Misty eyed: 10 beautiful waterfalls to visit now

Don’t go chasing waterfalls. So sang TLC in 1994 in a song that cautioned against making bad life choices. Of course, if the song were referring to actual waterfalls the sentiment would’ve been just the opposite. After all, who doesn’t derive absolute wonder from seeing water spouting, gush and cascading from great heights, and tumbling into a lake, river or gorge below to create an uninterrupted humming noise that could cure even the worst insomnia. Here are 10 beautiful waterfalls that will blow your mind.

Akaka Falls: Big Island, Hawaii
Say aloha to what is perhaps the Aloha State’s most justly famous waterfall. Akaka plummets 442 feet into a stream-eroded gorge. It is also easily accessible to visitors as it’s located only 11 miles from Hilo—the largest city on the Big Island and third largest in the state—and just a short hike through a tropical rainforest once inside Akaka Falls State Park. Isn’t she gorgeous?

Angel Falls: Canaima National Park, Venezuala
Size does matter. Just ask anyone who’s marveled in awe at this record-shattering stunner which has the distinction of being the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall, with a plunge of 2,648 feet and looks like it’s straight out of the land before time. It’s a bit of a hike—no pun intended—to reach the falls which are only accessible via river trips between June and December.

Related: Aloha, budget Hawaii! Your five secrets to savings.

Gulfoss: Haukadalur, Iceland
If you visit Reykjavik via a weekend layover on Iceland Air, you will almost certainly find yourself booking a quickie tour to the country’s so-called Golden Circle, a trio of natural attractions within striking distance of the capital city including Strokkur geyser, Thingvellir National Park and the breathtaking waterfall Gulfoss. A canyon waterfall, Gulfoss is viewed from above and looks like a river at first glance. Closer inspectionreveals a three-step staircase that plunges in two stages and leaves spectators breathless.

Iguazu Falls: Misiones, Argentina and Parana, Brazil
Perhaps the most spectacular waterfalls on earth, these captivating fountains of water of the Iguazu River are the capstone to any visit to South America and often raved about as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Most of the river flows through Brazil while most of the falls cascade on the Argentinianside. Both countries offer accessible tourism including the Rainforest Ecological Train from Argentina and from Brazil, a canyon walkway to the base of Devil’s Throat and helicopter tours over the falls.

Kaieteur Falls: Potaro River, Guyana
The world’s widest single drop waterfall is higher than both Niagara Falls in North America and Victoria Falls in Africa. Located in the Amazon, Kaieteur flows powerfully at a rate of 23,400 cubic feet per second and is reached via a plane ride from Georgetown to a nearby airstrip. The brownish water looks like pollution, but in fact occurs naturally when tannin from rain forest leaves dissolves.

Lake Plitvice, Croatia
The largest national park in Croatia is deserving of its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it no doubt has the beautiful falls, connected via a chain of cascading lakes and deep green flora and fauna to thank for its designation. You could spend an entire day exploring this collection of sixteen lakes which flow from one into the other via the beautiful waterfalls and are easily accessible by way of shuttle buses which take passengers to the Lower and Upper Lakes.

Nachi Falls: Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
The tallest waterfall in Japan with a single, uninterrupted drop, Nachi is perhaps best celebrated for its connection to the spiritual as it is part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is in close proximity to the three-tiered Seiganto-ji Buddhist temple which was purposely built to be in close proximity to the falls.

Related: 9 reasons Japan is Ja-mazing.

Niagara Falls: Ontario, Canada and New York, USA
This trio of massive waterfalls (including Horseshoe, Bridal Veil and American Falls) drops an impressive six million cubic feet of water into the Niagara River every minute from a height of 165 feet. Close encounters can be had via paid tours and river boat excursions or from lookout points like Terrapin Point and nearby hotels like the Marriott Fallsview and the Embassy Suites.

Victoria Falls: Zimbabwe and Zambia, Africa
Mosi-oa-Tunya, as it’s locally known (the name means the smoke that thunders), is considered the largest waterfall in the world thanks to its impressive width of 5,604 feet and height of 354 feet (although it is technically neither the widest or tallest). Day trips are available to visitors both local and international alike. The falls also happen to be part of both Victoria Falls National Park and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park which contain large populations of elephants, zebras, hippos, giraffes and lions.

Yosemite Falls: Yosemite National Park, CA
This iconic California waterfall and classic stop on any Yosemite visit is the stuff of Ansel Adams photography (Adams in fact famously photographed the falls in 1950). The falls actually consist of an upper, middle and lower section and are easily reached via the upscale Yosemite Lodge where visitors gather to view them, especially in spring when water flow is at its peak.

Tagged: California, Destinations, Europe