South America
Waterfalls of South America
55 destinations across South America, ordered by significance. Filter by activity to find the ones that run what you want to do.
South America holds the extremes: Angel Falls in Venezuela, the tallest uninterrupted waterfall on earth, dropping off the rim of a tepui; Kaieteur in Guyana, a single enormous plunge with almost no one there; and Iguazú on the Argentina–Brazil border, the largest waterfall system anywhere. The Andes add towering, little-known drops such as Gocta and Yumbilla in northern Peru.
Many of the greatest falls are remote. Angel Falls is reached by small plane and river canoe, Kaieteur by charter flight, and Gocta by a day's hike. Rainfall patterns vary widely across the continent, so check the season on each destination page rather than assuming one wet season.
Full guide Angel Falls
World's tallest uninterrupted waterfall
Full guide Iguazú Falls
World's largest waterfall system by combined width
UNESCO Devil's Throat
The single most powerful segment of Iguazu Falls
Tres Hermanas Falls
Tres Hermanas Falls is reportedly the third tallest waterfall in the world, with a height of 914 metres . It…
Yumbilla Falls
One of the five tallest waterfalls in the world
Full guide Gocta Falls
One of the world's tallest waterfalls, unknown to the wider world until 2006
Yutaje Falls
The Yutaje Falls is the second-highest waterfall in Venezuela. It is approx. 2,345 ft in height.
Cuquenan Falls
Kukenan Falls is the second tallest major waterfall in Venezuela after Angel Falls. It is also the second…
La Chorrera
Colombia's tallest waterfall
Cachoeira da Fumaça
One of Brazil's tallest waterfalls
Maria Jiray Falls
María Jiray is a man-made waterfall located at 3400 meters above sea level, near the town of Acopalca, in the…
King Edward VIII Falls
King Edward VIII Falls is an 260-metre-tall single plunge waterfall found on the Semang River in the…
Full guide Kaieteur Falls
Among the most powerful single drops on earth: 226 metres in one plunge
King George VI Falls
King George VI Falls, also known as Salto Oshi or Oshi Falls, is located on the Oshi River in the…
Itiquira Falls
One of central Brazil's tallest waterfalls
San Rafael Falls
San Rafael Falls was a waterfall on the Coca River in Sucumbíos and Napo, Ecuador. Standing 131 metres high…
Orinduik Falls
The Orinduik Falls lie on the Ireng River on the Pakaraima Mountains. Orinduik Falls is a wide, multi-tiered…
Tequendama Falls
Colombia's most famous, and most polluted, waterfall
Caracol Falls
Rio Grande do Sul's tallest waterfall
Paulo Afonso Falls
Paulo Afonso Falls is a series of waterfalls on the São Francisco River in the north-east of Brazil adjacent…
Salto del Penitente
Uruguay's best-known waterfall, more than 60 m high
Saltos del Monday
The Municipal Park Monday and its main attraction – approximately 45 m tall and 120 m wide waterfall named…
Amaila Falls
Amaila Falls is located on the Kuribrong River , a tributary of the Potaro River in west central Guyana.…
Guaíra Falls
The Guairá Falls or Guaíra Falls were a series of immense waterfalls on the Paraná River along the border…
Salto del Laja
Chile's widest waterfall
Apoquindo Waterfall
The Apoquindo Waterfall is a waterfall in Waters of Ramon Natural Park on the east side of Santiago, Chile…
Tequendamita Falls
Tequendamita Falls is a small natural waterfall in Colombia located in the municipality of El Retiro, in the…
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
Salto do Yucumã
One of the world's longest longitudinal waterfalls
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…
Petrohué Waterfalls
Petrohué Waterfalls is a chute-type waterfall in the upper reach of Petrohué River in Chile, a short distance…
Huilo-Huilo Falls
Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve is a private for profit natural reserve and ecotourism area in southern Chile.…
Wonotobo Falls
The Wonotobo Falls is a series of waterfalls in the Courantyne River in Sipaliwini District, Suriname near…
Ojos del Caburgua
Ojos del Caburgua is a waterfall located 15 kilometers east of Pucón and four kilometers south of Caburgua…
Agoyán
The Agoyán waterfall is a waterfall on the Pastaza River outside of the tourist town of Baños de Agua Santa…
Llovizna Falls
Llovizna Falls is a waterfall on the Caroní River, close to its confluence with the Orinoco, located in the…
Blanche Marie Falls
The Blanche Marie Falls is one of the largest waterfalls of Suriname. The falls are located on the Nickerie…
Pará Falls
The Pará Falls are large waterfalls on the Caura River in Bolívar, Venezuela. The falls are located 210…
Salto del Nilahue
Salto del Nilahue is a waterfall located in the commune of Lago Ranco in southern Chile. It lies in the lower…
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…
Jasper Creek
Jasper Creek is the name of a river and a series of cascades and waterfalls in Venezuela. The name jasper is…
Murrays Fall
Murrays Fall is a waterfall on the Essequibo River, Guyana, approximately 55 km south of the confluence with…
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.
Rappu Falls
Rappu Falls is a waterfall on the Essequibo River, Guyana, approximately 17 km north of the confluence with…
Kamarang Great Falls
Kamarang Great Falls is a waterfall in Guyana.
Cascada del Vino
Cascada del Vino is a Venezuelan water fall with the peculiar feature that the river has a tinged of…
Barrington Brown Falls
Barrington Brown Falls is a waterfall in Guyana.
Pot Falls
The Essequibo River is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon.…
Waraputa Fall
The Essequibo River is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon.…
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Questions people ask
What is the tallest waterfall in South America?
Angel Falls in Venezuela, at 979 metres, is the tallest in South America and in the world. Peru's Yumbilla (896 m) and Gocta (771 m) are also among the tallest on the continent.
What are the most famous waterfalls in South America?
The best known are Iguazú Falls (Argentina), Angel Falls (Venezuela), Kaieteur Falls (Guyana), Gocta Falls (Peru), Devil's Throat (Argentina) and Tres Hermanas Falls (Peru). Our index covers 55 waterfalls in South America; every one has a page with activities, seasons and how to get there.
When is the best time to see waterfalls in South America?
Across the waterfalls we cover, the most are at their best June to September. Many of the greatest falls are remote. Angel Falls is reached by small plane and river canoe, Kaieteur by charter flight, and Gocta by a day's hike. Rainfall patterns vary widely across the continent, so check the season on each destination page rather than assuming one wet season.