Tugela Falls is a complex of seasonal
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
s located in the
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within th ...
(''Dragon's Mountains'') of
Royal Natal National Park
Royal Natal National Park is a park in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa and forms part of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Notwithstanding the name, it is actually not a South African National Park managed by the SANPark ...
in
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
Province, Republic of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. According to some measurements, it is the world's
tallest waterfall. A revisited validation of waterfall measurements is not available, and there's still uncertainty whether Tugela or Venezuela's
Angel Falls
Angel Falls ( es, Salto Ángel; Pemon language: ''Kerepakupai Merú'' meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or ''Parakupá Vená'', meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela.
It is the List of waterfalls by hei ...
is the tallest (both measurements were taken at considerable distance from the two waterfalls).
The combined total drop of its five distinct free-leaping falls is officially . In 2016, however, a Czech scientific expedition took new measurements, making the falls tall. The data were sent to the World Waterfall Database for confirmation. The source of the
Tugela River
The Tugela River ( zu, Thukela; af, Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , it is one of the most important rivers of the country.
The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of the Dra ...
(
Zulu for 'sudden') is the
Mont-Aux-Sources plateau which extends several kilometers beyond
The Amphitheatre
The Amphitheatre () is a large bowl-shaped depression, 0.75 nautical miles (1.4 km) in diameter, at the south side of the head of Northeast Glacier on Graham Land in Antarctica. The feature lies adjacent to former bases of the British Graham ...
escarpment from which the falls drop.
[
]
Height controversy
There is an argument that Tugela Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world, rather than the more commonly cited Angel Falls
Angel Falls ( es, Salto Ángel; Pemon language: ''Kerepakupai Merú'' meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or ''Parakupá Vená'', meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela.
It is the List of waterfalls by hei ...
. This argument is based on two likely inaccuracies regarding the presumed heights of the respective falls.
Firstly, many now believe that Angel Falls is not as tall as it was initially surveyed by American journalist Ruth Robertson
Ruth Agnes McCall Robertson Marietta (May 24, 1905 – February 17, 1998) was an American photojournalist who accomplished many "firsts" for women photographers and is also known mostly for photographing Angel Falls in Venezuela and surveying ...
in 1949. The quoted figure of corresponds almost precisely with the difference in altitude between the top of the falls and the confluence of the Rio Gauja and the Río Churún, which is roughly away from the base of the Auyan Tepui escarpment and downstream from the last segment of the Rio Gauja that could possibly be considered a ‘waterfall’.
The starting altitude of Angel Falls is often given as , from which the falls plunge a vertical , then proceed to cascade for approximately with relatively little altitude loss, before a final drop of below the Talus Rapids, near the famous viewpoint known as Mirador Laime. After this the Rio Gauja flows with very little altitude loss, with nothing approaching a waterfall or even cascade before it empties into the Río Churún. However, the altitude of Mirador Laime is usually given as approximately , which would suggest that Angel Falls is only about in total height (roughly the height of the first drop).
Angel Falls, however, is almost universally regarded as having the tallest single uninterrupted drop of any waterfall in the world (the total height of Tugela Falls, even though possibly the tallest on Earth, is divided into five smaller tiers, and its tallest individual tier is ). Even this measurement invites some debate, however, as some botanical sources list the height of Angel Falls' tallest drop as , rather than the usually cited .
Access
At the right time of year, the falls are easily visible from the main road into the park, especially after a heavy rain. There is an undeveloped camp site and mountain hut immediately above the falls.
There are two trails to Tugela Falls. The most spectacular trail is to the top of Mont-Aux-Sources, which starts at "The Sentinel" car park (through Phuthaditjhaba
Phuthaditjhaba (formerly Witsieshoek or Qwaqwa) is a town in the Free State province of South Africa. Phuthaditjhaba is a seSotho name that means ''meeting place of the tribes''. It is located on the banks of the Elands River.Harrismith
Harrismith is a large town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was named for Sir Harry Smith, a 19th-century British governor and high commissioner of the Cape Colony. It is situated by the Wilge River, alongside the N3 highway, abo ...
via the R712, or 80 minutes from Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Golden Gate Highlands National Park is located in Free State, South Africa, near the Lesotho border. It covers an area of . The park's most notable features are its golden, ochre, and orange-hued, deeply eroded sandstone cliffs and outcrops, es ...
). From here it is a relatively easy climb to the top of the Amphitheatre, however it does take about 4.5 to 8 hours round-trip depending on fitness level. Access to the summit is via two chain ladders. This is the only day hiking trail which leads to the top of the Drakensberg escarpment. Another trail to the foot of Tugela Falls starts at Royal Natal National Park. The easy gradient up the Tugela Gorge winds through indigenous forests. The last part of the hike to Tugela Falls is a boulder hop. A little chain ladder leads over the final stretch for a view of the falls rushing down the amphitheater in a series of five cascades.Tugela Falls
Drakensberg Tourism. Archived.
See also
*
List of waterfalls by height
The following are lists of waterfalls in the world by height, classified into two categories — natural and artificial. Natural waterfalls are further subdivided between overall height and tallest single drop. Each column (Waterfall, Height, Local ...
*
Tugela River
The Tugela River ( zu, Thukela; af, Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , it is one of the most important rivers of the country.
The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of the Dra ...
*
Royal Natal National Park
Royal Natal National Park is a park in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa and forms part of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Notwithstanding the name, it is actually not a South African National Park managed by the SANPark ...
*
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within th ...
*
Geography of South Africa
South Africa occupies the southern tip of Africa, its coastline stretching more than from the desert border with Namibia on the Atlantic (western) coast southwards around the tip of Africa and then northeast to the border with Mozambique on ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Tugela Falls at World Waterfall DatabaseGuided viewing of the Tugela Falls
Tugela River
Waterfalls of South Africa
Landforms of KwaZulu-Natal
Tourist attractions in KwaZulu-Natal
Tiered waterfalls