USA and Ontario, Canada
6 Iguazu Falls along the border of Argentina and Brazil
7 Victoria Falls along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe
8 Angel Falls in Bolivar State, Venezuela
9 Plitvice Falls in Croatia
10 Gullfoss Falls in Iceland

Sutherland Falls in South Island, New Zealand

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place
Photo by suitcasemag.com

Sutherland Falls is a waterfall located in Millford Sound at South Island, New Zealand. It is long believed to be the tallest waterfall in the whole New Zealand with a height of 1, 904 feet.

However, this falls has other falls nearby such as Terror Falls in the Poseidon Valley and Browne Falls. They all go through a mountainside in Doubtful Sound that caused them to believe that it was the highest.

This waterfall was discovered in 1880 by a Scottish settler with the name of Donald Sutherland. He had an initial claim that the falls had a height of 1000 m which will make it the tallest waterfall in the whole world.

The falls were later on checked and surveyed and the people saw that it was only 580 m, much significantly lower than what Sutherland has said it would be.

The water that flows into the falls came from Lake Quill, a lake named after the person who first climbed up the hill to face it.  There is a 90-minute walk from the base of this waterfall to the Quintin Public Shelter on Milford Track.

Go ahead and come to this place to experience the magnificent view and majestic sceneries that Sutherland falls offers.

Kaieteur Falls in Potaro- Siparuni, Guyana

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place

The Kaieteur Falls is the largest single-drop waterfall in the world based on the volume of water flowing over it. This waterfall is included in the Kaieteur National Park exactly by the Potaro River.

It is located in a section of the Amazon rainforest in the region of Potaro- Siparuni in Guyana. It has a height of 741 feet when measured from where it plunges down from the sandstone and conglomerate cliff to its first break.

This waterfall is four times higher than the Niagara Falls and about twice the height of Victoria Falls. Kaieteur Falls is among the most powerful waterfalls that are able to fall in a great height with a great water volume. The average flow rate in this waterfall is 663 cubic meter per second.

The upriver from the falls go directly to the Potaro river and flows on to be emptied into the Essequibo River, the longest river in Guyana and one of the longest and widest rivers in South America.

The falls were discovered in 1870 by a group of Europeans led by Charles Barrington Brown, a British geologist. A Patamona Indian legend states that the name Kaieteur was said to be named after Kai, chief of the Patamona tribe, who sacrificed himself to the great spirit Makonaiama by paddling over the waterfalls.

Another legend, which was told by Brown, tells the story of an unpleasant old man who was placed in a boat and shoved to the falls by his relatives, hence the name Kaieteur which means “old man fall.”

Go on a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the mesmerizing views of the Kaieteur Falls.

Jog Falls in Western Ghats, India

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place

The Sharavathi river located in the Western Ghats in India flows into the magnificent phenomenon that is the Jog Falls. This waterfall is recognized as the second-highest plunge waterfall in the whole of India.

It is a segmented waterfall that depends on the season, as the rainy season may turn it into a plunge waterfall. The falls are a major tourist attraction and is ranked as the 13th most visited waterfall in the world by the waterfall database.

The height of this waterfall is 830 ft, the third-highest waterfall in India next to the Nohkalikai Falls (with 1, 100 ft) in Meghalaya and Dudhsagar waterfalls (with 1, 017 ft) in Goa.

The Indian Tourism Department built steps from the viewpoint to the bottom of the hill where you can see the waterfall opposite from you. It is said that there are about 1, 400 steps to reach the bottom of the hill.

It may be a long walk before you reach the bottom of the hill but trust me, it will all be worth it once you see the beauty of the Jog Falls.

Yosemite Falls in California, USA

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place
Photo by tripsavvy.com

The Yosemite Falls is a part of the Yosemite National Park. This falls is considered to be the highest waterfall in the park. The Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada of California. The waterfalls is the largest attraction in the park which is usually flocked by tourists during springtime.

This fall has a height of 2, 425 feet (739 m) that consists of three different sections. The Upper Yosemite Falls have a height of 1, 430 feet (440 m) that consists of over half of the whole falls. This is formed by waters from the Yosemite Creek.

The middle Cascade runs in the middle of the two main sections with a total height of 675 feet (206 m). The last section is the Lower Yosemite Falls that consists of the final 320 foot (98 m) drop. This area provides the most viewing points to enjoy the view of the waterfalls.

The Yosemite Creek water emerges from the base and flows into the Merced River.

Niagara Falls along the border of New York, USA and Ontario, Canada

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place

Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls located at the southern edge of Niagara Gorge along with Canada and the US. These waterfalls are very interesting as they are located on the border of the two countries.

Niagara Falls, one of the most famous falls in the world, is located in the borderline of New York, US and Ontario, Canada. The first waterfall in the area is the Horseshoe falls, also known as the Canadian Falls, is the largest out of the three. It has a drop of about 187 ft (57 m) and is about 2, 590 ft (790 m) wide.

This certain waterfall is also called the Canadian falls because it is situated at about 90% of Ontario, Canada and 10% of New York.

The second-largest waterfall is the American Falls which lies in the United States. The height of this certain waterfall varies from 70 ft to 110 ft (21 to 34 m) and the crest width is 830 ft (250 m). The smallest waterfall among the three is called the Bridal Veil Falls. It has a height of 181 ft (55 m) and a crest width of 56 ft (17 m).

The Niagara falls, in general, have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America. These waterfalls are popular for their distinct beauty and for being a reliable source of hydroelectric power.

Iguazu Falls along the border of Argentina and Brazil

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place

The next waterfall on the list is also located along the border of two countries. Iguazu falls are a group of waterfalls of the Iguazu River that is located in the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazillian state of Parana.

The falls divide the river into two sections: the Upper Iguazu River and the Lower Iguazu River. The Iguazu river flows in Brazil but most of the Iguazu falls are located in Argentine.

The name Iguazu comes from the Guarani or Tupi words “Y” which means water and “uasu” which means big. The Iguazu Falls were first known in 1541 and the first person to know about it was a Spanish conquistador named Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. This has been a major tourist spot for both Argentina and Brazil.

In the Brazil side, they even made a wooden platform where you can see a panoramic view of the Iguazu Falls.

Victoria Falls along the border of  Zambia and Zimbabwe

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place

Another waterfall located on the border of two different countries is Victoria Falls. This is a waterfall of the Zambezi River that is located in South Africa. It is also known with the name of “The Smoke That Thunders” and “Boiling Water.” It is recognized as one of the largest waterfalls in the whole world with a width of 5, 604 ft (1, 708 m).

This waterfall has a height of 355 ft (108 m) in the center of all the waterfalls. Victoria Falls was considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.

It is said that the first person to know about the Victoria Falls was a European man called David Livingstone back on November 16, 1855. He called the falls as its name in honor of Queen Victoria of Britain. It is recognized as the falls with the largest sheet of falling water in the world.

Victoria Falls is twice the height of the Niagara Falls and twice the width of the Horseshoe Falls. There are a total of 6 gorges that can be found in this site. This place has been turned into a complete tourist spot with the popular “Devil’s Pool,” a place near the edge of the falls where tourists can have the option to swim around in.

Angel Falls in Bolivar State, Venezuela

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place
Photo by beautifulworld.com

If you’re a fan of Pixar movies, I’m sure you’ll recognize this one if you don’t know about it already. You may have already heard of the movie “UP” and the story of the couple who wants to go to a certain Paradise Falls and bring their house beside it.

The Angel Falls is the inspiration for the Paradise Falls in that movie. The Angel Falls or Salto de Angel, which is located in the Bolivar State of Venezuela, is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world with a height of 3, 212 ft (979 m). The waterfall is also named Kerepakupai Meru which means the waterfall of deepest places.

The water from this waterfall drops over a part of the Canaima National Park, a place that is considered to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The falls was named after a US aviator named Jimmie Angel. He was the first person to fly over and discover the Angel Falls on November 16, 1933. Upon his death, his ashes were scattered on the falls on July 2, 1960. This waterfall has also been a big tourist attraction for a lot of years now.

Although a trip to the falls is very complicated as it is located in an isolated jungle, there are river rides that will allow you to go to the bottom of the falls. The best time to go here is from June to December, the times when the rivers are deep enough to be used by the guides called Pemon.

It’s a bit hard to go here during the dry season from December to March as it will be very hard to navigate and go through the rivers.

Plitvice Falls in Croatia

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place

Plitvice Falls is a group of waterfalls that is a part of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. This park is located on the border of two different places: the Lika- Senj County and Karlovac County in Croatia. The place is quite well known for its 16 cascading lakes that are all connected to each other.

The lakes are separated into two parts: the Upper Lakes and the Lower Lakes. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site as of 1979. The waterfall’s height is estimated to be around 255 ft (77 m) which makes it a wonderful sight to see.

This place has been a huge tourist spot for decades with an average of 1 million tourists per year. The national park’s peak season is summertime, some time between July to September is the best time to go here. Prices may also rise during this season so better prepare yourself for that.

Autumn is also a favorable time to come here since there will be fewer people and you get to experience a really great view with the autumn colors.

If you won’t be able to enjoy the waterfalls alone, there are a lot of activities that you can do while you’re here in the Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia.

Gullfoss Falls in Iceland

Waterfalls, Top 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World (Updated 2021), Phenomenal Place
Photo by bookmundi.com

Gullfoss, also known as the Golden Falls, is a waterfall of the Hvita river along the canyon in the southwest portion of Iceland. It has a total height of 105 ft (32 m) and an average water volume of 140 cubic meters per second during the summer and 80 cubic meters per second during the winter season.

There was a lot of speculation during the first half of the 20th century about the Gullfoss Falls’ ability to generate electricity or hydroelectricity.

This waterfall has been known as a famous tourist spot in Iceland. It even forms the Golden Circle along with other Iceland tourist spots such as Pingvellir and the geysers of Haukadalur. The Golden Circle is a famous place that holds most of the tourist spots in Iceland.

This place also gained popularity when they used it as an inspiration for one of the waterfalls in the hit animated show “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” They used it in one of the scenes in the episode “Sokka’s master.”

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