United States · Kauai, Hawaii
Twin curtains drop side by side into a wide circular pool just off the highway on Kauai's east side, familiar to many from the opening credits of the original Fantasy Island television series. No trail is needed; the main viewpoint sits right at the parking area.
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Wailua Falls drops 24 metres (79 ft) on the Wailua. It is a plunge-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Lihue, with LIH 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 Wailua Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Lihue are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
Fuller after winter rains; visible year-round from the roadside overlook.
Entry: Free roadside viewpoint
This waterfall
Wailua Falls
United States
Height24 mWidth—
Most similar
McWay Falls
United States
Height24 mWidth—
Also a plunge waterfall, of similar height and in the United States too
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 41× taller than Wailua Falls. Victoria Falls is 4.5× taller. We don't have a reliable crest width for Wailua Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
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Guidebook
Andrew Doughty · 2025
Detailed Kauai guide covering Wailua Falls, the Wailua River valley and safety notes on the island's waterfalls.
22.0364, -159.3728
Wailua Falls is in United States (Kauai, Hawaii). The nearest base is Lihue and the closest airport is LIH. Its coordinates are 22.0364, -159.3728.
Wailua Falls drops 24 metres (79 feet). It is a plunge-type waterfall on the Wailua.
Peak flow is January to December. Fuller after winter rains; visible year-round from the roadside overlook.
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy — a short walk or roadside viewpoint.
The usual base is Lihue, and the closest airport is LIH. A short walk or roadside viewpoint from there. Free roadside viewpoint.
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