Waterfalls To Add To Your Bucket List

The most spectacular waterfalls in the world make others look like twee water features in a suburban garden. Some of the falls that should be added to all bucket lists are official record holders, while

The most spectacular waterfalls in the world make others look like twee water features in a suburban garden. Some of the falls that should be added to all bucket lists are official record holders, while others are simply among the most beautiful – or unusual – sights that one could ever see. The following list has been left unranked because they all deserve to be in the top spot.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, which is Lozi for ‘smoke that thunders’, Victoria Falls straddles the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The waterfall is the largest on the planet, even though it is neither the widest nor the highest.

What will be seen is the largest sheet of falling water. Altogether, it is 108m high and an eye-popping 1,708m wide. The falls can be seen from both countries, but as two-thirds lie within Zimbabwe’s border, that county offers the better views. A special day visa is available to tourists from approximately 40 different countries, making it possible to get the full picture in one visit.

Sivasamudram Falls, India

Although perennial and divided by cliffs and an island with a small town, the Sivasamudram Falls on the Kaveri River in India is the world’s most powerful waterfall. The height of 98m may seem paltry compared to other waterfalls, but the average width of the twin falls is 305m.

What makes them truly spectacular is that an average volume of 934 cubic metres of water pours over the edge every second during the monsoon season. That once rose to an incredible 18,887 cubic metres per second. The best time to visit is between July and October.

Baatara Gorge Waterfall, Lebanon

Baatara Gorge Waterfall near the village of Baala, Lebanon, is one of the most awe-inspiring falls on the planet. It plunges 255m into a Jurassic limestone cave known as the Balaa Pothole and the Cave of the Three Bridges.

From the valley below, one can see three natural bridges over a chasm, one above the other. It is as its most beautiful during the spring melt (April and May), when water from snow on Mount Lebanon creates a 100m waterfall behind the bridges, which then drops into the chasm. It is possible to see winning symbols drop down on the reels when you play pokies in Australia.

Bigar Waterfall, Romania

Possibly the loveliest of the world’s falls, the Bigar Waterfall on the Minis River in Romania’s Anina Mountains is only a mere 8m high.

However, the water flows over a bright green mossy carpet on a rounded outcrop on a cliff and forms a sparkling curtain that pours into the basin below the cliff.

Trümmelbach Falls, Switzerland

Located in Switzerland’s Trümmelbach Creek in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the Trümmelbach Falls are a series of several falls fed by glaciers. The falls discharge as much as 20,000 litres per second.

They also carry approximately 20,000 tons of detritus and scree annually. The falls are accessed via a tunnel funicular and stairs. Children under the age of 4 are not permitted, due to the noise generated by the falls.