5 Highest Waterfalls in the World

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Introduction to the 5 Highest Waterfalls in the World

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What are the five highest waterfalls in the world?

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American Falls in New York, part of Niagara Falls, is one of the most famous waterfalls in the world, but at 176 feet high it isn't nearly as tall as some of the tallest. What are the five highest waterfalls in the world?

One category some nature enthusiasts go crazy over is waterfalls. Although a waterfall seems simple in nature -- it's usually a river that plunges over a rocky ledge into a pool of water, only to continue flowing as a river -- the visual effect one creates can be stunning. And the higher waterfalls get, the more interesting they become, since there's more potential for crashing upon rocks and twisting designs against a mountainside. A list about the five highest waterfalls in the world, therefore, should be particularly satisfactory.

Although there are several very tall waterfalls in Europe -- the sixth- and seventh-tallest, for instance, are in Norway -- and in other areas like New Zealand, the five highest in the world are almost all located in the Americas. South America claims a whopping three out of the five highest waterfalls, while the remaining giants are found in South Africa and the United States.

Many of these waterfalls aren't very well known, and that's not because they aren't interesting or captivating -- it's mostly because they're very remote, and it would be difficult for tourists to visit one of these spots. And because they're so far out of the way, a few of them were only recently discovered. The fascinating thing is that although this list is up-to-date, there may be other waterfalls out there even taller than these five. So next time you're backpacking in the Amazon, keep your eyes peeled.

To learn about the five highest waterfalls in the world, read the next few pages.

Highest Waterfall 5: Yumbilla Falls, Peru

Our list starts off with one of South America's most recent discoveries, Yumbilla Falls in Peru. Located in the Amazon region of the country, the waterfall's height is actually disputed by several officials -- Peru's National Geographical Institute (ING) claims a height of 2,937 feet (895.4 meters), but other sources say it's slightly shorter at 2,854 feet (870 meters) [source: World Waterfall Database]. At either height, Yumbilla Falls would still be taller than the next-highest waterfall, which is Vinnufossen, located in Norway. Yumbilla Falls is a tiered waterfall, with four large drops.

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The Amazonas region of Peru, where Yumbilla Falls is located

Yumbilla Falls replaced what was previously thought of as Peru's highest waterfall: Gocta Falls, also located in the country's Amazon region. Gocta was clearly blown out of the water, since its height "only" reaches 2,531 feet (771 meters). The country was clearly excited to add such a monstrous waterfall onto the list of the world's highest, and soon after its discovery, Peru's Ministry of Tourism began planning two-day tours to visit the falls along with Gocta and Chinata Falls.

To learn about the fourth-highest waterfall in the world, see the next page.

Highest Waterfall 4: Olo'upena Falls, United States

The fourth-highest waterfall in the world, Olo'upena Falls, is located in the United States, but you'd have to go out of your way to visit it -- it's located on the remote Hawaiian island of Molokai, known and celebrated as the "most Hawaiian island" because of its history of relative isolation.

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Molokai Island in Hawaii, where Olo'upena Falls is located

Many people have never seen or heard of the Olo'upena Falls, and most waterfall enthusiasts who have gathered information about the falls have only done so through aerial photographs. Surrounded by huge mountains on either side, the waterfall doesn't have much water running through it -- its volume is extremely thin compared to the other falls on this list -- but it makes up for a lack of water with its massive height. At 2,953 feet (900 meters), the falls stand high above most other waterfalls in the United States; the closest ones are Pu'uka'oku Falls (2,756 feet/840 meters) and Waihilau Falls (2,600 feet/792 meters), both of which are also located in Hawaii.

Olo'upena Falls is tiered and would most likely be classified as a ribbon waterfall because of its extremely thin appearance.

To learn about the third-highest waterfall in the world, see the next page.

Highest Waterfall 3: Three Sisters Falls, Peru

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A road leading to the Ayachuco region of Peru, where the Three Sisters Falls is located

Peru gets another spot on the list with the Three Sisters Falls (Cataratas las Tres Hermanas) in the country's Ayacucho region. This one is just as remote as the previous Olo'upena Falls -- its existence only really came to light while photographs for another tall Peruvian waterfall, Catarata Parijaro (877 feet/267 meters), were being taken.

The waterfall is called the Three Sisters because of its three separate tiers. Two of the top tiers are visible from the air, and the water drops into a large basin of sorts where a third plunge emerges. The falls are nearly completely surrounded by forests, and trees around the Three Sisters Falls reach as high as 100 feet. The falls' height reaches about 3,000 feet (914 meters). For comparison, speculators believe the world's tallest free-standing structure, the Burj Dubai, will reach only 2,275 feet (693 meters) after it's finished in late 2008.

To learn about the second-highest waterfall in the world, see the next page.

Highest Waterfall 2: Tugela Falls, South Africa

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Tugela Falls in South Africa

Located in the Kwazulu Natal region of South Africa, the second-highest waterfall in the world is Tugela Falls. With a total height of 3,110 feet (948 meters), Tugela Falls consists of five separate tiers, and its tallest single drop is 1,350 feet (411 meters). Tugela Falls begins at the top of an amphitheater-like mountain known as Mont Aux Sources. It's a fairly thin waterfall, with a width of about 50 feet (15 meters) and an average volume of about 50 cubic feet per second.

Tugela Falls is much easier to access than any of the previous three waterfalls. You can either reach the top of the mountain after a five hour hike from a nearby car park, or you can reach the bottom of the falls after a relatively short hike of about five miles by way of the Royal Natal National Park of South Africa. Any hotels you'd stay at in South Africa would have information on getting to and from Tugela Falls.

To learn about the champion of all waterfalls, the highest waterfall in the world, see the next page.

Highest Waterfall 1: Angel Falls, Venezuela

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Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world

Angel Falls, located in the Bolivar province of Venezuela, not only has the distinction of being the highest waterfall in the world at an astonishing 3,212 feet tall (979 meters), but it also has the single highest plunge in the world. After a short drop of about 100 feet, the very top of Angel Falls drops 2,648 feet off of a flat-topped plateau known as Auyan-Tepui ("Devil's Mountain").

Angel Falls was "discovered" accidentally by an American aviator, Jimmie Angel, in 1933. Looking for the world's tallest waterfall was probably the last thing on Angel's mind at the time -- the pilot had been searching Venezuela for famed gold ore mines and happened to fly over the location. The falls were never really discovered, though, as the native people, the Pemón, had already known of their existence.

The area surrounding Angel Falls is noted for its particular beauty -- a myriad of plants and flowers are near the plateau, including the orange and yellow lantana, the purple Princess Flower, the pink Mimosa and many types of orchids and bromeliads. Even the weather nearby the Auyan-Tepui is affected by Angel Falls. Because of the plunge's tremendous heights, gusts of wind create massive mists and spray around the plateaus, and rains mixing in with the cascading water can create extra "limbs" off of the falls.

For lots more information on waterfalls and all things geological, see the next page.

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5 Highest Waterfalls in the World