Impressive waterfalls of the world
The following is a list of notable waterfalls overseas that I have visited over the years. Each is worth seeing. If you’re traveling to any of these areas, you might want to plan a stop.
• Iguazú Falls (I visited in 1995 and 2001), on the border of Brazil and Argentina — one of the greatest sites on Earth and, as someone said, “like sailing off the edge of the world.”
• Victoria Falls (1972), on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe — purely spectacular. There were no rails and no concrete walkways, just water, sound and mist. One more step and you are into it.
• Kaieteur Falls (1970 and 1992), on the Potaro River in central Guyana — unique because of both its great volume of water and its height. I actually walked 10 miles to its base and then climbed up the side of it. It was steep.
• Semonkong Falls, also known as Maletsunyane (1971), in central Lesotho — It has only recently been accessible by road.
• Murchison Falls (1989), in north-central Uganda — noted for its huge crocodiles and also one of the locations of the filming of “The African Queen.”
• Orinduik Falls (1992), in west-central Guyana, close to the Venezuelan border. Its location deep in the rainforest is a long way from town, any town. The famed Mt. Roraima, location of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World,” is less than 50 miles away.
• Véu de Novia (Veil of the Bride) Falls (2000), in western Brazil’s Mato Grosso — very tall and slender. It’s located next to the Mirante Lookout, the unofficial geographic center of South America.
• Russell Falls (2002), in Mt. Field National Park in southern Tasmania — located in a national park, it has three elegant drops.
• Sutherland Falls (2002), At Lake Quill on the southwestern end of New Zealand’s South Island — a truly amazing site of a lake leaking. It is one of the most photographed of all the falls.
• Sipisopiso Falls (2003), at Lake Toba in north-central Sumatra, Indonesia — narrow but impressive on the northern edge of a large lake.
KURT SHAFER
Chatsworth, IL