Top 10 Highest Waterfalls in the World

The highest waterfalls in the world are not necessarily the most attractive or popular. In fact, some of them are located in countries that hardly attract tourists. There are specifics in the classification of these waterfalls such as their “drop mode” (whether they drop straight down in a single plunge or in a series of cascades).

Whatever their drop mode may be, this article will highlight the top 10 waterfalls in the world according to their heights.

What is the Highest Waterfall in the World?

This is probably not one of those times to arouse your curiosity and make you scroll all the way (you will eventually, though) so let’s spill!

The highest waterfall in the world is Venezuela’s Angel falls with a height of 979 meters (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 m (2,648 ft). Angel falls is an uninterrupted waterfall that attracts a lot of tourists to the area. We’ll see more about the South American wonder later on, but for now, here are the top 10 highest waterfalls in the world.

10. Browne Falls

Height- 836 metres (2,743 ft)

Location- Southland New Zealand

Browne Falls is located in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. The falls stem from Lake Browne which overflows done the side of the mountain face when full. Browne Falls is located in a temperate rainforest and cascades down to the fiord near Hall Arm.

The falls are located above Doubtful Sound, a beautiful and incredible fiord in Fiordland, New Zealand. It is the second most famous tourist destination in New Zealand, with the first being Milford Sound.

According to Wikipedia, Browne Falls is named after pioneering aerial photographer, Victor Carlyle Browne, who discovered Lake Browne and the associated falls on one of his flights over Fiordland in the 1940s.

Browne Falls is the tallest waterfall in New Zealand.

9. James Bruce Falls

Height- 840 metres (2,756 ft)

Location- British Columbia, Canada

James Bruce Falls is the highest measured fall in N0rth America. The ninth-tallest waterfall in the world is located in British Columbia, Canada. James Bruce Falls is equally the highest waterfall in Canada, attracting a lot of tourists to the area.

The fall stems from a small snowfield and cascades 840 meters (2,760 ft) down to Princess Louisa Inlet. The snowfield produces two streams that dry up after the rainy season in the area.

8. Pu’uka’oku Falls

Height- 840 metres (2,756 ft)

Location- Hawaii, United States

Pu’uka’oku Falls is located in Molokai, Hawaii in the U.S. The waterfall is said to drop directly into the pacific ocean. It is one of the most inaccessible waterfalls in the world. Tourists/researchers who seek to see the Pu’uka’oku will have to access it via helicopter. It has been discovered that the only real way to see these falls is in a helicopter, usually from Maui.

The waterfall is also a very thin cliff that has very little water during the dry season. It is the eighth-highest waterfall in the world.

7. Balåifossen Waterfall

Height- 850 metres (2,789 ft)

Location- Hordaland, Norway

It is interesting to know that most of the world’s tallest waterfalls are located in the United States and Norway. Little wonder both countries attract lots of tourists.

Balåifossen waterfall is the seventh-tallest waterfall in the world, being 2,789 feet high. It is situated on the east side of the Osafjorden, in the municipality of Ulvik. The fall has a stream after its name- the river Balai, which drops down over 800 meters and ends in the Osafjorden.

The waterfall may have one of the lowest volumes in the world, but it maintains its place as one of the tallest waterfalls in the world.

6. Vinnufossen Waterfall

Height- 865 m (2,838 ft)

Location- Møre og Romsdal, Norway

Vinnufossen Waterfall in Norway is the 6th-tallest waterfall in the world with a height of 2,838 feet. It is located east of the Sunndalsøra village, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway.

The falls are a major part of the river Vinnu, a river that flows down from the Vinnufjellet mountain. They fall into the Driva river, near Hoelsand village. Vinnufossen Waterfall is also called the Vinnufallet Waterfall.

5. Yumbilla Falls

Height- 876 meters (2940 ft)

Location- Amazona, Peru

Peru is home to some of the most exciting tourist attractions and waterfalls happen to be one of them! Yumbilla Falls is only one of the tallest waterfalls in Peru, being the fifth-tallest in the world. Some of the world’s highest waterfalls located in Peru include Tres Hermanas Falls, 2,999 ft (which we will see later in this article), and Gocta Cataracts, measuring a height of 2,530 ft.

Yumbilla Falls, however, is the fifth-tallest waterfall in the world. It is located near Cuispes town in Amazonas- northern Peru. It wasn’t known globally until 2007 when the Geographical Institute of Peru (IGN) conducted a geographical survey.

Yumbilla Falls remains one of Peru’s and the world’s wonders to date.

4. Olo’upena Falls

Height- 900 metres (2,953 ft)

Location- Molokai, Hawaii

Next on our list of the world’s tallest waterfalls is Olo’upena Falls. Located on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai, U.S, the fall is the fourth-highest waterfall in the world and the highest in the United States of America.

Boasting a height of 900 meters, Olo’upena falls is surrounded by mountains and enjoys a consistent water supply due to the rain. The falls occur whenever a seasonal stream spills over the edge of a seaside cliff between the Pelekunu and Wailau valleys. The waterfall can only be observed from the air or ocean, thanks to the eroding of a groove in the cliff face.

3. Tres Hermanas Falls

Height- 914 metres (2,999 ft)

Location- Junín Region, Peru

Tres Hermanas Falls is the English translation of the Spanish statement “Three Sisters”. With a height of 2,999 ft, it is the third tallest waterfall in the world.

The fall is located in Otishi National Park, near the northern division of the Cutivireni River in Junín. Surrounded by montane forest, Tres Hermanas Falls is so called because it is a tiered waterfall with three sections. The fall is one of the major tourist attractions in Peru.

2. Tugela Falls

Height- 948 meters (3,110 ft)

Location- KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Tugela Falls is a multiplex consisting of seasonal waterfalls in the Drakensberg (Dragon’s Mountains) of Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

It was once cited as the world’s tallest waterfall after revisitation and measurement of the site, however, Tugela Falls is still officially cited as the world’s second-tallest waterfall. The combined total drop of its five distinct falls is still officially 948 m (3,110 ft).

1. Angel Falls

Height- 979 metres (3,212 ft)

Location- Bolívar State, Venezuela

Although there are disputes on the position of Angel and Tugela Falls on the list of the tallest falls in the world, Angel Falls is the highest waterfall in the world. With a height of 979 meters (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 m (2,648 ft), the waterfall is located in one of Venezuela’s largest states- Bolívar.

It drops over the edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain in the Canaima National Park. Even though the height figure refers mainly to the main plunge, it also features about 400 meters of sloped cascade and rapids. Angel falls flow into one of the country’s most popular rivers- Rio Churún.

It is not just the tallest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls is also the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world.

Top 10 Tallest Waterfalls in the World (Summary)

The tallest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls in Venezuela, measuring 3,212 feet high. Other waterfalls in Venezuela include Para Falls, Salto Arapena, and Llovizna Falls.

Here is a list and table containing the top 10 tallest waterfalls in the world.

1. Angel Falls
2. Tugela Falls
3. Tres Hermanas Falls
4. Olo’upena Falls
5. Yumbilla Falls
6. Vinnufossen Waterfall
7. Pu’uka’oku Falls
8. James Bruce Falls
9. Browne Falls