Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopian waterfall near Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Water plunges 138 feet (42 meters) in multiple streams that create white water formations stretching 1,310 feet (400 meters) across during rainy season, with dense spray rising above the gorge.
Portuguese Jesuit missionary Pedro Paez documented the site in 1613, marking one of the first European encounters with this formation on the upper Nile watershed.
The local name Tis Abaya means 'Smoke of Water' in Amharic, describing the mist and spray visible from surrounding viewpoints used by communities for generations.
A hydroelectric dam upstream affects water flow during dry seasons, making September through October the optimal months for maximum volume, with access arranged through Bahir Dar located 19 miles (30 kilometers) northwest.
The site has contributed to Lake Tana's ecological isolation, leading to the development of distinct fish species found nowhere else in the Nile system, including several endemic cichlid varieties.
Location: Amhara Region
Height: 42 m
Part of: Blue Nile
GPS coordinates: 11.48788,37.58757
Latest update: December 2, 2025 11:13
Waterfalls have a way of drawing people in. The sound of falling water, the mist that rises from the base, the way light catches the spray. Some of the most striking examples sit in places that remain relatively quiet, where the journey itself becomes part of the experience. These destinations reward travelers who make the effort, offering moments of solitude that are increasingly rare around natural landmarks. This collection includes places like the limestone terraces of Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, where a chain of interconnected pools spills from one to the next through forest shade. Or the red sandstone walls of Coyote Gulch in Utah, where water carved out hidden alcoves and pools over countless seasons. In India, Nohkalikai Falls drops from a forested plateau into a green pool far below. China's Huangguoshu Waterfall has a cave tucked behind the curtain of water itself. At the Vietnam-China border, Ban Gioc-Detian spreads wide across the landscape, while Angel Falls in Venezuela tumbles nearly a thousand meters from a flat topped mountain. Norway's Geirangerfjord hosts the Seven Sisters, a cluster of parallel streams that flow straight into the fjord. Iceland's Dettifoss sends an immense volume of glacial water over black volcanic rock. South Africa's Tugela Falls descends in stages from the dramatic cliff face of the Drakensberg range. And in the Philippines, Kawasan Falls creates a series of turquoise pools beneath a canopy of tropical growth. Each place has its own character, shaped by the rock, the climate, and the surrounding terrain.
Ethiopia offers photographers a range of subjects from medieval architecture to geologically active zones. In the north, Lalibela features eleven churches carved from solid tuff rock during the 12th and 13th centuries, while Axum holds obelisks from the Aksumite Empire that flourished from the 1st to 10th centuries. The Gheralta region of Tigray contains dozens of churches built into cliff faces, accessible via steep trails.The landscape extends from the peaks of the Simien Mountains, rising above 15,000 feet (4,500 meters), to the Danakil Depression, one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth. Bale Mountains National Park supports Ethiopian wolves in afroalpine moorlands, while Awash National Park features acacia woodlands and hot springs. The walled city of Harar Jugol, with its 368 lanes and 82 mosques dating from the 16th century, displays Islamic architecture. The monasteries on Lake Tana islands hold manuscripts from the 14th to 18th centuries, and in Gondar, Fasil Ghebbi documents Ethiopian rule through its 17th and 18th century palaces and churches.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
274 km
Church of Saint George
169.6 km
Fasil Ghebbi
125.4 km
Ras Dashen
212.4 km
Monolithic churches in Lalibela
169.4 km
Simien Mountains National Park
195.8 km
Debre Libanos
241 km
Bet Amanuel
169.9 km
Ura Kidane Mehret
35.4 km
Bete Abba Libanos
170 km
Mount Abuna Yosef
188.5 km
Bete Gebriel-Rufael
169.9 km
Bete Merqorewos
170 km
Istifanos Monastery
230.8 km
Biete Lehem
169.9 km
Church of Debra Berhan Selassie
125.7 km
Fasilides' Bath
126.5 km
Bete Golgota-Selassié
169.9 km
Asheton Maryam Monastery
172.1 km
Kuskwam
127.2 km
Angereb Reservoir
126 km
Martyrs Memorial Monument
22.9 km
Biet Debre Sina
169.9 km
Na’akueto La’ab
170.9 km
Stele di Mussolini
90 km
Azwa Mariam Monastery
34.1 km
Defeche Bridge
124.8 km
Genfokuch Bridge
121.8 kmReviews
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