Waterfalls have always held a special place of fascination in my heart. There’s something about great rivers of water meandering across the landscape until they find no place left to go but down that appeals to my sense of inevitability. In their travels, these rivers create stunning landscapes and end up producing some of the most attractive natural sites in the world.
Luckily for modern man, most of these sites have been preserved over the years. Many of them have ended up as tourist destinations, though the best of the waterfalls still remain remote and create, in seeing them, a journey that is a vacation unto itself. Several of them are situated in places where weeks could be spent just exploring and seeing the many sites. Here I've gathered together a short list of six of these spectacular places, located in various countries throughout the world, along with pictures and some helpful links for those that wish to learn more about them. Although Niagara Falls is pictured at the head of this article, it’s not on the list. Everyone knows about that one, after all, and it’s really become quite a tourist trap.
Angel Falls - Venezuela
By far one of the most famous of all, AngelFalls is the tallest waterfall in the world. It plummets a ridiculous 3200 feet down into Devil’s Canyon, deep in the CanaimaNational Park in Venezuela. They are, however, quite remote, meaning that if you want to see Angel Falls you either need to take a plane tour and see them from above or take a three hour boat ride up the river followed by an hour-long hike into the wilderness. The latter choice only gets you to the base of the falls, not the top, but presents no less stunning of a view.
Hagoromo Falls - Tenninkyo Onsen, Hokkaido, Japan
This Japanese waterfall is located on the northern island of Hokkaido, a region already known for its natural beauty and wonderful ecotourism destinations. Dropping around 820 feet, HagoromoFalls makes a meandering trip down the side of a cliff, a strange and twisting journey of multi-tiered drops. It starts as two streams and converges along the way. Hagoromo also happens to be the tallest waterfall in Hokkaido and the third tallest in the country.
Iguazu Falls - Argentina/Brazil
IguazuFalls is located in the similarly named IguazuNational Park, on the border of Argentina and Brazil. The appeal of Iguazu comes not from its height, the tallest point being just over 260 feet, but from the sheer number of falls at the site. There are 275 different waterfalls across a circular formation covering more than two miles. In addition to the falls, the surrounding park contains many amazing species of rare and endangered animals. One could easily spend an entire vacation here and never be bored.
Nuorilang Waterfall - Jiuzhaigou, China
Nuorilang Waterfall in China is by far the shortest on this list, measuring in at just over 80 feet tall and stretching around 105 feet in width. The greatness of this waterfall is not its size, but its splendor. It begins flat on the top and cascades into a series of drops. Unfortunately, Nuorilang is well-known and has become a tourist hot-spot, so there’s not the same level of serenity that many of the other options present.
Sutherland Falls - Fiordland, New Zealand
New Zealand is a land known for having many spectacular waterfalls, so I had to choose just one to put on this list. Sutherland Falls is one of the tallest falls in the country, descending more than 1900 feet across three tiered drops. Located within the FiordlandNational Park - a World Heritage Area - Sutherland is located on a walking path that is celebrated as one of the best places to hike in the world. Getting to Sutherland Falls isn’t a task for the amateur hiker, however, and can be quite challenging at times.
Vinnufossen - More Og Romsdal, Norway
Norway is yet another country that seems to be completely filled with amazing waterfalls. I could have made an entire other list just about Norway, but managed to widdle it down to just one. Vinnufossen happens to be the tallest waterfall in all of Europe or Asia and one of the top ten tallest in the world. It plunges around 2800 feet, down a series of drops, some longer and some shorter. Unfortunately, the rivers feeding it freeze over in the winter months (approximately 4 to 6 months of the year), leaving the waterfall dry.
Niagara Falls photo courtesy of Inkey via Wikicommons
AngelFalls photo courtesy of Yosemite via Wikicommons
HagoromoFalls photo courtesy of Geomr via Wikicommons
Iguazu Falls central photo courtesy of Leonard G. via Wikicommons
Nuorilang Waterfall photo courtesy of AlexHe34 via Wikicommons
Sutherland Falls photo courtesy of Ozhiker via Wikicommons
Vinnufossen photo courtesy of Carl S Bj via Wikicommons
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