The highest waterfall is Angel. Tallest waterfall in the world

21.09.2013

There are many joys in nature. One of the many joys provided by nature - for example big waterfalls.. Stories at the waterfalls are happy and sad. Some of them remained untouched, far from tourist excursions, while others were destroyed in the name of human interest. With that said, here are the ten largest tall waterfalls in the world, great ones and some of the ones that still survive:

No. 10. Niagara Falls

What list of waterfalls would be complete without Niagara Falls? Many waterfalls are impressive in their height. But this is not about Niagara Falls. At only 167 meters high, it is not even included in the top 100 tallest waterfalls. Niagara Falls is actually famous for another reason; that it is the world's largest waterfall by volume. Niagara Falls is actually a combination of three waterfalls that form the end of the Niagara Gorge. Every second, more than 2,407 cubic meters of water overflows the crest line, making it number one among all non-flooded waterfalls. To give you a little perspective, Dettifoss ranks 9th among waterfalls in terms of flow speed, with an average of 193 cubic meters per second. This means that Niagara has a flow rate almost 13 times that of Dettifoss. All other waterfalls on this list rank well below Dettifoss in terms of flow speed. And it is not at all surprising that Niagara is one of largest waterfalls in the world, and also one of the most visited.

No. 9. Dettifoss

This waterfall is not very high, only 45 meters. But don't let this fool you. This Icelandic waterfall is considered the most powerful in Europe, its flow speed is 193 cubic meters per second. The falls were extremely difficult to reach until 2011. However, with the advent of a new road, you can simply drive by and admire.

No. 8. Yosemite Falls

This gem of Yosemite National Park is highest waterfall in North America with a height of 739 m. This multi-level waterfall is divided into three: upper falls, middle cascades and lower falls. The upper waterfalls reach a height of 440 meters. The middle cascades are 206 meters. Lower waterfalls - 98 meters.

No. 7. Keitur

This big waterfall is located in the little-known South American sovereign state of Guyana. The speed of falling water is about 633 meters per second. He ranks 123rd in the ranking highest waterfalls, its height is 226 meters. According to the World Waterfall Database, it is ranked 26th among the most scenic waterfalls in the world. If you ever visit this waterfall, try to get to the middle cascades. It is in this part of the waterfall that a beautiful view of the miracle of nature opens up.

No. 6. Waihilau Falls

It is a popular tourist attraction for those visiting Hawaii. This waterfall is 792 meters high. This valley was abandoned in the 1940s. Thus, the valley became one of the few natural sites on the island untouched by man. If you are ever in Hawaii, you should definitely visit this place, especially if you are a tourist who appreciates beautiful scenery.

No. 5. Langfossen

Langfossen is another one big waterfall in Western Norway. At no more than 600 meters high, it is not as tall as Rämnefjellsfossen. However, many argue that its beauty far surpasses Rämnefjellsfossen. In fact, CNN chose Langfossen as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. This waterfall is located near the European highway E134; you can just arrive, park your car on the side of the road and enjoy. Simply by virtue of its beauty, it deserves to be on this list.

No. 4. Utigard

It is located in Norway and is considered the third of tallest waterfalls in the world among famous publications. However, this is not official, since according to other sources he is even outside the top ten. Whether he ranks third or not, Utigard certainly deserves a mention on this list. This waterfall has three rapids (the largest reaches 600 meters), it is located on the Jostedalsbreen glacier and flows into Lake Lovetnet. To admire the falls up close, you will have to pay a nominal fee for a ticket to the observation deck. This small contribution will go towards maintaining the waterfall viewing platform.

No. 3. Kukenan Falls

It is the second highest waterfall in Venezuela (after Angel Falls), and is regarded as one of the tallest waterfalls in the world. It has one rapid, 674 m high, and flows down the Kukenan Tepui mesa. Although it is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, it is not as popular as Angel Falls.

No. 2. Tugela Falls

This is South African big waterfall 948 m high, it is the second highest waterfall in the world. The longest rapid is just over 400 meters. Even though the waterfall is in a relatively accessible location, getting there is a different story. Depending on your level of training, you will spend from 4 to 8 hours on the road. However, the good news is that you will be hiking through the Amphitheater cliff face, one of the most imposing geographic features on Earth. But to begin your hike, you will have to drive at least an hour to get to the trailhead. After all, getting to the falls is a full day of adventure.

No. 1. Angel Falls

If only height is considered, Angel Falls is largest waterfall in the world. Angel Falls reaches a height of 979 meters. The highest threshold (out of 47) is at an altitude of 807 meters. Although the falls are located in Venezuela, they are named after American aviator Jimmy Angel because he was the first to fly (accidentally) over the falls in 1933. Before this, he was relatively unknown outside of Venezuela. As you can imagine, the waterfall is now a famous tourist attraction in the country. But if you want to visit it, you must be warned; There may be some minor problems with this. Because it is in the jungle, in undeveloped areas, and you will have to fly to Puerto Ordaz or Ciudad Bolivar to get to where the raft leading to the waterfall will be waiting for you.

Brown Falls - 836 meters

Brown Falls is located on the discharge channel of the small mountain lake Brown in the southern part of the South Island, New Zealand.
The width of the waterfall is 12 meters. On average, it dumps 3 square meters every second. water, and during the period of maximum water level in the lake, the flow rate can reach up to 14 m2/s. It ranks tenth in height in the world and first in New Zealand.
Brown Falls was named after pioneer aerial photographer Victor Carlile Brown, who discovered Brown Lake and its associated falls during one of his flights in 1940.

James Bruce Falls - 840 meters

James Bruce Falls is the tallest waterfall on mainland North America and the ninth tallest in the world. It is located in Princess Louise Marine Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada.
The waterfall consists of two parallel streams that originate from a snow field; one is permanent all year round and the other usually dries out in July.

Puukaoku Falls - 840 m

Puukaoku Falls - located on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, USA. This waterfall differs from others in that the water here is not in free fall, but flows down an almost vertical rock. It is easier to see it from the air, since it is almost impossible to get to Puukaoku Falls by land.

Balaifossen Waterfall - 850 meters

Balaifossen is a waterfall in Europe, on the Bali River, in southwestern Norway. The water here flows down in three ledges from a height of 850 m. The height of the largest ledge is 452 m. The average width of the waterfall is about 8 m. On average, it drops about 1 square meter every second. water. The Balaifossen waterfall exists mainly due to the melting of snow on the Kirelvfællet mountain range, which rises above the waterfall. The water in it can dry out completely in summer and autumn.

Vinnufossen Waterfall - 860 meters

In sixth place on the list of the highest waterfalls is the Vinnufossen waterfall located on the Vinnu River in Norway. It is the highest waterfall in Europe.

Yumbilla Falls - 895.5 m

Yumbilla Falls - located in the Amazonas region of Peru. The height of the waterfall was measured by the National Institute of Geography of Peru using laser equipment.

Olo’upena Falls - 900 meters

Olopena Falls is another waterfall that is among the ten highest, as is Puukaoku Falls located on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, USA. The water, just like that of his “countryman,” does not fall, but slides along the rock, flowing into the ocean. This waterfall was unknown for a long time due to the fact that it cut deep into the rocks.

Three Sisters Waterfall - 914 meters

Three Sisters Waterfall - located in South America, in central Peru. The waterfall falls down into a deep canyon in five ledges from a height of 914 m. The width of the waterfall is 12 meters. On average, it dumps 1 square meter every second. water, and during floods, water flow can reach up to 6 m2/s.

Tugela Falls - 948 m

Tugela Falls - located in the Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu, Natal Province, South Africa. It consists of five free-falling cascades, the largest of which is 411 meters high. The water above the falls is clean and safe to drink.

Angel Falls - 979 meters

The tallest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls, is located in the tropical forests of Venezuela, in the Canaima National Park. The waterfall was discovered in the early 20th century by explorer Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz, but was not widely known until aviator James Angel flew over the waterfall in 1933. It was named after the pilot. Angel Falls is located in the Venezuelan wilderness and can only be reached by air or river.

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The highest waterfalls in the world

Waterfalls are some of nature's most beautiful and impressive creations. The sight of water falling freely through the air and crashing on the ground in a cloud of splashing and thundering roar is truly one of the most beautiful experiences in life. In addition, most of the waterfalls are located in pristine, breathtaking terrain, and beautiful rainbows can always be seen in the areas near the waterfalls.

The world's tallest Angel Falls was discovered by American pilot Jimmy Angel in 1935 while he was prospecting for gold in southeastern Venezuela. He was flying his small plane through a narrow canyon when he noticed an arrow of water rushing from a height of 979 meters from the tepui down to the mountainous tropical lowlands.

The Tugela Falls in South Africa are almost as high, with a total height of 933 meters. (Some sources indicate a height of 850 meters, while it is still the second highest). However, not many people have heard of Tugela Falls because it is not the tallest waterfall.

The tallest waterfall in North America, Yosemite Falls is the sixth tallest waterfall in the world. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, it presents a fantastic and breathtaking spectacle

In fact, other than Angel Falls, few people have ever heard of any other tallest waterfalls. The fact is that most high waterfalls are located in remote mountains, far from human eyes. And besides, they are usually found on small rivers. After all, many rivers are born in the mountains, where they must flow for a long time, receiving more and more water from their tributaries, before they become really large.

But what if a river like the Amazon, Nile, or Mississippi falls off a cliff? One such super waterfall is Khon Falls on the Mekong River in Laos. Its height is only 22 meters, yet an average of 11,000 cubic meters of water flows through it per second.

Much more famous is the waterfall on the Nile River in Africa. Murchison Falls National Park is established in Uganda. But the largest waterfall in the world, consisting of a single stream, is another African giant, Victoria Falls. Situated on the mighty Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, this fearsome giant lets out a deafening roar as a wall of water approximately one mile wide crashes down to the ground from a height of almost 120 meters.

The story of the discovery of Victoria Falls is also known. The first European to see it was David Livingstone, who named it after Queen Victoria.

The most spectacular waterfall maker in the world is the South American Parana River. On one of its tributaries, on the border of Brazil and Argentina, is the Iguazu Falls. A series of rocky and wooded islands divide the river into approximately 275 streams that fall 280 feet from cliffs more than two miles wide. Water flows averaging about 1,600 cubic meters per second increase to more than 11,000 during times of flood. In 1986, Iguazu Falls was declared a natural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

You've probably never even heard of the largest waterfall on Earth. Located downstream on the Parana River, Guaira Falls had 7.5 times the average flow of Iguazu. Unfortunately, it was flooded by the construction of the Itaipu Dam in 1982.

North America's most famous waterfall is located near the middle of the Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. On one side of the island in the river is the long, straight line of the American Falls; on the other is the graceful crescent of Horseshoe Falls. Both fall approximately 51 meters, together forming the famous Niagara Falls.

Etienne Bruhl, the first European to see Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior, may also have been the first to see Niagara Falls, in 1615. Of course, it was hidden deep in the wilderness 400 years ago. Today, Niagara Falls is famous mainly because it is located near one of the world's largest population centers.

Of course, this is an amazing sight, even if it cannot be compared with some of the giants in other countries. The American Falls plummet from 21 to 33 metres, while the Canadian Horseshoe Falls plummet from 51 meters into the Pond of the Maiden of the Mists. More than 4,300 cubic meters of water rushes through the falls every minute during peak flow.

Niagara has gained particular fame as a place that attracts lovers. The falls also appeal to daredevils, scores of those who have found fame—or death—trying to survive one of the fastest river floats around, a drop of no more than five seconds from Niagara Falls. The wooden barrel could even be considered the official vehicle of the falls.

If you think that there are many huge waterfalls in the Himalayas and Andes, you are not alone, I thought the same thing. Yet, even though Asia is the largest continent, there is only one waterfall worthy of making the list. North America puts on quite a show with half a dozen superwaterfalls. Yet tiny Norway surpasses Canada, the United States and Mexico combined in this part - as many as eight. With France and Switzerland having one super waterfall each, Europe easily beats the other continents with a total of ten waterfalls for the record books. Even tiny, arid Australia has three times as many superwaterfalls as Asia.

There are waterfalls that aren't quite as tall as those listed, but are much more famous - and it's not hard to see why. Look at the names of the rivers on which the waterfalls are located in the diagram. You probably haven't heard of any of them before. The fact is that most high waterfalls are located high in the mountains, where large rivers are rare. After all, many rivers are born in the mountains; they must flow for a long time, absorbing more and more water from their tributaries, before they become really large.

Here is a list of the 20 highest waterfalls in the world in descending order:

Angel Falls is considered the highest in the world. Its height is 1054 m (according to other sources - 979 m). Angel Falls (in English - Angel, local name - Churum-meru) is located on the river. Churumi - a tributary of the river. Carrao (Orinoco River basin) in South America, in Venezuela.

Angel Falls is Venezuela's most famous natural treasure and one of the most impressive places in the world. It is 2.5 times higher than the famous Empire State Building in New York, and 15 times higher than the famous Niagara. The discoverer of the waterfall is considered to be the American pilot Jimmy Angel, who dreamed of finding the Golden River all his life. The American adventurer never found gold, but instead discovered one of the most famous natural attractions on our planet. Although the local Pemon Indians knew about the existence of the waterfall for thousands of years, the water cascade was named after Angel (but in the Spanish manner Angel), because it was he who discovered it to the modern world.

Angel translated into Russian means “angel”. Although the names of waterfalls are usually very figurative and poetic, this waterfall is called an angel not in honor of the biblical angels and not because of its “proximity to heaven.” The 1st magnitude giant bears the name of its discoverer, the Venezuelan pilot Juan Angel, and the Indians called the waterfall Apemey or Maiden's Eyebrow. Angel Falls, more than a kilometer high, was discovered relatively recently - in 1935. This proves how much unknown our beautiful planet Earth still conceals.

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Now let's talk about everything in order...

On November 19, 1933, an American pilot first witnessed the majesty of the tallest waterfall in the world, falling from a height of 979 meters in the jungle of Venezuela. Jimmy Angel described his impressions this way: “When I saw the waterfall, I almost lost control of the plane. A cascade of water straight from the sky!”
How could such a phenomenal miracle of nature - a vertical stream of water a mile high - be hidden from humanity throughout history? The fact is that Angel is located in one of the most remote and inaccessible corners of the earth. The southeastern part of Venezuela - the Auyan Tepui mountain range (Devil's Mountain) is composed of porous sandstones, has a height of up to 2600 m, and ends abruptly with a sheer rock wall. The approaches to the wall are blocked by the selva - a dense tropical forest.

What was Angel looking for there? In the 1930s, a “diamond fever” broke out in Venezuela. Hundreds of adventurers, businessmen hungry for profit, and simply the poor rushed into the impenetrable jungle. Angel bought a small sports plane and flew to the Auyan Tepui massif. In those places, the tops of the table mountains are often covered with clouds. Angel was flying in clear weather and was the first to see a kilometer-long vertical water line.

It turned out that the waterfall does not fall from the very edge of the highland ledge. The Churumi River has “cut through” the upper edge of the cliff and falls 80-100 m below its edge. Water consumption - 300 sq. m/s.

On October 9, 1937, Angel carefully planned his El Rio Caroni light plane to land on top of the enormous Auyantepui mountain (with a waterfall falling from its peak) in the isolated Gran Sabana region of Venezuela. According to Jimmy, his plan was to stay at the top of the mountain for a few days in search of gold. But the author’s plans were thwarted by an unsuccessful landing. The plane nose-downed during landing and damaged a fuel line. The accident did not harm Jimmy, his wife Maria, and two colleagues Gustavo Heni and Miguel Delgado, but now they were cut off from the outside world on the top of the Auyantepui mesa.

The only way out was to descend on foot through unmarked territory, with limited food. Eleven days later, exhausted but alive, the group reached the city of Camarata. As word of this event spread around the world, the name Jimmy Angel began to be inextricably linked with the waterfall, which he first saw back in 1933.

Juan Angel (Angel) did not discover diamond deposits. Others have done it. He suffered an accident (the plane capitulated) and was saved literally by a miracle. He landed in the very place that Conan Doyle chose to unfold the events of his famous novel The Lost World. Having reached the nearest post office, Angel reported his discovery to the National Geographic Society of the United States, and his name is now on all maps of the world. On Latin American maps the waterfall is often designated as Salto Angel, i.e. "angel's jump."

The discoverer spent the last years of his life in Venezuela, in the state of Ciudad Bolivar, and died in 1956. According to Angel’s will, his ashes were scattered over a waterfall named after him.

Twelve years later, American photojournalist Ruth Robertson made the first successful expedition to the foot of the Angel, measured it and officially declared it the tallest waterfall in the world. Her article, "Jungle Journey to the World's Tallest Waterfall," published in November 1949 in National Geographic magazine, is a fascinating account of this journey.

In 1955, Latvian explorer Alexander Laime became the first Westerner to climb to the source of the river that feeds Angel Falls. Nowadays, the Laime trail is used by tourists when climbing to the top of Mount Auyantepui.

Jimmy Angel's plane remained atop Auyantepui for 33 years. In 1964, the Venezuelan government declared the plane a national monument. In 1970, it was dismantled into pieces and transported by Venezuelan Air Force helicopters to the aviation museum in Maracay for restoration. The plane was later installed on the green lawn in front of the passenger terminal of Ciudad Bolivar Airport, where it remains to this day.

Angel never dreamed that his plane would become a national monument. Years earlier, Patricia Grant had asked Jimmy if he would like to have his plane removed from the top of Auyantepui. Then he replied: “No, by remaining there, he will serve as a memory of me.”

Angel Falls is located in the tropical jungle of the southeastern region of Venezuela called Gran Sabana. A large area of ​​this region (more than 3 million hectares) is included in the Canaima National Park, the largest national park in Venezuela and the sixth largest in the world. Gran Sabana means large plain (or savana) in Spanish, but the area's most famous feature is the dozens of exotic, sheer-cliffed, flat-topped mountains that rise from the middle of the plain. Named "Tepui" in the language of the local Indian tribe, these pink sandstone mesas are the product of millions of years of erosion, and contain unique flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world - frogs that don't jump and red carnivorous plants.

The most famous attraction of Gran Sabana is Roraima, the highest tepui with an altitude of about 2800 meters. Fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believe that his science fiction novel The Lost World, about dinosaur hunters in the jungles of South America, was inspired by the first scientific expedition to Roraima. Angel Falls falls from the top of Auyantepui (translated from the Pemon Indian language as “Devil’s Mountain”), one of the largest Tepuis of Venezuela.

Canaima serves as the starting point for a trip to Angel Falls. Situated on the edge of the lagoon (pictured), surrounded by pink-sand beaches, beautiful waterfalls and pristine jungle, the word “paradise” best describes the beauty of the surrounding nature of this area. Although it is possible to visit other waterfalls and lagoons from here, as well as climb the mesas' flat tops, the main reason tourists fly to Canaima for a few days is to see Angel Falls.

The tallest waterfall in the world is also one of the most difficult to reach. Venezuela did absolutely nothing to somehow develop this region. Its remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved the untouched nature of the area and made Angel Falls one of the most inaccessible tourist attractions in Venezuela. There is still no possibility of traveling by car, since most of the Canaima National Park has almost no roads. Small light aircraft runways connect this remote region to the outside world.

Most tourists visiting Angel Falls do so from an airplane window. Almost all flights to Canaima, both commercial and charter, fly near this waterfall. But, given the fact that Angel falls from the wall of a steep canyon, often shrouded in clouds (especially during the rainy season), it is not always possible to see him. Moreover, even on a clear day, when the plane makes a couple of passes on each side, you can often inspect it briefly.

If you want to truly experience the magnificence of the world's tallest waterfall, then a boat trip is a must. Almost all hotels and tour companies in Canaima offer 1, 2 or 3 day tours. They all follow the same route, the only difference is the amount of time, which completely depends on the wishes of the visitors.

Angel Falls is about a 5-hour canoe ride upriver from Canaima, followed by a trek through the jungle to its base (about an hour). The path to the waterfall from Canaima is an equally interesting part of the trip and provides an opportunity to get acquainted with unique species of Venezuelan flora and fauna and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the surrounding nature (pictured). If the water flow is quite moderate, you can swim in a small pond at the foot of the waterfall.

If you are interested in overnight accommodation for climbers, YOU CAN SEE HERE this is more detailed

The waterfall is at its highest during the rainy season from May to November, but at this time of year clouds often obscure the summit of Auyantepui. During the dry season from December to April it looks less attractive.

In May 1956, Angel's light aircraft crashed in Panama. He escaped with a large abrasion on his forehead, everything seemed to be in order. A few days later he suffered a stroke and, without regaining consciousness, died in December of the same year at the age of 57. The pilot’s last wish was a request to scatter his ashes over the Angel Falls he discovered.

In 1960, Maria (wife) and his 2 sons, Jimmy and Roland, took Angel to Venezuela. On his last flight over the waterfall, he was accompanied by his close friends Gustavo Heni and Patricia Grant. Henie later told his sister Carmen that "when the plane entered the canyon, nothing was visible because of the high clouds, then suddenly something happened. It became so clear, so beautiful, we could see everything. It looked like Mt. was taking something incomparable - it was Jimmy."

In 2009, President Hugo Chavez proposed that the nation's most famous landmark should now be named after an indigenous Venezuelan people rather than an American gringo. On December 20, 2009, the President of Venezuela signed a decree renaming Angel Falls to Kerepakupai Meru. But in other countries it is still called by its old name.

Did you find a little man on a rock here? :-)
The most vivid description of the waterfall - perhaps the best in world literature - belongs to the chairman of the Soviet Peace Committee Yu. A. Zhukov, who viewed Angel Falls from an airplane in April 1971. “The pilot is flying his plane close, close to it. In front of us is an incredibly high - a kilometer! - an elastic, foamy-white column of water, - a tight stream of flow falls from the plateau into the abyss, at the bottom of which the Churumi River is reborn, whose flow is interrupted by this crazy water jump... We have already heard and read that the height of the water fall is here so great that the stream, without reaching the bottom of the abyss, turns into water dust, which settles on the stones as rain. But you had to see this in order to imagine all the originality of the spectacle: somewhere below, about three hundred meters from the bottom of the abyss, a powerful, elastic, boiling stream suddenly seemed to melt and break off in the fog. And even lower, as if born out of nothing, the river was seething... How I would like to approach the waterfall not by plane, but by land - to stand near it, listen to its roar, inhale the smell of water falling from the sky! But this is impossible..."