The World's Tallest Waterfalls, Ranked
Measuring the height of a waterfall sounds simple, but it is one of the most disputed questions in the study of falls. Should a single sheer plunge count for more than a long series of cascades? Where does a waterfall begin and end on a steep mountain river? The rankings below follow the most widely accepted figures for total height, while noting the type of fall, because a 900-metre cascade and a 900-metre plunge are very different sights. Every fall named here is plotted on the map.
How waterfall height is measured
Total height usually means the vertical distance from the top of the uppermost drop to the base of the lowest, including intervening cascades. This is why some record-holders are tall but not single plunges. The longest single uninterrupted drop is a separate, often more impressive category. Seasonal flow complicates things further: some of the tallest falls are fed by snowmelt or monsoon and almost vanish in the dry season. Reputable sources such as the World Waterfall Database have tried to standardise measurements, but figures still vary.
1. Angel Falls, Venezuela — 979 m
Angel Falls (Salto Ángel, Kerepakupai-merú) in the Gran Sabana is the world's tallest waterfall at about 979 metres, plunging from the Auyán-tepui sandstone plateau. Its uninterrupted free fall of around 807 metres is also among the longest single drops on Earth. Much of the water atomises into mist before reaching the base. It is a plunge fed by rainfall, strongest in the wet season from May to November.
2. Tugela Falls, South Africa — about 948 m
Tugela Falls in the Drakensberg drops in a series of five leaps totalling roughly 948 metres off the Mont-aux-Sources escarpment. Some surveys place it close to or even above Angel Falls in total height, keeping the top spot disputed. It is highly seasonal, thundering after summer rain and freezing into ice in winter, and is reached by hikes from the Royal Natal area or the plateau top.
3. Tres Hermanas / other tepui falls, Peru and Venezuela
The Tres Hermanas (Three Sisters) Falls in Peru and several other South American falls exceed 800 metres, often in tiered form. The tepui and Andean regions hold a concentration of the world's tallest cascades, many remote and seldom seen, their heights established only by modern surveys.
4. Norwegian giants — Vinnufossen and others
Norway holds several of the tallest falls in Europe and the world. Vinnufossen, fed by the Vinnufonna glacier, drops about 860 metres in tiers, ranking among the tallest in Europe. Others such as Balåifossen and Strupenfossen are also extremely tall but highly seasonal, surging with snowmelt and dwindling later in the year. These are glacier- and snow-fed cascades down steep fjord-country mountainsides.
5. Yosemite Falls, United States — 739 m
Yosemite Falls in California drops a total of about 739 metres in three sections — the tallest waterfall in North America. It is fed by snowmelt and is at its most powerful in spring, often reduced to a trickle or dry by late summer. Its combination of great height and accessibility makes it one of the most famous falls on the list.
Plunge versus cascade
The rankings hide an important distinction. Angel Falls is celebrated because so much of its height is a single free fall, whereas many tall "waterfalls" are really long cascades down a mountainside, gaining height through many linked drops. Both are spectacular, but a sheer plunge and a tumbling cascade offer very different experiences — one a vertiginous leap, the other a long white thread down a slope.
The role of season
Many of the tallest falls are unreliable. Norway's giants, Tugela and Yosemite all depend on snowmelt or seasonal rain, and can shrink dramatically or vanish in the dry months. The few that flow strongly year round — fed by large rivers or steady sources — are rarer among the very tallest, because extreme height usually requires steep mountain terrain where catchments are small. Planning a visit means matching the fall to its season.
Explore on the map
The world's tallest waterfalls are pinned on our interactive map — filter to compare heights and drop types, plan a trip to the tepui country of Venezuela or the fjords of Norway, or trace the steep mountain regions where the tallest cascades are born.