Japan · Wakayama, Kii Peninsula
那智滝
Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall is itself worshipped as a Shinto deity, with a vermillion three-story pagoda framed directly against the falling water in one of the country's most photographed religious sites. It anchors a stop on the UNESCO-listed Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes.
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Nachi Falls drops 133 metres (436 ft) on the Nachi, inside Yoshino-Kumano National Park. It is a plunge-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Nachikatsuura, with KIX the closest airport. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy.
As a plunge waterfall, water leaves the rock entirely and falls free through the air.
No commercial adventures run at Nachi Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Nachikatsuura are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
Spring and autumn give mild hiking weather on the pilgrimage trail leading here.
Entry: Small shrine grounds fee
This waterfall
Nachi Falls
Japan
Height133 mWidth—
Most similar
Towangseong Waterfall
South Korea
Height150 mWidth—
Also a plunge waterfall, of similar height and in South Korea
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
Angel Falls is 7.4× taller than Nachi Falls. It drops 1.2× further than Victoria Falls (108 m). We don't have a reliable crest width for Nachi Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
14:32
8:32
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Walking guide
Kat Davis and Howard Miller · 2024
Stage-by-stage guide to the Kumano Kodo, whose Nakahechi route ends at Nachi Taisha beside the falls.
Guidebook
Lonely Planet · 2024
The 18th edition covers Nikko, the Kii Peninsula and Ibaraki, so one book handles Kegon, Nachi and Fukuroda.
Guidebook
Rough Guides · 2024
A current alternative to Lonely Planet, with practical detail on rail passes and getting to Nikko and the Kii Peninsula.
Guidebook
DK Eyewitness · 2024
Illustrated coverage of Nikko's shrines and the Kumano sites, handy for understanding what surrounds Kegon and Nachi.
33.6753, 135.8876
Nachi Falls is in Japan (Wakayama, Kii Peninsula), inside Yoshino-Kumano National Park. The nearest base is Nachikatsuura and the closest airport is KIX. Its coordinates are 33.6753, 135.8876.
Nachi Falls drops 133 metres (436 feet). It is a plunge-type waterfall on the Nachi.
Peak flow is March to April and October to November. Spring and autumn give mild hiking weather on the pilgrimage trail leading here.
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy — a short walk or roadside viewpoint.
Yes. Nachi Falls lies within a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Yoshino-Kumano National Park. Expect park fees, marked trails and rules on where you can walk, swim and fly drones.
The usual base is Nachikatsuura, and the closest airport is KIX. A short walk or roadside viewpoint from there. Small shrine grounds fee.
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