World's Highest Waterfall: Angel Falls, Venezuela (979 m)

Angel Falls (Salto Ángel) in Canaima National Park, Venezuela is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall.

Vital Statistics

• Total height: 979 m (3,212 ft).
• Longest single drop: 807 m (2,648 ft).
• Width at base: ~150 m (varies seasonally).
• Flow: Seasonal (rainy May–Nov); can become mist in dry season.
• Source: Churún River → Auyán-tepui (table mountain / tepui).

Discovery & Name

• Known to Pemón people as Kerepakupai Merú ("waterfall of the deepest place").
• Named for Jimmie Angel, US aviator who crash-landed atop Auyán-tepui in 1937 searching for gold.
• First measured 1949 (National Geographic).

Visiting

• Access: Fly to Canaima (CAJ) from Caracas/Margarita → 4–5 hr motorized canoe (curiaras) up Carrao/Churún rivers → 1 hr hike to base.
• Best time: June–December (high water).
• Tours: 3–4 days from Ciudad Bolívar/Puerto Ordaz; include Kavak, Ucaima camps.

Runner-Up

• Tugela Falls (South Africa) — 948 m (5 drops).
• Tres Hermanas (Peru) — 914 m.
• Olo'upena (Hawaii, USA) — 900 m.

Angel Falls: a thread of water falling from a lost world — the ultimate vertical wilderness.