Tugela Falls is the centerpiece of the Amphitheatre landscape in South Africa’s Royal Natal National Park. The waterfall descends from the Drakensberg escarpment in a series of cascades.
The Tugela River drops over several stages from the basalt cliffs, creating a total descent commonly reported at about 948 metres. Because it is a tiered system rather than one uninterrupted vertical plunge, descriptions of its height sometimes distinguish total drop from single-drop height.
The waterfall’s name comes from the Tugela River, one of the major rivers of KwaZulu-Natal. Royal Natal National Park provides views of the Amphitheatre and surrounding Drakensberg mountains, while routes to the upper falls involve demanding mountain terrain.