This updates an article I posted in 2010, with photos showing different views of mighty Iguazu Falls and Victoria Falls. Click here to read the original article.
I’ve had the rare opportunity to visit two of the world’s great waterfalls, Iguazu (Iguaçu) Falls on the Argentina-Brazil border in South America and Victoria Falls (Mosi-Oa-Tunya) on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border in Africa. Each was just a few hours’ drive from my former homes in Asunción, Paraguay and Lusaka, Zambia, respectively, and I visited them often. As measured by water volume, both are the two largest and arguably most spectacular waterfalls in the world.
It’s easy to conclude when you visit one that it’s more impressive than the other. Some claim that Iguazu Falls is better while others prefer Victoria Falls. Iguazu Falls is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature and is the wider of the two with cascades that look like bridal veils. Victoria Falls, a World Heritage Site, is higher with a massive curtain of water during the rainy season that disappears in the dry season. Iguazu has the “Devil’s Throat,” a narrow falls where the water crashes into a torrential pool, and Victoria the “Devil’s Pool,” a whirlpool at the edge of the falls where visitors can swim during the dry season. One is in Africa and the other in South America, lending geographical biases in favor of one or the other.
What do you think? Here are photos of each waterfall at different times of the year. Decide for yourself. After browsing through the photos, vote for your favorite waterfall at the bottom of this post.
Iguazu Falls / Iguaçu Falls – Argentina-Brazil
Victoria Falls / Mosi-Oa-Tunya – Zambia-Zimbabwe
Vote for your favorite now and post your comments below!
This poll is unscientific and has a margin of error of +/- 100%.
Which waterfall do I think is more impressive? Click here to find out.
M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.
For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.
© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author.
World Adventurers 
Amazing pics, Mike! If I have any new places on my wish list to visit, it’s these two! Thank you for sharing.
Lada
P.S. You looked cute all drenched up in that yellow cape 😉
Ha ha, thanks. Half the time at Victoria Falls I had to wear rain gear because of all the mist coming off the waterfalls. How it goes from dry and looking like the Grand Canyon to wet and a wall of roaring water is amazing.
Wow! Wonderful photos. More places for my bucket list. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks, Jane. Excellent choices.
Breathtaking photos! WOW! I love Niagara Falls – my hometown. Plus I haven’t had the pleasure to witness first hand Iguazu or Victoria.
Lovely, just lovely.
Thanks! Ironically, I’m from the states and haven’t seen Niagara Falls! Someday I will, just like Sardinia.
I vote for the Victoria Falls because I am Zambian.:)A little biased but I can’t deny how beautiful the falls are.
That’s understandable. They’re both incredible in different ways. My favorite moment at Victoria Falls was walking the bridge to Knife’s Point and being drenched in mist from the falls!
Lover of waterfalls – loving your photos – thanks for sharing – some beautiful places to explore indeed! Have a Great One:)
Thanks! They’re even better in person. 🙂
Incredible Mike! Wow.
Thanks, Van! I feel lucky to have seen both — within months of each other. Both blew me away.
I voted for Iguazu Falls; Im from Misiones. And is undeniable the beauty of that place. Plus you got water every time of the year (just being sarcastic hahaha). Victoria’s falls are impressive though!
I’ve been to both, all I can say is spectacular.
Victoria falls is more of a challenge to photograph though, and far more powerful than Igazu.
And viewing the victoria falls from air is second to none.
Victoria falls is also spectacular from livingstone island. And there is many more activities to do other than viewing the falls. quite pricey though.
I always wanted to see the Iguazu Falls – loved my time there.
Incidentally they had 50% more water than usual currently. This made for
a lot of white water 🙂