The Most Beautiful Waterfalls in the World
The world is full of amazing wonders shaped by nature. We have previously written about the tallest mountains in the world y far-off, unexplored places. In this article, we want to explore another wonder of nature – the waterfall. Join us as we explore the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
Waterfalls exist where rivers flow over a vertical drop. This can be one big drop or a series of smaller falls. They are most commonly formed when a river erodes an area of softer rock faster than the surrounding land, causing a difference in river level over time. Waterfalls come in many shapes and sizes; some are broad and powerful, and others are high with long, uninterrupted drops into a plunge pool.
The nature of waterfalls means they often exist among impressive scenery and tall cliffs, making them likely to be imposing and beautiful places to see. Getting there will be your biggest challenge. Admiring the view is the easy part.
Getting to Know Waterfalls
- Height: The total distance measured from the top to the bottom of the waterfall. This can be in a single drop or broken up into smaller falls.
- Drop: The size of the largest uninterrupted fall of water.
- Width: The size of the waterfall from one riverbank to the other. Some falls are very wide, but not very tall.
- Flow rate: A measure of the amount of water a waterfall can discharge per second.
- Power: The glorious roar of a waterfall crashing into a pool or onto rocks is an amazing experience of the power of nature. We can measure the power of a waterfall by multiplying its flow by its fall distance.
- Beauty: Entirely subjective because judging something the ‘best waterfall’, or the ‘most beautiful waterfall’, is a matter of opinion. In our opinion, these are some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
The Best Waterfalls in the World
Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe-Zambia border)
Victoria Falls is one of the world’s most famous waterfalls. It was so-named by British explorer David Livingstone during his 1855 expedition through Africa, but of course, it had been known by the locals long before that. In the Tonga language, it is called Shungu Namutitima, which translates as ‘Boiling Water’. In Lozi, it is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to ‘Thundering Smoke’.
Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world by width, at 1,708 metres. The falls exist where the Zambezi River reaches a fracture in the basalt plain over which it travels, causing the river to drop over a hundred metres before continuing its journey to the Indian Ocean.
Dettifoss (Iceland)
Situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum River in the Vatnajökull National Park, Dettifoss waterfall is 44 metres tall and 100 metres wide. It is considered one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world. Iceland is known for its dramatic and sometimes stark natural scenery of dark volcanic rock. The white water of the falls, coloured by rich sediment runoff, provides a vivid counterpoint to the surrounding landscape.
Dentifoss was impressive enough to be featured in the opening scene of the 2012 movie Prometheus.
Niagara Falls (United States-Canada border)
Niagara Falls is technically three different waterfalls at the southern tip of the Niagara Gorge between New York State in the United States and Ontario in Canada.
The most famous of the three is Horseshoe Falls, which is probably the one you have seen in pictures. The greenish colour of the water is caused by dissolved minerals and salts that the river has picked up along the way.
Blood Falls (Antarctica)
Perhaps ‘striking’ might be a better word than ‘beautiful’, but there are few waterfalls as awe-inspiring as Blood Falls in Antarctica. Emerging from the Taylor Glacier, Blood Falls is so-named for the red colour of the water. Red algae were first believed to be the cause, but we now know it is due to iron oxides. In other words, rust.
Blood Falls is also unique because it is a saltwater waterfall. Waterfalls typically begin on land, supplied by rainwater or melting ice.
The Highest Waterfall in the World
Angel Falls (Venezuela)
Angel Falls is one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls. It boasts an overall height of 979 metres and has the largest uninterrupted drop in the world at 807 metres. Angel Falls begins as a fork of the Río Kerepacupai Merú before it reaches the plateau edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain.
Located in Venezuela, the waterfall sits within the Canaima National Park, which has itself been granted UNESCO World Heritage status. Angel Falls is so big that getting too close can mean you fail to appreciate the scale of the surrounding terrain. Angel Falls was featured in the 1956 film Seven Wonders of the World, by Lowell Thomas.
The Best Waterfall in the UK
While the UK may not have the dramatic scenery of other parts of the world, it is still home to plenty of beautiful waterfalls. High Force in County Durham is one of England’s largest waterfalls, with rock cliffs along the lip of the falls surrounded by trees into the river valley beyond. Kinder Waterfall in Derbyshire is a wind-swept fall over the craggy landscape of the Peak District, and Aber Falls in Gwynedd cascades down a rocky cliff into a rocky stream among the trees.
Fell Beck (Yorkshire)
However, as beautiful as those waterfalls may be, we consider one of the best to be Fell Beck in Yorkshire. After running through the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it falls into Gaping Gill, the second-largest cave shaft in the UK. Here it falls for an unbroken 110 metres to continue as an underground river, before emerging downstream as Clapham Beck.
Waterfalls are impressive enough demonstrations of nature’s wonder above ground, so imagine what it is like getting to see one this far underground. It would be the perfect opportunity to try out the skills learned in our Caving Foundation Course, as part of our Adventurous Training.
We can’t promise a visit to every waterfall on our list, but you can take on the challenges of nature with the Army Cadets. Our Formación aventurera y Trabajo de campo can equip you with the skills to see the world from a new perspective and with new friends.
Discover your self-confidence and ability to face life’s challenges with resilience and maturity. Encontrar un destacamento near you today and join as a cadet.
Créditos de las imágenes
Niagara Falls: Pixabay
Victoria Falls: Albrecht Fietz
Dentifoss: bhart9070
Blood Falls: National Science Foundation/Peter Rejcek
Angel Falls: Rich Childs
Gaping Gill: Public Domain