I don’t think there is anyone on the planet who isn’t absolutely dazzled by a waterfall. And it doesn’t matter how big that waterfall is either. It could be one that falls thousands of feet from a craggy cliff before plunging into a jungle river, or one that simply falls a few feet into a creek by the side of a major highway. Waterfalls are simply breathtaking and awe-inspiring, and they give us all reason to stop and be completely amazed by the natural world around us.

Here are 15 of the most breathtaking waterfalls from around the world:

Angel Falls

Let’s start with the world’s highest, uninterrupted waterfall located in Venezuela. Just how high is it? It’s 3,212 feet tall to be exact. That’s a long way down for the water to fall. Located in the Canaima National Park, the waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyantepui mountain. The falls have been called “Angel Falls” since the mid 20th century when a US aviator named Jimmie Angel became the first person to fly over them.

Blood Falls

The only thing more eerie than the fact this waterfall is the color of blood is the fact that it is located in remote Antarctica. The reasoning behind the red color mostly comes from the fact that the saltwater is tainted with iron oxide. Another unique and strange fact about this waterfall is what is and isn’t found in this water. Water samples taken show almost no oxygen present yet at leas17 alien-like microbes have been found slithering around in there. Kind of creepy and cool at the same time.

Detian-Ban Goic Falls

These falls are actually two waterfalls that straddle the China/Vietnam border. There is some symbolism perhaps in this because during the heavy summer rains the two waterfalls sometimes join together. The water drops over 90 feet and the thunderous effect of the water hitting the cliffs below can be heard for miles around.

Gocta Cataracts, Peru

Located about 430 miles north and east of Lima sits this perennial waterfall that makes its way down and into the Cocahuayco River. Although the waterfall has always been known and appreciated by the local villagers, its existence was not known to the rest of the world until 2005 when an expedition led by a German, Stefan Ziemendorff, discovered it and literally put it on the map.

Sutherland Falls, New Zealand

Sutherland Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in New Zealand, and drops from a height of almost 2,000 feet. While it may not be the absolute tallest in the country (that honor goes to Browne Falls), it is considered New Zealand’s most impressive waterfall because the slope in incredibly steep, passing through different climactic zones and landing in a pristine rainforest below.

Ventisquero Colgante Falls, Chile

Chile’s Ventisquero Colgante Falls get their name from the glacier that is found hanging over a cliff in the mountains of Queulat National Park. It is the meltwater from this glacier that makes its way down almost 2,000 feet into the rainforest below. The glacier was discovered in 1875 and scientists have made note that it has retreated in the last 100 plus years.

Murchison Falls, Uganda

The Murchison Falls are some of the most famous on this list. During the early 1950s, Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart traveled here to film the classic “The African Queen.” Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill and even the Queen Mother herself have all visited the falls. The falls, which are fed by the Nile River tributary known as the Victoria Nile, drop 141 feet and eventually force themselves through a narrow rocky gorge and down three cascades into Lake Albert.

Virginia Falls,Canada

Must be nice to have one of the world’s most breathtaking waterfalls named after you. These falls are named after Virginia Hunter, whose father Fenley Hunter explore this region of Canada in 1928. The falls drop from a height of more than 300 feet (so that’s twice the height of Niagara Falls) but are so remote that only a small fraction of tourists visit them every year.

Havasu Falls, Arizona

We who live in the states know that the Grand Canyon in Arizona is one of our most stunning natural treasures. But not many know that within the Grand Canyon lies one of the world’s most breathtaking waterfalls, called the Havasu Falls. The water contains a high concentration of minerals which makes the configuration of the falls ever-changing and gives them a lovely blue-green color.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina-Brazil Border

These falls split the border between Argentina and Brazil and are a very surreal sight. The myth surrounding the falls is very interesting. The story goes that a long, long time ago a very beautiful woman refused to marry a god (always a no-no) and instead ran off with her human lover and paddled away in a canoe. Royally ticked, the god sliced the river in a fit of rage and hence the falls were created.

Jog Falls, India

Jog Falls are actually the second highest waterfall in all of India and are a major tourist attraction for locals and visitors alike. The falls are created by the Sharavathi River falling 830 feet. To get a great view of these spectacular falls, the Tourism Department built steps – 1400 of them to be exact – from the viewpoint to the bottom of the hill. That’s quite a descent and climb back UP!

Kaieteur Falls, Guyana

Located in Kaieteur National Park, the falls are 741 feet high and plunge over a sandstone cliff. While it is not the tallest waterfall in the world, it is one of the most powerful because of the sheer volume of water that passes through its channels. It is so powerful that it actually rivals the Jog Falls in India during monsoon season!

Gullfoss Falls, Iceland

The English translation of these falls is Golden Falls, and they are located in the canyon of Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. A very popular tourist attraction, Gullfoss Falls are now protected, having once been owned (um, how does one own a waterfall) by foreign investors who were considering using the falls to generate electricity. Seems like a good idea until you realize doing so would change the waterfall forever.

Niagara Falls, North America

Here is another falls that straddles the border between nations, this one straddling the border between Canada and the State of New York. There are actually 3 separate falls that make up Niagara Falls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. Horseshoe Falls is actually the most powerful waterfall in all of North America.

Victoria Falls, Southern Africa

The Victoria Falls live on the Zambezi River in southern Africa at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Scottish missionary and explorer, David Livingstone, is believed to be the first European to view the falls back in 1855. Victoria Falls is the largest sheet of falling water in the world, and visitors lucky enough to experience in person will never forget it.