14 Natural Waterfalls

1. Hafragilsfoss (Iceland)

Hafragilfoss is a waterfall in the Jokulsargljufur National Park in Iceland [ Photo by Chris 73 / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The waterfall flows downstream from Dettifoss within the depths of the Jökulságljúfur canyon. This waterfall is also on the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, making it a powerful waterfall. The falls are visible from both sides of the river.

2. Vøringfossen (Norway)

The Vøringsfossen waterfall taken by the viewpoint Fossli hotel. In particular, the last 145m free fall in Focus [ Photo by Srvban / public domain ]

Vøringfossen is one of the most visited waterfalls in Norway. The falls are 183 m (about 600 ft.) high. The falls are located in Eidfjord not far from Highway 7, which connects Oslo with Bergen. Bjoreia, the small river that flows into Vøringfossen, has a hydroelectric dam in the Sysendalen valley above the falls, reducing the flow of water. In summer, the flow is increased to 12 m3/s, above its natural rate, not least to benefit the tourist trade. The name (Old Norse *Vyrðingr) is derived from the verb vyrða 'esteem, revere'. The last element fossen, the finite form of foss 'waterfall', is a later addition.

Kjelfossen, Gudvangen, Norway. [ Photo by Kadellar / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Kjelfossen (Kjell Falls), located in the municipality of Aurland, is one of the 6th highest waterfalls in Norway with a total fall of 755 metres (2,477 ft).

3. Ramnefjellsfossen (Norway)

Kjenndalen [ Photo by Mr. Jacobsen / CC BY 2.0 ]

Ramnefjellsfossen (also known as: Utigardsfossen or Utigordsfossen) is unofficially listed as the third-highest waterfall in the world in several publications. On the other hand, The World Waterfall Database, which includes all minor and seasonal waterfalls, lists it as eleventh-tallest. The falls are located on the mountain, Ramnefjellet, in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway–about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) southeast of the villages of Loen and Olden. The falls are fed by the Ramnefjellbreen glacier, an arm of the great Jostedalsbreen glacier. After the falls, the water flows into the lake Lovatnet. The falls are easily reached by boat, sea plane, or road, and a campsite is located within hiking distance of the base of the falls. The total drop is 818 metres (2,684 ft) from three free-leaping cascades.

4. Vinnufossen (Norway)

The Vinnufossen waterfall in Sunndal, Norway [ Photo by Carl S Bj / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Vinnufossen is the tallest waterfall in Europe and the sixth tallest in the world.

5. Rhine Falls (Switzerland)

Rhine Falls, near Schaffhausen, Switzerland [ Photo by Earth explorer / public domain ]

The falls are located on the High Rhine between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich. They are 150 m (450 ft) wide and 23 m (75 ft) high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250 m³/s, while in the summer, the average water flow is 700 m³/s. The highest flow ever measured was 1,250 m³/s in 1965; and the lowest, 95 m³/s in 1921. The Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, by erosion- resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed. The first glacial advances created today's landforms approximately 500,000 years ago. Up to the end of the Wolstonian Stage approximately 132,000 years ago, the Rhine flowed westwards from Schaffhausen past Klettgau.

6. Apsley Falls (Australia)

The second drop of the Apsley Falls, Walcha, NSW [ Photo by Cgoodwin / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Apsley Falls are two waterfalls on the Apsley River on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. The falls are located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Walcha, and 1 kilometre off the Oxley Highway in a deep gorge, that is part of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. They are the first falls in a succession of dramatic drops in an area that has some of the most remarkable scenery in Eastern Australia. The first drop of the Falls is about 65 metres (213 ft) in depth, and the second, which is about 800 metres (2,625 ft) further on, plummets 58 metres (190 ft) metres to the bottom of the gorge. Aboriginal people tell the story of how the Rainbow Serpent created the gorge at Apsley Falls in the Dreamtime.

7. Epupa Falls (Angola & Namibia)

Detail of the Epupa Falls on the Kunene river, Namibia. [ Photo by Hans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Epupa Falls (Monte Negro Falls in Angola) lie on the Kunene River, on the border of Angola and Namibia. The river is 0.5 km wide and drops in a series of waterfalls spread over 1.5 km, with the greatest single drop being 37 m.

8. Blue Nile Falls (Ethiopia)

The Blue Nile Falls fed by Lake Tana near the city of Bahar Dar, Ethiopia forms the upstream of the Blue Nile. It is also known as Tis Issat Falls after the name of the nearby village. [ Photo by Jialiang Gao / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Blue Nile Falls are a waterfall on the Blue Nile river in Ethiopia. They are known as Tis Issat in Amharic, when translated, means "smoking water" They are situated on the upper course of the river, about 30 kilometers downstream from the town of Bahir Dar and Lake Tana. The falls are considered one of Ethiopia's best known tourist attractions. The falls are estimated to be between 37 and 45 meters high, consisting of four streams that originally varied from a trickle in the dry season to over 400 meters wide in the rainy season. Regulation of Lake Tana now reduces the variation somewhat, and since 2003 a hydro-electric station has taken much of the flow out of the falls except during the rainy season.

9. Gouina Falls (Mali)

Gouina falls [ Photo by Jacques Taberlet / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Gouina Falls or Chutes de Gouina are on the Sénégal River in Mali between the towns of Bafoulabé (upstream) and Diamou (downstream) in the Kayes Region, where the river runs north from the Talari Gorges. They have been called the "Niagara falls of Mali". The river is about 500 m wide at this point, and drops 16 m over the falls. The volume of water is 12-13  m3 per second in the dry season, and up to 2430 m3 in the rainy season. The government of Mali is investigating the possibility of developing the electric power potential of the Senegal River: the smaller Falls of Félou downstream and the Gouina Falls have the power potential of 100MW.

10. Ouzoud Falls (Morocco)

A photo of the Cascades d'Ouzoud in North/Central Morocco in full-ish flow. [ Photo by Tomkeene / public domain ]

Ouzoud Waterfalls (French: Cascades d'Ouzoud) (110 m high) are located in the Grand Atlas village of Tanaghmeilt, in the province of Azilal, 150 km north-east of Marrakech, in Morocco. It is the most visited site of the region. In the vicinity, Green valleys, mills, orchards and a superb circuit of the gorges of the El Abid River (in Arabic, "Slaves' River" ), are found. The bottom of the falls is accessible through a shaded path of olive trees. At the summit of the falls, there exist a dozen of old small mills that are still in use. In the twilight, one can observe whole troops of monkeys. One can also follow a narrow and difficult track leading to the road of Beni Mellal while descending the gorges from the "wadi el-Abid" by a canyon sometimes which one does not distinguish the bottom with nearly 600 meters.

11. Ruacana Falls (Namibia)

Ruacana Falls [ Photo by Rubend nazario / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Ruacana Falls are waterfalls located on the Cunene River in Northern Namibia near Ruacana. The waterfall is 120 meters high and 700 meters wide in full flood. The Epupa Falls on the Kunene River (“Kunene” is the Angolan spelling of the river) are located 135 km downstream on the border of Angola and Namibia.

12. Rusumo Falls (Rwanda & Tanzania)

A close up of the Rusumo Falls [ Photo by SteveRwanda / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Rusumo Falls is a waterfall located on the Kagera river on the border between Rwanda and Tanzania, part of the most distant headwaters of the river Nile. Although the falls themselves are not of a significant height in comparison to other waterfalls, they have played an important part in the history of Rwanda because they form the only bridging point on the river in that area. The falls were the scene of the first arrival of Europeans in Rwanda in 1894, when the German count Gustav Adolf von Götzen came across from Tanzania (Rwanda had been considered part of German East Africa since 1885 but no German had yet entered the country). He continued from there to the palace of the Mwami at Nyanza, and onward to the shores of Lake Kivu. The Belgians also entered Rwanda via the falls, when they took over the country during World War I in 1916.

13. Berlin Falls (South Africa)

Berlin Falls near Graskop, South Africa [ Photo by Marco Schmidt / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]

The Berlin Falls is a waterfall in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

14. Howick Falls (South Africa)

Howick falls, on the Umngeni River, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa [ Photo by kierano / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Howick Falls is a waterfall in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The waterfall is approximately 95 meters in height (311 feet) and lies on the Umgeni River. The Zulu people called the falls KwaNogqaza, which means "Place of the Tall One". The falls were most likely first seen by European explorers in the early 1800s. However the kwaZulu Natal province has known human occupation for well over 30, 000 years and it is likely that it was a well known site prior to any western influence given the rich legend surrounding the area. Many people have been swept over the falls, especially in the pioneer days of the province, as some settlers thought the easiest place to cross the river was just above the falls. There have been a recorded 40 deaths surrounding Howick falls with the first recorded death occurring in 1851.