The Tallest Waterfall in Africa Is Not the One You Think
Victoria Falls is the most famous, but not the highest. A short history of measuring falling water.
Ask most travellers to name the highest waterfall in Africa and they will say Victoria Falls. At 108 metres, it is not even close. The title belongs to Tugela Falls in South Africa's Drakensberg, which falls about 948 metres in five leaps and is often ranked second in the world.
Zimbabwe's Mutarazi Falls, at around 762 metres in two tiers, is usually listed next. For a single uninterrupted drop, Kalambo Falls on the Zambia–Tanzania border, at more than 220 metres, is among the greatest.
Why the numbers disagree
Measuring a waterfall is harder than it sounds. Where does it start? Do cascades count? Should the height include sections where the water slides rather than falls? Different surveys answer differently, which is why you will see different figures.
Biggest by volume
By the volume of water, the record goes to Boyoma Falls in the Congo. By width of a single sheet, Victoria Falls wins. Every great African waterfall can claim some superlative, which is part of their appeal.
Africa's highest waterfalls
Tugela Falls, South Africa: about 948 metres in five leaps from the rim of the Drakensberg Amphitheatre. Mutarazi Falls, Zimbabwe: about 762 metres in two tiers into the Honde Valley. Kalambo Falls, Zambia and Tanzania: more than 220 metres in a single, uninterrupted drop. Maletsunyane Falls, Lesotho: about 192 metres in one plunge. Ouzoud Falls, Morocco: about 110 metres in several tiers, the highest in North Africa.
All five are in highlands: the Drakensberg, the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, the plateau above Lake Tanganyika, the Maloti mountains and the Middle Atlas. Height comes from escarpments, while volume comes from great rivers crossing flatter ground, which is why the tallest falls are rarely the most powerful.
Single drop or total height?
Tugela's figure adds together five separate leaps. Kalambo's is one sheer fall. Both are legitimate measures, and lists that rank by single drop look very different from lists that rank by total height. Seasonal flow adds another complication: in the dry months Tugela can shrink to a thread or even freeze, while Kalambo keeps a narrow ribbon of water.
Biggest, widest and most powerful
Boyoma Falls on the upper Congo carries the greatest volume of any waterfall in the world, spread over seven cataracts and about a hundred kilometres. Victoria Falls forms the largest single sheet of falling water, 1,708 metres wide and 108 metres high. Murchison Falls is often called the most powerful because of the force of the Nile squeezed through its narrow slot.
Seeing the tall ones
Tugela is the most accessible of the giants: you can hike to the top in a day, as described in our Tugela Falls hike guide, and combine it with Big Five reserves on our Drakensberg and Zululand route. Mutarazi has a skywalk on the cliff edge. Kalambo and Maletsunyane need more effort and reward it with near-empty viewpoints. Browse them all in the waterfall atlas.
Africa's ten highest waterfalls on this site
- Tugela Falls, South Africa: about 948 m in five leaps
- Mutarazi Falls, Zimbabwe: about 762 m in two tiers
- Kalambo Falls, Zambia and Tanzania: about 221 to 235 m in a single drop
- Maletsunyane Falls, Lesotho: about 192 m in a single drop
- Ouzoud Falls, Morocco: about 110 m in tiers
- Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe: 108 m, and about 1,708 m wide
- Kalandula Falls, Angola: about 105 m
- Sipi Falls, Uganda: about 100 m (the highest of three)
- Howick Falls, South Africa: about 95 m
- Materuni Falls, Tanzania: about 80 to 90 m
Heights are approximate. Published figures vary with the measuring method and the season, so treat any ranking as a guide rather than a final word.
Which tall waterfall should you visit?
For a hike to the top of the tallest, choose Tugela, combined with the Drakensberg and Zululand. For a single sheer drop you can see from the edge, Maletsunyane in Lesotho is the most accessible, a short drive and walk from Semonkong. For raw scale and volume, nothing beats Victoria Falls in high water, even if it is far from the tallest. Kalambo and Mutarazi reward travellers who enjoy remote places and long drives.
