71 waterfalls worldwide
Swimming at waterfalls
Plunge pools, natural infinity pools and the occasional lip pool you can legally sit in.
Some waterfalls end in pools that are made for swimming: clear, calm and warm, with the falls as the backdrop. Many more look inviting but are dangerous, or are closed to protect fragile travertine. This list only includes waterfalls where swimming is a normal, permitted part of a visit.
Worth knowing before you book
- Swim in the pools downstream of the falls, not under the falling water.
- Rules change with the season and water level; read the signs on the day.
- After heavy rain, don't swim at all.
Safety
The current that circulates beneath a waterfall can hold a swimmer under. Read our waterfall safety guide before you get in.
From our full guides
What it costs, and who runs it
Advertised 2026 prices at the destinations we cover in depth, converted to US dollars. Open a guide for the season, what's included and how to book.
Where it runs
Waterfalls with swimming
Every destination in our index where swimming genuinely operates at or immediately around the falls. If an operator has closed, we take the entry down rather than leave a dead booking link.
Full guide Victoria Falls
Largest sheet of falling water on Earth
Full guide Havasu Falls
Most famous turquoise waterfall in the American Southwest
Full guide La Fortuna Waterfall
Signature waterfall of Costa Rica's Arenal region
Full guide Kuang Si Falls
Laos's best-known waterfall, a staircase of turquoise travertine pools
Full guide Erawan Falls
Thailand's most popular tiered swimming waterfall
UNESCO Wallaman Falls
Australia's tallest permanent single drop (268 m), 305 m in total
Full guide Ouzoud Falls
Among Morocco's tallest and best-known waterfalls
UNESCO Jim Jim Falls
One of Kakadu's most dramatic escarpment plunge pools
UNESCO Twin Falls
A twin-stream falls reachable only by 4WD and boat
UNESCO Vernal Fall
One of Yosemite's most-hiked destinations
Full guide Josephine Falls
A natural waterslide at the base of Queensland's tallest peak
Dudhsagar Falls
India's tallest railway-adjacent waterfall
Itiquira Falls
One of central Brazil's tallest waterfalls
Davis Falls
Davis Falls also known as David's Falls or Devi's Falls in English and known in Nepali पातालको छाँगो…
Tamul Falls
One of Mexico's tallest and widest waterfalls
Risco waterfall
The Risco Waterfall is a group of waterfalls located in Rabaçal, Paul da Serra, in the Madeira Islands. The…
Aberdeen Falls
Aberdeen Falls is a 98 m high waterfall on the Kehelgamu Oya near Ginigathena, in the Nuwara Eliya District…
Full guide Pagsanjan Falls
Famous Apocalypse Now filming location
Hardraw Force
Hardraw Force is a waterfall on Hardraw Beck in Hardraw Scar, a wooded ravine just outside the hamlet of…
Full guide Wli Falls
West Africa's tallest waterfall
Sekumpul Falls
Often ranked Bali's most beautiful waterfall
Taughannock Falls
Taller than Niagara Falls
Salto del Penitente
Uruguay's best-known waterfall, more than 60 m high
Tinuy-an Falls
Called the Niagara Falls of the Philippines
Nungnung Falls
One of Bali's tallest and least-crowded major waterfalls
Mānoa Falls
Mānoa Falls is a 150-foot waterfall along the Manoa Falls Trail in Honolulu, Hawaii. Swimming in the pool…
Nauyaca Falls
South Pacific Costa Rica's most popular swimming waterfall
Pulhapanzak Falls
Honduras's most-visited natural attraction
Kawasan Falls
Finish line of the Philippines' most popular canyoneering route
Kitekite Falls
Kitekite Falls is a scenic 3-tiered waterfall near Auckland, New Zealand. The falls drop a total of 40 metres…
Salto del Laja
Chile's widest waterfall
Gitgit Falls
One of Bali's longest-established tourist waterfalls
Misol Há
The Cascada de Misol-Há is a waterfall located in the Municipality of Salto de Agua, 20 kilometers from…
Wangi Falls
Litchfield National Park's most popular swimming hole
Boti Falls
Ghana's best-known twin waterfall
Agua Azul
One of Mexico's most photographed natural swimming spots
25 Fontes Falls
The 25 Fontes is a group of waterfalls located in Rabaçal, Paul da Serra on Madeira Island. Access is…
Full guide Kravica Falls
One of the Balkans' most popular waterfall swimming spots
Crescent Falls
Crescent Falls is a series of two waterfalls located on the Bighorn River in the Bighorn River Canyon in…
Full guide Krka Falls
Centerpiece cascade of Krka National Park
Matsirga waterfalls
Matsirga Waterfalls is a segmented waterfall located near Batadon in Zangon Kataf LGA, southern Kaduna State…
Full guide Tavoro Falls
Fiji's best-known waterfall trio
Turner Falls
Turner Falls is a waterfall on Honey Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains of south-central Oklahoma, United…
Mirusha waterfalls
The Mirusha Waterfalls are a series of waterfalls found in the Mirusha Park, in central Kosovo. The…
Baker's Falls
Baker's Falls is a famous waterfall in Horton Plains National Park in the Nuwara Eliya District of Sri Lanka.…
Wainui Falls
Wainui Falls is a 20-metre waterfall in Wainui Bay, in the Tasman region of New Zealand. The waterfall is…
Cristal Falls
Cristal Falls is a waterfall in the Cristal Mountains of Brazil. It is located in the city of Santo Antônio…
Millaa Millaa Falls
Often called Australia's most photographed waterfall
Inglis Falls
One of three waterfalls that surround the city of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, Inglis Falls is the largest…
Florence Falls
One of Litchfield's two signature twin waterfalls
Hamilton Pool Preserve
Hamilton Pool Preserve is a recreational destination located in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin.…
Tanougou Falls
Tanougou Falls is a waterfall in the Atakora mountains on the edge of the Pendjari Game Park in the north of…
Sopotnia Wielka Falls
Sopotnia Wielka Falls is a waterfall located in Sopotnia Wielka, 20 kilometers south of Żywiec, in the Żywiec…
Alamere Falls
Alamere Falls is a coastal waterfall in Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California; it flows…
Nafakhum Waterfall
Nafa-khum is a waterfall in Bangladesh on the Remaikree River, a tributary of the Sangu River. It is among…
Sliding Rock
Sliding Rock is a waterfall in Western North Carolina, located near Brevard, so named because visitors can…
Petites Chutes de la Lukaya
The Petites Chutes de la Lukaya is a set of small waterfalls on the Lukaya River. They are just south of…
Pha Charoen Falls
A remote highlight of Thailand's far western borderlands
Öxarárfoss
Öxarárfoss is a waterfall in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland. It flows from the river Öxará over the…
Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua is a set of natural travertine rock formations in San Lorenzo Albarradas, Oaxaca, Mexico that…
Hottai Falls
Hottai Falls is a waterfall in the city of Yurihonjō, Akita Prefecture, Japan, on the Akasawa River, a…
Shalmash Falls
Shalmash Falls is a cluster of three waterfalls situated on the outskirts of the City of Sardasht in the West…
Turtleback Falls
Turtleback Falls, also called Umbrella Falls, is a waterfall in Western North Carolina, located near Rosman.…
Still Brook Waterfall
Still Brook Waterfall is a waterfall at mouth of Still Brook, where the brook empties into Black Brook Cove…
Grand Galet Falls
The Grand Galet Falls is situated in the commune of Saint-Joseph on the island of Réunion. It is situated in…
Tegenungan Waterfall
Tegenungan Waterfall is a waterfall in Bali, Indonesia. It is located at the village of Tegenungan Kemenuh…
Sajikot Waterfall
Sajikot Waterfall is a waterfall located in Havelian Tehsil, Abbottabad District, in Pakistan's Khyber…
Acomat Falls
This waterfall is located in Guadeloupe, an insular region of France. It is placed onto the River Grande…
Čeveljuša
Čeveljuša is a waterfall on the river Trebižat, located in village Hrašljani, several kilometers from…
Gürleyik Waterfall
Gürleyik Waterfall is a waterfall at Gürleyik village of Mihalıcçık ilçe in Eskişehir Province, Turkey. A…
Hiji Falls
Hiji Falls is a National Park and a popular tourist destination on the island and prefecture of Okinawa…
Questions people ask
Where can you go swimming at a waterfall?
Our index lists 71 waterfalls where swimming operates at or right beside the falls, including Victoria Falls, Havasu Falls, La Fortuna Waterfall, Kuang Si Falls, Erawan Falls and Wallaman Falls.
How much does swimming at a waterfall cost?
At the destinations we cover in full, advertised 2026 prices run roughly US$3 to US$22 per person, depending on the operator and what's included. Prices are converted to US dollars from local currencies and change without notice, so check the operator before you book.
When is the best time of year for swimming at waterfalls?
Across the waterfalls in our index, the most are at their best April to June and October. But each activity has its own window — rafting often stops at peak flood, and ice climbing needs a hard freeze — so check the season on each destination page.
Is swimming at a waterfall safe?
The current that circulates beneath a waterfall can hold a swimmer under. Read our waterfall safety guide before you get in.
Other ways in
