Mount Damper Falls, New Zealand

Image from pinimage

Located in the Waitaanga Conservation Area, this waterfall is 74 metres high and can be viewed from two lookout platforms.

Because the access track crosses farmland, no dogs are allowed. The area is located on New Zealand's North Island and can be approached from the Forgotten World Highway.

The Taranaki area was formed by slippage  between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. This is one of New Zealand's most active volcanic regions. However Mount Taranaki (aka Mount Egmont) is now extinct.

Horsetail Fire Falls, Yosemite

Image from staticflickr

Is is a volcanic firefall? No, just a natural waterfall, lit in a spectacular fashion by a certain angle of the setting sun.

For a few weeks in late February, this is what the mountain shoulder of El Capitan looks like each evening. Lit at just the right angle by the westering sun, the falls takes on brilliant hues of red, orange and yellow.

Hoping for plentiful water flow and good weather conditions, photographers come to Yosemite in California from afar to get pictures of this fascinating natural phenomenon.

This mountain is also a destination for rock climbers.

Shir Abad Waterfall in Iran

Image from flickr


This delightful waterfall drops from Alborz Mountain, located near the town of Khanbebin in Golestan, a northern province of Iran. 

The falls consists of a series of steps, a dozen each of large and small cascades that drop 30 metres into a deep azure blue lake.

Geli Ali Bag Waterfall in Iraq

Image from wikimedia commons

Geli Ali Bag Waterfall is located in the province of Erbil, in a rocky northerm area of Iraq.

This waterfall is bordered by two mountain ranges and can be approached for viewing in the small boats provided for visitors.

This site in the Iraqi Kurdistan region is a popular tourist resort.

Frozen waterfall on Lake Superior

Image from lovethesepics

It is an uncommon occurrence for Lake Superior to freeze solid, but it did happen in February of 2014 when this photo was taken.

In the Wisconsin park Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the caves were transformed into frozen cascades. Naturally lots of people came to walk on the frozen lake.

Trou de fer on Reunion Island

Image from Monday Dreaming Waterfalls

The World Waterfall Database describes the Trou de fer on Reunion Island off Madagascar as a "series of leaps into a huge slot canyon."

The series of horsetail leaps into the canyon total about 305 m. hen the water completes its plunge by descending 24 m into the trou de fer, the iron hole seen on the bottom left.

New Zealand Christmas tree

Image from bushmansfriend

Those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, say Australia or New Zealand, are experiencing high summer now. For them, this is what the term Christmas tree means. For you scientific types, the botanical alias is Metrosederos excelsa Pohutukawa.

Happy Christmas to all those Down Under, below the equator, and to all of us in the Northern Latitudes too.

Angel Falls, Venezuela

Image from the geographical empanandas

Angel Falls, El Salto Angel, is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. Located in Cainama National Park and best viewed from the air, it drops 979 metres from Auyan-Tepui, Devil's Mountain, which, in spite of its name is really a plateau. 

This spectacular cascade occurs on the Churun River, which joins the Caroni, a tributary of the Orinoco, where it flows into a silt-laden mangrove swamp.

Some consider this remarkable torrent of water a planetary gate, energy vortex, or chakra of the earth itself.

Manthoka Waterfall, Pakistan

Image from pakisto.com

This falls is located near Skardu, Madapur, in Gilgit-Baltistan, the meeting point of three great mountain ranges, the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush, and the Himalayas. The name of the latter range is a Sanskrit word meaning abode of snow. Surrounded by gorgeous mountains views, this waterfall is known to tourists as a good place for fishing and camping.

Uluru Falls, Australia

Image from photoz

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is sacred to the Anangu, the aboriginal people of the region. This marvelous red sandstone bump rises 348 m above the hot red desert of the Northern Territory in Central Australia. Its circumference is over nine kilometers.

Though this weird rock is normally dry and the climate around it arid, occasional rainstorms cause water to cascade down the sides. After receiving only 6.1 inches of rain in all of 2009, in the fall of 2010, Uluru National Park was struck by a rare thunderstorm that dropped 2.8 inches of rain at one go, causing impromptu waterfalls to drop down all sides of the rock, as seen in the Mail Online here.

Some characterize Uluru as the root chakra of the earth itself, although others attribute that role to Mr. Shasta in California. Seeing the rock as the base chakra accords with the aboriginal view that humans originated there. Other energy theorists associate Uluru with the third or solar plexus chakra.

Dudsghar Falls, India

Image from goahotelsdeals

This waterfall in Goa can be viewed from the railway train that crosses the gorge. Below, the falls is seen swelled by monsoons. bcmtouring

Eas a'Chual Aluinn

Image from walkinghighlands

Located near Lochinvar in southwestern Scotland, Britain's highest waterfall is sometimes called Eas Coul Aulin. It drops from a high plateau and in two steps falls two hundred meters. Below, in Lake Glencoul are lake cruises that show off the falls. According to David Ross, hikers who use the trails should be sure to have maps to avoid getting lost.

Water overflows Band-e-Amir Lake, Afghanistan

Image from worldtoptop

The unique geography of this region of Afghanistan includes this blue lake -- a bowl shaped vessel, overflowing with tiny waterfalls.


Located in Band-e-amir Lakes National Park, this is one of six lakes of astonishingly blue coloration. Each is surrounded by weird and wonderful geographical formations.

Urubamba Waterfall in Peru

Image from travelization

This waterfall drops into the Pongo de Mainique, a canyon located near Cusco in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. A tributary of the Amazon, the Urubamba is a whitewater river, crossed by the Inca Bridge, an ancient and secret entrance to Machu Picchu.

Cheonjeyeyon and Jeongbang Falls, Korea

Left: Image from korea.adoption

Cheonjeyeyon and Jeongbang waterfalls are located on the volcanic Korean island of Jeju.

Below: According to Tommy Ooi, Jeongbang is the only waterfall in Asia to drop directly into the ocean.

Baatara Gorge Falls, Lebanon

Image from worldtoptop

Fed by meltwater from Mount Lebanon, the Jurassic period limestone has eroded into a series of caves with three natural bridges. Thus the Baatara Gorge falls is sometimes called the Three Bridge Chasm.

In 1988, fluorescent dye was used to determine where the water goes. It was discovered that it emerges from the earth through a natural spring in a nearby town.

The vertical drop of this astonishing cascade is 255 metres.

Plitvice Falls, Croatia

Image from worldtoptop

These lovely falls are located in Plitvice Lakes National Park, a major tourist attraction.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage attraction in 1979, the sixteen forest-clad lakes lie at different altitudes and are connected by spectacular waterfalls. The tallest is 70 metres high.

Laja Waterfall in Chile

Image from desktopnexus

The Salto de Laja is a series of four waterfalls on the Laja River, a few kilometers south of the Chilean city of Los Angeles, along the Pan American Highway.

These impressive cascades can be viewed from car and foot bridges. Those who want to get closer to the water can take a tour and view the falls from a motor boat.

Historically a spiritual site revered by the indigenous Mapuche people, the area is now a major tourist attraction, with fishing, kayaking, swimming, horse back riding and nature tours available for the many travellers who stay in the nearby hotels.

Left photo wikimedia
Below: photo from Hello Chile

La Paz waterfall in Costa Rica

Picture by Suzan Colon 

This spectacular falls drops from the slopes of  Poas Volcano in Costa Rica's central highlands.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens, with its five cascades, contains gardens full of orchids, bromeliads and hummingbirds and is also the site of the world's largest butterfly observatory.  Located in an area of astonishing biodiversity, it also affords closeup views of a variety of frogs and snakes.

Pamukkale in Turkey

Image from greentraveller

Literally translated from the Turkish as cotton castle, this series of falls and pools is hauntingly beautiful. Nearby Hierapolis, a city around the mineral spa, was destroyed by an earthquake in 60 CE and rebuilt afterwards. Many ruins from the Greco-Roman period can be seen here. The mineral rich pools are good for wading and bathing; however, the smooth surfaces are very slippery.

Hierapolis-Pamukkale is a UNESCO Heritage site.

Zmeika River waterfall in Russia

Image from panoramio

Sochi, Russia, was the scene of the 2014 Winter Olypics. Here, in the Caucusus Mountains, the Zmeika River drops in a cascade from a mountain of the same name.

Thespectacular Zmeika Waterfall is actually a series of falls with a lovely bathing pool at the bottom.

Nearby, natural clean water flows from the Emerald spring.

Latefossen Waterfall Norway

Image from photobucket

This remarkable waterfall is located in Oddadalen, in the Norwegian county of Hordaland. 

This twin cascade has a total vertical drop of 165 m, descending from the mountain plateau in Europe, Hardangervidda.

It is part of a protected watershed, and can be viewed from the bridge, which dates back to 1859.

Blood Falls, Antarctica

Image from Smithsonian

As explained in Amusing Planet, Blood Falls is home to an ancient community of microbes that have evolved in isolation, living off the minerals that lie beneath the ice and snow.

In 1911, geologist Griffith Taylor discovered the blood-red falls and theorized that algae caused the coloration. It's since been confirmed that a saltwater lake rich in iron lies beneath the ice and feeds the falls.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Iceland

Image from buddytricks

120 kilometers east of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, lies this amazing waterfall.

A trail leads around the falls, making it possible to walk behind and look through the curtain of water.

More Trip Advisor photos of Seljalandsfoss falls are available here.

Detian Waterfall, China - Vietnam border

Image from buddytricks.com

The unusual Detian/Banyue waterfall is located on the Guichun River between China and Vietnam.

Many visitors approach through the Chinese city of Nanning, about 100 k from the falls.

This unusual waterfall is surrounded by rice paddies.

Victoria Falls

 Image from Zambezi Sun Hotel

The most famous cataract in Africa, Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River, the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Spray from the 100 metre high waterfall is visible for fifty kilometers. The bridge provides a stunning view: a series of gorges on the river, a huge basalt cliff opposite the falls, and the Boiling Pot can all be seen from there.

Built in England, then transported by sea and rail via Mozambique, this remarkable structure was opened in 1905 by the son of Charles Darwin. It is considered by the American Society of Civil Engineers to be a landmark in civil engineering.

In this video, a guide brings a group of young women to swim at the top of the waterfall. He does a back flip into the pool and the group sits on the very brim, in the 'devil's armchair,' just above the drop. Recently, two men made history by crossing the falls on a high wire.

Some like to bungee jump at this famous place. Here's a view of the falls from a helicopter.

Fukuroda Waterfall, Japan

Image from mustlovejapan

Fukuroda Falls is one of hundreds of waterfalls in Japan. It is approximately 120 m tall and 73 m wide.

Located on the Taki River in Ibaraki prefecture, this astonishing natural wonder consists of  four separate falls, all of which can be seen from two separate observatories, accessible by tunnels and elevators.

Wailua Falls, Kauai, Hawaii

Photo by Ewok Slayer

There are two waterfalls with this name in Hawaii. This one is on Kauai.

According to John Derrick, at times of heavy rain, the dual falls becomes a single heavy spate.

He also gives tips for hiking and viewing tha falls, and warns against jumping off into the pool, no matter how inviting it looks. Some lovely pictures can be seen here.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Image from The Telegraph

The great bowl-shaped waterfall of Iguazu lies on the border between Brazil and Argentina.

The many cascades that comprise the falls create spectacular sprays and the area is home to vast numbers of  subtropical rainforest plants. Local wildlife includes tapirs, jaguars, caymans, giant anteaters and howler monkeys.

Iguazu National Park has been a UNESCO heritage site since the early 1980s.

Virginia Falls, Northwest Territories

Image from panoramio

Situated in the remote Nahanni National Park, which has no roads, this gorgeous waterfall is accessible only to those who are willing to hike in or those who arrive at the day use site by air.
The falls is located on the South Nahanni River, a major tributary of the Liard. This waterfall and the whitewater river rafting are major attractions in the Northwest Territories.

Greenland ice cap melt creates waterfalls

Image from pbs.org

Seeing the water pouring off the glaciers is undoubtedly a seasonal phenomenon.

Still, it makes you wonder. Do they refreeze? As they recede, how fast are they raising the levels of the world's oceans?

In recent years, the tundra beneath the Greenland ice cap is being ever more exposed. Yet while arctic grazing animals fatten, polar bears lose ice habitat.

Now crops like tomatoes and strawberries grow above the Arctic Circle. Interesting. But considered from a larger context, isn't this rather bad news?