The 16 Most Stunning Waterfalls in The World

Iguazu Falls straddles the border between Argentina and Brazil and is wider than Victoria Falls and taller than Niagara, making it arguably the world's most spectacular waterfall system.

The 275 separate cascades thunder over a 2.

7-kilometre arc in the subtropical jungle of both countries' national parks.

The Brazilian side of Iguaçu Falls trades Argentina's up-close catwalks for one long panoramic circuit, sweeping across nearly the entire 2.

7km curtain of over 250 individual falls at once.

A short walkway leads out to a platform inside the spray of the Devil's Throat, with boat trips for those who want to get soaked.

It's compact enough to see in half a day, unlike the sprawling park across the border.

Water drops 979 metres off a sheer tabletop mountain in the middle of remote Venezuelan jungle, making this the tallest waterfall on Earth by a wide margin.

The fall is so tall that much of the water disperses into mist before ever reaching the pool below.

Reaching it means days of river travel by dugout canoe through Canaima National Park, so the sheer remoteness is part of what keeps the view unspoiled.

North America's tallest waterfall drops in three tiers down a granite cliff face in Yosemite Valley, at its thunderous peak each spring when snowmelt sends it roaring.

By late summer it can slow to a trickle or vanish entirely, so timing genuinely changes what you see.

The valley floor meadow below offers an open, unobstructed view, with El Capitan and Half Dome in sight at the same time.

Skogafoss is one of Iceland's most dramatic waterfalls, with the Skoga river plunging 60 metres over a cliff edge into a pool below, generating so much spray that a rainbow forms on sunny days.

A staircase of 527 steps climbs to the top of the falls, giving access to a scenic riverside trail.

Southeast Asia's largest transnational waterfall spills over limestone terraces straddling the Vietnam-China border, wide enough that bamboo rafts drift right up to its base.

Rice paddies and karst peaks frame the Vietnamese side, while mist rises constantly off the wide, multi-tiered drop, especially heavy after summer rains.

Erawan Falls drops through seven tiers down a forested hillside in Kanchanaburi province, each level pooling into a turquoise swimming hole ringed by limestone and jungle.

The lower tiers are an easy walk from the park entrance, while reaching the seventh requires a scramble over rocks and tree roots that takes a couple of hours round trip.

Small fish in the pools nibble at swimmers' feet, a natural pedicure most visitors don't expect.

A single, uninterrupted drop of 226 metres - about four times the height of Niagara - sends the Potaro River over a sandstone cliff into pristine Guyanese rainforest.

Unlike most waterfalls of this scale, it sits inside a protected national park with almost no development and few visitors, so the viewpoints are typically empty.

Rainbow-coloured mist rises from the base most mornings when the light is right.

The Krimml Waterfalls drop 380 metres in three tiers down a forested mountainside in the Hohe Tauern National Park, among the highest waterfalls in Europe.

A well-graded path climbs alongside the falls through spray-cooled air, with viewing platforms at each tier and a small waterfall-themed nature trail for families lower down.

On sunny mornings, rainbows form regularly in the mist at the base of the lower tier.

Gullfoss, meaning Golden Falls, is Iceland's most famous waterfall, where the Hvita river thunders down two impressive tiers into a rugged canyon below.

Part of the iconic Golden Circle tourist route, its power and the spray it generates mean that on sunny days you can often see several rainbows arcing across it simultaneously.

One of Iceland's most famous waterfalls drops 60 meters into a misty pool, with a rare path that lets visitors walk fully behind the curtain of falling water.

Right off the Ring Road and framed by green cliffs, it's striking in any weather, and lit up at night in the darker months.

Europe's largest waterfall by volume thunders over a 150-metre-wide limestone ledge near Schaffhausen, where the Rhine drops about 23 metres in a broad, permanent roar rather than a single dramatic drop.

Viewing platforms reach out over the spray from both banks, boats motor right up to the central rock, and the free riverside paths make it an easy stop rather than a planned expedition.

The world's second-tallest waterfall drops in five free-falling stages down the Drakensberg escarpment, deep in the Royal Natal National Park.

Reaching the top requires a full-day hike including a stretch up two connected chain ladders bolted to the cliff face.

On a clear day after rain, the full 948-metre drop is visible from the valley floor without any hiking at all.

Niagara Falls sits on the border between Ontario and New York State and comprises three waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls.

The Canadian side offers the most dramatic panoramic view of the Horseshoe Falls, which at 57 metres tall and 670 metres wide is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

India's tallest plunge waterfall drops in a single sheer fall into a striking turquoise pool at the base of the Khasi Hills, near Cherrapunji - one of the wettest places on Earth.

Monsoon season turns it into a thunderous wall of water visible from a paved viewpoint without any hiking required.

A local legend about a mother's grief gives the falls their name and a somber backstory repeated by every guide.

Morocco's tallest waterfall drops around 110 meters in a series of cascades through red sandstone cliffs, with wild Barbary macaque monkeys often seen in the olive groves along the approach trail.

Paths wind down to the pool at the base, where small boats ferry visitors close enough to feel the spray, and mule owners offer rides back up for those who'd rather skip the climb.