Top 10 Highest, Largest, and Widest Waterfalls in the World

One of the most amazing creations of nature is the waterfall. It is just wonderful to watch thousands of tons of water flowing over a cliff and plunging into the river below. There are many beautiful waterfalls around the world but the following list features the 10 greatest waterfalls those are highest, longest/largest, and widest.

These are in fact the most amazing and beautiful waterfalls in the world. Though finding out anything on such parameter is obviously subjective to person dependant experience. The more you collect waterfall sightings from around the world, the more controversy it’s going to attain. Anyway, let’s give a try according to my favorites.

Greatest Waterfalls in the World:

10. Jog Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Jog Falls
Jog Falls | image credit commons.wikimedia.org

Jog Falls is the highest waterfall in India. It is located near the Jog village, Karnataka. This waterfall is created by the River Sharavathi falling from a height of 253 meters (829 feet). Jog Falls is nearly unrecognizable before the rainy season with only a pair of thin streams of water trickling down the cliff.

The waterfall comes to life during monsoon season. At this time it even exceeds Kaieteur Falls in Guyana in terms of height and volume. Tourists, especially nearby people consider this one great waterfall destination in India.

Major attractions:

  • Thyvare Koppa Lion and Tiger Reserve
  • Tunga Anicut Dam
  • Unchalli Falls
  • Kanoor Fort

9. Huangguoshu

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Huangguoshu
Huangguoshu | image credit pl.wikipedia.org

Huangguoshu is one of the largest waterfalls in Asia and it is a part of a group of 18 waterfalls in the surrounding area. It is located near the Zhenning County and Guanling County. This waterfall is 77.8 meters (255 feet) high and 101 meters (330 feet) wide.

There is a naturally formed underground cave in the back of the Huangguoshu. This cave is 134 meter (440 foot) long, which allows visitors to view the waterfall from a very close range and they can even touch the water.

Major attractions:

  • Zhijin Cave
  • Dragon Palace Cave
  • Tianlong Village
  • Tianxingqiao Scenic Resort

8. Gullfoss

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Gullfoss
Gullfoss | image credit commons.wikimedia.org

Gullfoss means “Golden Falls”. It is a magnificent 32-meter high double waterfall on the White River (Hvítá). Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. Particularly in summer the glacial runoff and the flow of the river from the regular rains make Gullfoss the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of volume.

Major attractions:

  • Thingvellir National Park
  • The Geysir Geothermal Area
  • Secret Lagoon in Fludir
  • Solheimar Eco-Village

7. Detian Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Detian Falls
Detian Falls | image credit commons.wikimedia.org

The Detian Falls is the fourth largest cross-border falls in the world after Niagara, Victoria, and Iguazu. It is situated on the border between China and Vietnam. The area has only recently been opened to tourism due to the various border conflicts between the two countries.

The Detain Falls is a collective name for two waterfalls on the Quây Sơn River. Its water rushes down a three-tiered cliff with tremendous force. You can choose between June to November anytime to visit this one of the best china tourist spots. The water is large and clear then due to rainfall season.

Major attractions:

  • Boundary Marker
  • Mingshi Rurality
  • Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park
  • Nahm Dong Park

6. Blue Nile Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Blue Nile Falls
Blue Nile Falls | image credit commons.wikimedia.org

The Blue Nile Falls is located on the Blue Nile River in northern Ethiopia. It is known as Tis Issat (“smoking water”) in Amharic. Even though much of the water is now diverted to a power dam, the Blue Nile Falls is still a beautiful sight and one of Ethiopia’s best-known tourist attractions.

Major attractions:

  • Azwa Mariam Monastery
  • Lake Tana
  • Lions Art Gallery
  • Church of Debre Sina Maryam

5. Kaieteur Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Kaieteur Falls
Kaieteur Falls | image credit en.wikipedia.org

Kaieteur Falls, one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world, is located on the Potaro River in the center of Guyana’s rainforest. It is averaging 663 cubic meters per second (23,400 cubic feet per second). The free fall height of this falls is 226 meters (741 feet).

It is about five times higher than Niagara Falls and about two times the height of the Victoria Falls. There are many higher falls but few have the combination of height and water volume.

Major attractions:

  • Marshall Falls
  • Shell Beach
  • Promenade Garden
  • Guyana National Museum

4. Angel Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Angel Falls
Angel Falls | image credit commons.wikimedia.org

With an 807meter uninterrupted drop, Angel Falls or Salto Ángel is the world’s highest waterfall, dropping a total of 978 meters from the summit of the AuyanTepuy. The falls are located in an isolated jungle region of Venezuela the only access to Canaima National Park. The only way of reaching Angel Falls is by air.

Major attractions:

  • Margarita Island
  • Morrocoy National Park
  • Canaima National Park
  • Roraima

3. Niagara Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls | image credit commons.wikimedia.org

Niagara Falls is probably the most famous waterfall in the world. It is located between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York. Actually, Niagara Falls is three different falls namely the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls.

The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are located in New York while the Horseshoe Falls is located on the Canadian side. Niagara Falls is one of the top 10 most visited tourist attractions in the world with more than 14 million visitors each year.

Major attractions:

  • Hornblower Cruises
  • Whirlpool Aero Car
  • Butterfly Conservatory
  • Skylon Tower

2. Victoria Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls | image credit www.flickr.com\Adam Annfield

The Victoria Falls are located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The indigenous name of this falls is ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya‘, which means, “The Smoke That Thunders”. Even though Victoria Falls is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is often termed as “The largest waterfall in the world”.

It is rough twice the height of North America’s Niagara Falls with a width of 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) and height of 108 meters (360 ft). Victoria Falls is rivaled only by South America’s Iguazu Falls in terms of combined height and width.

Major attractions:

  • Victoria Falls National Park
  • Elephant’s Walk Shopping and Artist’s Village
  • Crocodile Park
  • Batoka Gorge

1. Iguazu Falls

Top 10 Greatest Waterfalls in the World, Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls | image credit commons.wikimedia.org

Iguazu Falls are one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. we keep this here as the greatest waterfall on earth. It is situated on the border between Brazil and Argentina. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along the Iguazu River.

The height of the majority of the falls is about 64 meters (210 ft). Devil’s Throat, a U-shaped 82 meter high (269 ft), 150 meters (492 ft) wide and 700 meters (2300 ft) long waterfall is the most impressive of them all.

Major attractions:

  • Guira Oga Wildlife Center
  • La Aripuca Guarani Cultural Center
  • Devil’s Throat
  • Casino Iguazu

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