WONDERFUL WATERFALL TRIPS TO TAKE NOW
It’s hot. It’s sticky. It’s time to cool off! And we’ve got some perfect suggestions! Check out our curated collection of 10 of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world!
We searched for waterfalls of exceptional shape, color, or with unique features. Some tumble over jagged rock faces deep in forests or jungles, while other fall into the sea. found these dramatic cascades in Laos, Bali, Croatia, Scotland, Philippines, and Guatemala. And there some beauties in US National Parks, including at the Grand Canyon, in Arizona and in Utah. But if you want to find ones closer to home, or even farther afield, for that matter, check out the World Waterfall Database.
There are many types of waterfalls, each with its own kind of charm, from ledge waterfalls that drop down over a vertical cliff, to block or sheet waterfalls that stretch across wide streams or rivers, to narrow ribbon waterfalls to moulins or glacier water falls, to name a few. Check out our beautiful samples below and put them on your travel bucket list!
Three tiers of showers create the Kuang Si Falls, south of Luang Prabang, in Laos. They begin in shallow pools, atop a steep travertine hillside. The main fall drops into a 60 meter (200 ft) cascade before it descends into a series of turquoise blue pools, as it flows downstream.
One of the pools is considered a sacred site while the rest of the pools are permissible to swim in.
Considered by many to be the most beautiful waterfall in Bali, the Sekumpul Waterfall consists of 7 falls, descending from high heavily forested cliffs.
After a long drive through winding road, past UNESCO listed rice fields and ancient temples, you will trek for more than 3 hours, through jungle and tropical plantations, across several rivers, down hundreds of steps on narrow path, to get a closer look at these spectacular showers.
Take a beautiful 10 mile hike in Arizona, through narrow canyons, to find Havasu Canyon’s steep waterfalls and secluded pools. The smallest waterfall here drops 75 feet, while the largest, Mooney Falls, drops 200 feet, thundering as it tumbles and crashes into the swimming hole below.
Skradinski Buk in Krka National Park, in Croatia, rages as it falls, in cascade upon cascade, stacked up like a wedding cake. You can swim in the pool below. And check out the cave behind the falls to get a different perspective on this naturally beautiful shower.
Imagine taking a hot shower outside in the middle of the jungle!
The Lago Izabel waterfall, in Guatemala, is a naturally hot waterfall, just a two-mile hike from the shore of Lago de Izabal. The falls are fed by underground hot springs. The hot water tumbles over a the boulders into a cool, clear swimming hole.
Make sure to venture behind the cascade where you will find caves that form a natural steambath. Gorgeous!
The Tappiya Falls is a 3-hour hike from Banaue, near the secluded village of Batad, in the Philippines. Traipse through a maze of brilliant green rice paddies to reach its glorious 100-foot cascade, surround by lush tropical jungle.
Views of surrounding mountains are spectacular. You will need an expert guide to take you there, as it is not typically a tourist destination.
Water rushes over pink sandstone cliffs, cascading down 126 feet, to form the Calf Creek Falls, at the mammoth Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, in Utah. Rinse off from the dusty 6-mile hike that brings you here, just as the ancient Navajos did before you.
All waterfalls have a majestic quality about them, it seems. But if you want some concentrated splendor, head to Tinago Falls, in Iligan City, known as the City of Majestic Waterfalls. Located in Lanao del Norte in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
Tinago, which means “hidden,” in Filipino, is found after descending 500 steps along a winding natural staircase. At the bottom, you can enjoy the showers as they fall into the cool blue lagoon. And check out the cave behind the falls for some awesome acoustics.
Tegenungan is one of the few waterfalls in Bali that you don’t have to climb a mountain to find. Located just south of Ubud village, these falls are isolated.
You will need to descend hundreds of natural steps, surrounded by lush jungle, to reach the bottom, where you will be treated to heavy, thunderous showers that crash into a gorgeous swimming hole.
Magical waterfalls spill over the rocks at foot of the Black Cuillins, near Glenbrittle, on the Isle of Skye, in Scotland, to form, the Fairy Pools, on the River Brittle. It’s a perfect spot to enjoy some bracing natural showers.
Be brave and you will be rewarded with some spectacular “Wild Swimming” along the series of pools, amidst breathtaking forest landscapes.
Read more about Beautiful Vacation Part 2 in Beautiful Otherworldly Vacation Spots.
And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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