Guidebook
South American Handbook
Ben Box · 2017
The one-volume continental handbook, useful for multi-country trips that link falls such as Iguazú, Kaieteur and Angel Falls.
Venezuela · Bolivar State
Cuquenan Falls
Kukenan Falls is the second tallest major waterfall in Venezuela after Angel Falls. It is also the second tallest free-leaping waterfall in the world.
Essentials guide
Facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia, compiled September 2026; season and access are our estimate, not a visit report. How we build these pages.
Cuquenan Falls drops 674 metres (2,211 ft), inside Canaima National Park. It is a tiered-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Parroquia Gran Sabana, Venezuela. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Cuquenan Falls is the third-tallest of the 7 we cover in Venezuela. As a tiered waterfall, a series of distinct drops, one below the other.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Cuquenan Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Parroquia Gran Sabana are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Tropical wet season fed: the rains bring the volume, the first dry months bring the clear skies and full falls together.
Getting there
- Base town Parroquia Gran Sabana, Venezuela
- Country Venezuela
- Region Bolivar State, Guianas & Venezuela, South America
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Cuquenan Falls
Venezuela
Height674 mWidth—
Most similar
La Chorrera
Colombia
Height590 mWidth—
Also a tiered waterfall, of similar height and in Colombia
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
108 m
330 m
590 m
674 m
979 m
Victoria FallsEiffel TowerLa ChorreraCuquenan FallsAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Angel Falls is 1.5× taller than Cuquenan Falls. It drops 6.2× further than Victoria Falls (108 m). We don't have a reliable crest width for Cuquenan Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
Guidebook
Venezuela
Russell Maddicks · 2011
Last full English guide to Venezuela, covering Canaima, river trips up the Carrao to Angel Falls and Gran Sabana tepuis.
On the map
5.19671, -60.81453
Quick answers
Where is Cuquenan Falls?
Cuquenan Falls is in Venezuela (Bolivar State), inside Canaima National Park. The nearest base is Parroquia Gran Sabana, Venezuela. Its coordinates are 5.1967, -60.8145.
How tall is Cuquenan Falls?
Cuquenan Falls drops 674 metres (2,211 feet). It is a tiered-type waterfall.
When is the best time to visit Cuquenan Falls?
Peak flow is June to September. Tropical wet season fed: the rains bring the volume, the first dry months bring the clear skies and full falls together.
What can you do at Cuquenan Falls?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail.
How do you get to Cuquenan Falls?
The usual base is Parroquia Gran Sabana, Venezuela. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
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