When to go
The best waterfalls in January
79 waterfalls around the world are at their best in January.
January splits the planet in two. South of the equator it is the heart of the rainy summer: Southern Africa's rivers are rising, the Drakensberg's falls are full, and the Iguazú is running on summer storms. North of it, the high-latitude falls freeze into ice sculptures and the climbing season opens on them.
Our tip for January
For volume, go south. For frozen falls, go north and pack for it — daylight in Iceland and Norway is short.
Go deeper
Full guides in season
12 at their best
Africa
Mutarazi Falls
Zimbabwe's highest waterfall
Maletsunyane Falls
Longest single-drop abseil (204m) in the world
Magwa Falls
Magwa Falls is a waterfall in Eastern Cape province in South Africa. The main water drop is 142 metres .
Bawa Falls
Bawa Falls are horsetail waterfalls, situated in the Transkei region of the Eastern Cape province, South…
Howick Falls
KwaZulu-Natal's most accessible major waterfall
Sipi Falls
Uganda's most scenic coffee-country waterfall trio
Lisbon Falls
Tallest waterfall on South Africa's Panorama Route
Berlin Falls
A signature stop on the Blyde River Canyon drive
Lone Creek Falls
The Lone Creek Falls is near Sabie in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The waterfall plummets 70 m down into the…
Mac-Mac Falls
The Mac-Mac Falls is a 65-metre waterfall on the Mac-Mac River in the Mac-Mac Forest Nature Reserve…
Murchison Falls
World's most powerful waterfall by force per metre of width
Ncandu Falls
Ncandu Falls is a waterfall in the Ncandu River in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa close to the town…
17 at their best
South America
Tres Hermanas Falls
Tres Hermanas Falls is reportedly the third tallest waterfall in the world, with a height of 914 metres . It…
La Chorrera
Colombia's tallest waterfall
Maria Jiray Falls
María Jiray is a man-made waterfall located at 3400 meters above sea level, near the town of Acopalca, in the…
San Rafael Falls
San Rafael Falls was a waterfall on the Coca River in Sucumbíos and Napo, Ecuador. Standing 131 metres high…
Tequendama Falls
Colombia's most famous, and most polluted, waterfall
Paulo Afonso Falls
Paulo Afonso Falls is a series of waterfalls on the São Francisco River in the north-east of Brazil adjacent…
Cristal Falls
Cristal Falls is a waterfall in the Cristal Mountains of Brazil. It is located in the city of Santo Antônio…
Chiri Yaku
Chiri Yaku is a waterfall in the Junín Region of Peru. It is located in the Chanchamayo Province, Vitoc…
Salto Grande
Patagonia's most iconic waterfall backdrop
Chuvisco Falls
Chuvisco Falls is a waterfall on the Rio Preto in Minas Gerais, Brazil, on the boundary between the…
Petrohué Falls
Chile's most photographed volcano-and-rapids view
Bahia Falls
Bahia Falls is a waterfall on the Santo Antônio River, in city of Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo, in the state…
Agoyán
The Agoyán waterfall is a waterfall on the Pastaza River outside of the tourist town of Baños de Agua Santa…
Henriques waterfall
Henriques waterfall is a waterfall located in the Henriques bairro of the municipality of Gonçalves, Minas…
Pailón del Diablo
Pailón del Diablo is one of the most famous waterfalls in Ecuador, located near the town of Río Verde in the…
Caño Paujil
Caño Paujil is a waterfall in the Colombian department of Caquetá. It is located at an elevation of 122…
Toldi Falls
Toldi Falls is a waterfall located in the municipality of São Bento do Sapucaí, São Paulo, Brazil.
36 at their best
North America
Full guide La Fortuna Waterfall
Signature waterfall of Costa Rica's Arenal region
Full guide Johnston Canyon Falls
Banff's most popular canyon hike
Oloʻupena Falls
Oloʻupena Falls is a waterfall located in the north-eastern part of Hawaiian Island of Molokai, and at 2,953…
Puʻukaʻoku Falls
Puʻukaʻoku Falls is a waterfall on the north side of Molokai, Hawaii. At 2,756 feet , is the 8th tallest…
Waihilau Falls
Waihilau Falls is a waterfall in the Waimanu Valley, in the U.S. state of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii, the…
Thousand Foot Falls
Thousand Foot Falls, also known as Hidden Valley Falls, is a waterfall and the centerpiece of a Belizean…
Piedra Volada
Piedra Volada Falls is a 453-meter-tall plunge waterfall that forms seasonally in the Barranca Candameña of…
Hiʻilawe Waterfall
Hiʻilawe Waterfall is one of the tallest and most powerful waterfalls in Hawaii located on the Big Island.…
Akaka Falls
Big Island's most-visited waterfall
Tamul Falls
One of Mexico's tallest and widest waterfalls
Makahiku Falls
Makahiku Falls is a 200-foot horsetail waterfall in Haleakalā National Park on the island of Maui in Hawaii.…
Dunn's River Falls
Dunn's River Falls is a famous waterfall near Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla
The Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla are tall columnar joints of basalt rock near Huasca de Ocampo in the…
Eyipantla Falls
Eyipantla Falls is a waterfall located in the Los Tuxtlas region of southern Veracruz in Mexico. It is forty…
Mānoa Falls
Mānoa Falls is a 150-foot waterfall along the Manoa Falls Trail in Honolulu, Hawaii. Swimming in the pool…
Big Rock Falls
Big Rock Falls is a 150-foot waterfall on Privassion River, in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve of the…
Nauyaca Falls
South Pacific Costa Rica's most popular swimming waterfall
Ruby Falls
Tallest underground waterfall open to the public in the US
Pulhapanzak Falls
Honduras's most-visited natural attraction
La Paz Waterfall
La Paz is a waterfall in central Costa Rica. In Spanish, it is known as Catarata de La Paz.
Misol Há
The Cascada de Misol-Há is a waterfall located in the Municipality of Salto de Agua, 20 kilometers from…
Agua Azul
One of Mexico's most photographed natural swimming spots
Rio Celeste Falls
Famous for water colored by optical mineral scattering, not dye
Cola de Caballo
Cola de Caballo is a waterfall about 25 m , in the town of Villa de Santiago, Nuevo León. It is open to the…
Tufton Hall Waterfall
The Tufton Hall Waterfall is located in St. Mark's parish, just outside Victoria, Grenada.
Wailua Falls
Kauai's most famous roadside waterfall
Sault Falls
Sault Falls is a 15-to-20-metre high waterfall near Dennery in Saint Lucia.
Bassin Bleu
Bassin Bleu is located 12 kilometres northwest of the city of Jacmel, in the Sud-Est department of Haiti. It…
Mayfield Falls
Mayfield Falls is a waterfall in Jamaica that comprises 21 widely spaced small cascades on the Mayfield…
Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua is a set of natural travertine rock formations in San Lorenzo Albarradas, Oaxaca, Mexico that…
Kīpū Falls
Kīpū Falls is a waterfall in East Kauaʻi, Hawaii. Kīpū Falls has a dangerous reputation due to drowning…
Volio Waterfall
The Volio Waterfall is located near the town of Bribri, Costa Rica in Limón Province. It is located within…
Cascada de Texolo
Cascada de Texolo is a waterfall of eastern Mexico. It is located 3 kilometres south of the town of Xico, in…
Saut-Mathurine
Saut-Mathurine is a waterfall in Haiti located in Camp-Perrin, Sud. The source of its stream of water comes…
Juanacatlán Falls
Juanacatlán Falls is a waterfall on the Santiago River in the Mexican state of Jalisco, once known as the…
El Salto
El Salto is a rock climbing area in the Nuevo León, Mexico. The climbing area is near to Ciénega de González…
8 at their best
Asia
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
Fukuroda Falls
One of Japan three greatest waterfalls
Maria Cristina Falls
Historic power source that shaped an entire city's development
Full guide Pagsanjan Falls
Famous Apocalypse Now filming location
Kawasan Falls
Finish line of the Philippines' most popular canyoneering route
Full guide Khone Phapheng Falls
Southeast Asia's largest waterfall by volume
Pha Charoen Falls
A remote highlight of Thailand's far western borderlands
5 at their best
Oceania
Full guide Sutherland Falls
New Zealand's tallest waterfall
Full guide Huka Falls
The Waikato River's most famous rapid-and-drop, just below Lake Taupō
UNESCO Bowen Falls
One of only two permanent waterfalls on Milford Sound
UNESCO Stirling Falls
One of only two permanent waterfalls on Milford Sound
UNESCO Carrabeanga Falls
A two-day, 20-abseil canyon descent in Kanangra-Boyd