10 Biggest Cliffs In The World

The word cliff has originated from an old english word ‘clif,’ which means a large vertical rock that is visible from a surface. Britannica describes a cliff as a steep slope of rocky materials that overhangs from a surface. Cliffs are a result of many years of erosion activities and end up looking like beautiful vertical structures.

Cliffs can be formed from earth materials or even from ice. They can be seen on riverbanks, high mountains, valleys and walls of canyons. At times, many waterbodies tumble upon these cliffs which results in the formation of a waterfall.

Some of the steepest cliffs in the world are found under the seas and are called oceanic trenches. One such cliff is the Verona Rupes, in Miranda and this cliff is one of the tallest cliffs in the entire solar system. It has a height of about 10 kilometres!

Did You Know?

Almost all the sea cliffs are considered work in progress as their height and other dimensions keep on changing due to several erosion and weather changes.

10. Cape Enniberg

Location: Faroe Islands
Height: 2500 feet

With a height of 2,500 feet, the Cape Enniberg is one of the tallest vertical sea cliff. This cliff has its home on the island of Viooy in Enniberg, which lies on the northernmost part of the Faroe islands. This island has a vast population of migratory birds.

9. Torres del Paine

Location: Chile
Height: 2500 feet

The Torres del Paine cliff stands at a height of 2,500 feet and is situated between Andes Mountains and the Patagonian Steppe in southern Chile. With many waterfalls, glaciers, rifts, rivers, and lagoons, this area has great scenic beauty.

One of the most beautiful parks in Chile has also been named after this cliff which is three-towered and has been formed from granite. Together with all this beauty, this cliff forms one of the most iconic landscapes in the Patagonia region.

Fun Fact

Rising above crystal-clear glacial lakes, the beautiful Torres del Paine cliff gets its name from the Spanish word for tower and an old Tehuelche tribe word for blue.

8. Qingshui Cliff

Location: Taiwan
Height: 2600 feet

The Qingshui cliffs in Taiwan is a huge stretch of 21 km that lies between the cities of Yilan and Hualien. These cliffs lie approximately 120 km south of Taipei and are made mainly of marble and schist walls.

The rock in the Qingshui cliffs is one of the oldest rock in Taiwan. On an average, some cliffs stand up 800 meters above sea level, while others reach upto a kilometer. However, a giant 2,408 meters mountain peak rises from the Qingshui cliffs from the Pacific Ocean.

Fun Fact

The area around Qingshui Cliff has been designated as one of the eight wonders of Taiwan. Qingshui Cliff is the only place in Taroko National Park where you can witness the three distinct color tones that make up the Pacific Ocean. 

7. El Capitan

Location: California
Height: 3000 feet

At over 3,000 feet above sea level, the El Captain cliff is 2.5 times taller than the Empire State Building and/or three times the height of the Eiffel Tower.

Formed from granite, the El Captain cliff are dominant in the west side of the Yosemite valley. The americans have given several names to this cliff like to-tock-ah-noo-lah, which means the rock chief or captain. Many other names were given to the granite buttress like the crane mountain, but it eventually came to be known as the El Captain.

The beauty of this mega structure attracts thousands of tourists to this place, including photographers and painters. Through their works, they helped get this place recognised and in 1890, the Yosemite National park was created.

Fun Fact

A 10-year-old girl from Colarado climbed this cliff in 2019 in five days, when everyone else thought that it was impossible to scale. This girl named Selah Schneiter reached the tip of the cliff through one of the most popular routes, known as the nose.

6. Kalaupapa Cliffs

Location: Hawaii, US
Height: 3315 feet

The Kalaupapa cliff juts out from north sea shore cliifs on the island of Molokai. At 3,315 feet above sea level, these cliffs lie in one of the most remote locations in Hawaii and have been formed as a result of volcanic and geological activity over millions of years.

The cliff was formed over 200,000 years ago and for some 900 years, they were considered the site of ancient Hawaiin agricultural village. Through archeological surverys, it has become known that this area was once densly populated and the main occupation of the people was agriculture of crops like taro and sweet potatoes.

Fun Fact

Because of its landscape and remote location, this place was used for over a century to quarantine people with Hansen’s Disease.

5. The Amphitheatre

Location: South Africa
Height: 4000 feet

Considered to be one of the most impressive cliffs on earth, the Amphitheatre cliff has beautiful geographical features and lies in northern Drakensberg, South Africa.

When compared with El Captain cliff in Yosemite, the Amphitheatre has a cliff face that is three times the size of the total area of El Captain. In fact, this cliff is 10 times the size of El Capitan‘s most famous (South Western) face.

The area around this cliff is densly populated with small mammals and bucks. The bird life here is in abundance and all of them are able to survive due to the presence of dams, rivers and wetlands. Many consider northern Drakensberg as one of the most dramatic section as it has access to the biggest indigenous rainforest in the berg, ie, Lesotho. It also harbours the largest consolidation of rock art in the world and the second highest waterfall in the world.

Fun Fact

Due to its massive size, the Amphitheatre is one of the greatest and most beautiful geographical features in the world.

4. Thor Peak

Location: Canada
Height: 5500 feet

As the name suggests, the Thor peak has been named so beacause of its massive size. Residing in Canada, the cliff gets its name from Thor, the all-powerful Norse God, whose strength comes from thunder. The cliff is known for its humongous size and towering peaks, thereby living up to its name.

The cliff has the longest vertical drop on earth, ie, 4,101 feet. It is more steeper than vertical and the face is 105-degree overhang. However, climbing this massive 5,500 feet cliff is not a cakewalk.

Over 30 attempts have been made to climb this cliff and all of them have been met with failure. The entire terrain of this cliff is filled with glaciers and many areas of it are remote. However, all of these things have not let the daredevils and campers take a backseat and they love to tackle it.

This cliff is also a great place for base jumping and paragliding and falling off from the world’s greatest cliff definitely gives a rush of excitement to people here.

Fun Fact

In May 1985, a team of four men from America completed the mega climb. Although the team faced several dangers from falling rocks from time to time, they eventually finished the trail. The entire climb took them 33 days.

3. Mitre Peak

Location: New Zealand
Height: 5560 feet

The Mitre peak has emerged directly from the sea floor and is one of the most photographed peaks in the country. It stands tall at 5,560 feet above sea level and is located on the South Island of New Zealand, on the shore of Milford Sound.

Each year thousands of visitors come here to hike and climb this challenging peak. People mostly cover this peak in a night while some like to take a day trip with a boat.

Fun Fact

This cliff gets its name due to its distinctive shape after the mitre headwear of Christian bishops. The cliff was named by Captain John Lort Stokes of HMS Acheron.

The distinctive shape of the peak in southern New Zealand gives the mountain its name, after the mitre headwear of Christian bishops. It was named by Captain John Lort Stokes of HMS Acheron.

2. Auyán-tepui

Location: Venezuela
Height: 8040 feet

Standing at a height of 8,040 feet above sea level, the Auyan-tepui cliff is by far one of the most challenging treks of Venezuela. The Auyan tepui is one of the largest table mountains and has a bizarre range of rock formation and flora. As many as 25 species of amphibians, reptiles and birds are known from the summit plateau of Auyán-tepui.

From near this cliff, the Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, frops. These waterfalls are 3,212 feet high and drop 19 times higher than the Niagara Falls.

Fun Fact

This cliff recieved international status in 1933 when Angel Falls were accidentally discovered by Jimmie Angel, a bush pilot who was searching for gold ore. He was attemting to land on the heart-shaped mesa in 1937 when he crashed his small flamingo plane on top of this cliff. It took him and his crew 11 days to complete the discent by sloping backside. However, in the end, all his efforts were immortalised along with his name when the cliff was named after him.

1. Trango Towers

Location: Pakistan
Height: 20,608 feet

With a massive height of 20,608 feet above sea level, this cliff in Pakistan is the most spectacular alpine rock climbing valley in the world. This cliff is situated in the Baltoro glacier region of Pakistan.

The tallest formation in the Trango valley, these Trango Towers feature 4,396 feet of granite, which is more than any face in the world! Featuring a group of dramatic grantire spires, these towers are a set of three.

Northwest of the Great Trango is the Trango Tower at 6,239 meter. North of this tower is a smaller rock spire called Trango Monk. On walking towards the north of the Trango Monk, the ridge becomes less rocky and loses the huge granite walls. This makes it very attractive and easy to climb for adventurers.

Fun Fact

Of the more recent climbs recorded include that of Josh Wharton and Kelly Cordes. They challenged themselves to a 7,400 feet climb on the Azeem Ridge to the Southwest Summit. The pair were recognised for the speed of their climb, as they completed it in five days.