World's Biggest, Best Waterfalls
Niagara, Victoria Falls, Angel Falls, Canaima National Park and more
David Livingstone, James Crawford Angel and Annie Edson Taylor are linked to great cascades in Venezuela, Ontario (Canada), New York state (US) and Mosi-oa-Tunya (Zambia)
Angel Falls, Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
In 1933 American aviator James Crawford Angel was flying overhead, looking for an ore bed. What he found instead was the world’s biggest waterfall. He returned in 1936 to land his plane on top of the waterfall, and it remained there for another 33 years until it was finally removed.
Angel Falls is well tucked away, and difficult to get to. You’ll need to utilise planes, boats and good old footpower, but it’s still an astonishing sight. The 807m uninterrupted drop is astounding, although viewing it can be tough. Weather conditions often mean that Angel Falls cannot be seen from the air.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada/ New York State, USA.
In 1901 a frankly lunatic old woman called Annie Edson Taylor got bored with her job as a schoolteacher, and decided that cheating death was a far more satisfying experience. Leaping into a barrel and setting off from the American side, she went over the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, making her the first person to try this particular stunt. She somehow survived.
The falls are a major attraction, although you’ll find a series of cascades rather than one big drop. All stunts involving taking them on are now strictly banned, and for good reason. The real attraction is not so much the height, but the width and the sheer amount of water thundering over them.
Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia/ Victoria Falls National Park, Zimbabwe.
When Scottish explorer David Livingstone was making his way down the Zambezi River in 1855, he was taken aback when he came across this incredible view. "No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight,” he said of the falls, and promptly named them after Queen Victoria.
Straddling the Zambia/ Zimbabwe border, Victoria Falls may not be the tallest in the world, but it’s probably the most spectacular and viewer-friendly. It’s certainly the widest – the drop stretching for over a mile – and the one with the biggest volume of water pouring over the top. Uniquely, the water rages over into a small chasm, which means you can stand and face the falls, getting surprisingly close.
