UgandaPhilip Briggs, Andrew…
Guidebook
Uganda
Philip Briggs, Andrew Roberts · 2020
Briggs' Uganda guide is the standard for Murchison Falls NP boat trips and top-of-falls hike, and Sipi's trails on Mount Elgon.
Uganda · Eastern Region
Owen Falls
The Owen Falls was a waterfall on the White Nile in Uganda near the city of Jinja. The falls, together with the nearby Ripon Falls, were submerged in 1954 with the completion of the Nalubaale Hydroelectric Power Station.
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.
Owen Falls drops over a series of steps. It is a cascade-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Jinja City, Uganda. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a cascade waterfall, water tumbles down a series of rock steps rather than falling free.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Owen Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Jinja City are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Rain-season fed: the falls are at their biggest towards the end of the main rains and can shrink dramatically in the dry months.
Getting there
- Base town Jinja City, Uganda
- Country Uganda
- Region Eastern Region, East Africa, Africa
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Owen Falls
Uganda
Height—Width—
Most similar
Rusumo Falls
Rwanda · Tanzania
Height15 mWidth40 m
Also a cascade waterfall and in Rwanda
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
Most similar
Rusumo Falls
Rwanda · Tanzania
Height15 mWidth40 m
Also a cascade waterfall and in Rwanda
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
15 m
108 m
330 m
979 m
Rusumo FallsVictoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Rusumo Falls
40 m
We don't have a reliable crest width for Owen Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
On the map
0.44444, 33.18722
Quick answers
Where is Owen Falls?
Owen Falls is in Uganda (Eastern Region). The nearest base is Jinja City, Uganda. Its coordinates are 0.4444, 33.1872.
When is the best time to visit Owen Falls?
Peak flow is April to May and October to November. Rain-season fed: the falls are at their biggest towards the end of the main rains and can shrink dramatically in the dry months.
What can you do at Owen 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 Owen Falls?
The usual base is Jinja City, Uganda. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
Closest to Owen Falls
Ripon Falls
Uganda · 1 km away
Ripon Falls were a series of waterfalls formerly located at the northern shore of Lake Victoria, near Jinja…
Bujagali Falls
Uganda · 8 km away
Bujagali Falls was a waterfall near Jinja in Uganda where the Nile River comes out of Lake Victoria…
Itanda Falls
Uganda · 20 km away
Itanda Falls is a waterfall in Uganda.
Sipi Falls
Uganda · 95 m · 160 km away
Uganda's most scenic coffee-country waterfall trio
Abseiling