Polski
From the world, In this issue, Issue 2/2026
The world’s most extraordinary waterfalls
Feb
The world’s most unusual waterfalls are not always the biggest or loudest. Sometimes their magic is hidden in a detail: the right light, strong winds or unusual chemical composition. Then a simple waterfall becomes a seemingly impossible phenomenon – and everything is explained by physics or geology.
The world’s most unusual waterfalls. Where does this effect come from?
A waterfall of sorts, or Underwater Waterfall in Mauritius
Off the southwest coast of Mauritius, near the mountain Le Morne Brabant, it is possible to see from a bird’s eye view a phenomenon that looks like a giant waterfall falling into the abyss of the ocean. In reality, it is an optical illusion. The cascade extends for several kilometers – the most commonly described range is 3-5.
The effect is created by the movement of sand, silt and sediment on the edge of the continental shelf. Mauritius is located on an oceanic plateau that suddenly drops more than 4,000 meters into the ocean. Strong currents and waves wash away material from the shallows, giving the impression of a continuous fall of water. The differences in depth and coloration of the bottom intensify the contrast of water hues – from light turquoise to deep navy blue.
The illusion looks most beautiful during the dry season (May-October), when the water is exceptionally clear and the currents are stable. Discovered in the 20th century thanks to aerial photographs, today it is one of the island’s most popular tourist attractions. Thousands of people admire it from helicopters, tour boats and, in good weather, even from the beach – although from land level you can see only subtle changes in the color of the water, without the full effect of the waterfall. The area is safe, but at the very edge of the shelf the currents can be strong, so extreme caution should be taken.
Devil’s Kettle – the American devil’s kettle
In Judge C.R. Magney State Park in northern Minnesota, on the Brule River, there is a waterfall called Devil’s Kettle – one of North America’s most intriguing hydrological phenomena. The river’s current splits into two almost equal parts: the left side falls classically, forming a typical cascade 15 meters high, while the right side falls into a deep, circular hole in the rock, called the Devil’s Kettle.
For more than a century, the mystery of Devil’s Kettle has stirred the imagination: where does water disappear falling into a hole? Theories ranged from underground tunnels and caves, to hidden lakes, to a fantastic connection to Lake Superior, hundreds of miles away. Legend even has it that the water goes straight to hell. It wasn’t until 2017 that hydrologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources finally solved the mystery. It turned out that the water flows about 100 meters below, in the same Brule River, after flowing through a hidden channel beneath the surface. The hole is a natural geological formation in hard volcanic rock (rhyolite) that has survived the river’s erosion. Tests with food coloring and hundreds of ping-pong balls confirmed: nothing is lost, the water simply disappears from sight for a while, only to return to the channel a piece further downstream.
Water or lava? Spectacular Firefall in Yosemite
In Yosemite National Park, on the east face of El Capitan, is Horsetail Fall – a seasonal waterfall 650 meters high. In February, for just 2 weeks, it turns into Firefall: the water looks like glowing lava – in intense shades of orange, red and gold. The effect is usually visible for 10-15 minutes, just before sunset.
The illusion is created by the unique angle of the sun’s rays (about 30-40°), which are reflected in millions of tiny water droplets floating in the air. The light is dispersed in such a way that warm colors dominate, and the water resembles flowing lava. The prerequisite for the phenomenon to occur, however, is a clear, cloudless sky and an adequate flow of water – there must be enough snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains for the waterfall to exist at all.
The phenomenon has been known since the 19th century. – Even then it attracted tourists and painters. In the 1920s-60s. In the 1970s. Park employees reinforced the illusion by throwing glowing coals into the waterfall. The practice was discontinued in 1968 for environmental and safety reasons. Today, Firefall remains fully natural and attracts thousands of observers every February.
Horizontal Waterfalls or Horizontal Waterfalls in Australia
At Talbot Bay, in the Kimberley region on Australia’s northwest coast, you can see the Horizontal Waterfalls – a place where water flows horizontally through two narrow rock crevices (20m and 10m wide) in the ridges of the McLarty Ranges.
The effect is created by extreme ocean tides – the difference in water level between high and low tide here reaches up to 10-11 meters. Water accumulates on one side of the rift faster than it can flow through it, forming a horizontal waterfall. The direction of flow reverses twice a day, depending on the tidal cycle – first one way, then the other. The phenomenon was created as a result of geological erosion, and tidal forces further strengthen and sustain it. The effect of nature is best observed here during spring and autumn tides (so-called spring tides), when the difference in levels is greatest.
It is one of the few places in the world where ocean tides create horizontal waterfalls.
Against the laws of physics: the English Kinder Downfall
A waterfall flowing upward? That’s exactly what it looks like when the wind is strong enough.
In the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire County, at an altitude of about 320 meters above sea level, is the Kinder Downfall. It flows down from the Kinder Scout plateau, where the river of the same name flows into a deep valley. Under normal conditions, it’s a classic waterfall – water flies freely down. But when the wind blowing from the valley reaches sufficient force (usually above 40-50 km/h, and in storms even 80-100 km/h), the water turns back and is blown away. The entire stream – sometimes as much as a dozen meters – rises, as if flowing upwards, and is then splashed in the air like a fountain.
The phenomenon occurs quite often – Kinder Downfall flows against the current a dozen or even dozens of times a year, especially during autumn and winter storms.
Blood Falls, or the Blood Falls of Antarctica
Blood Falls – one of the most unusual and mysterious natural phenomena on Earth – cannot be left out of this list. Antarctica’s Blood Falls is not only a visually shocking red on white ice, but, above all, proof that isolated ecosystems can exist under its cover. You can read more about this phenomenon in the article: Antarctica’s Bloody Falls. Nature’s great mystery.
main photo: pietro lambert/Flickr
