How to Swing From Vines

The image of Tarzan casually swinging through the jungle on a vine is an alluring one, even if unrealistic. While you might not be able to swing through the jungle with a monkey's agility, you can use vines to swing limited distances and lower yourself down steep hills or cliff faces. Swinging from vines is dangerous and should be done with care, so follow these steps to learn how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Find the right vine. It is highly unlikely that you will have Tarzan's luck in finding a vine just lying around a jungle or forest that is suitable to swing from. Most vines are either not strong enough or not well placed to swing from. Keep an eye out for liana vines, which are high climbing woody vines, for something good to swing on.
2. Set the vine up. Most vines grow either from the ground up or directly from the canopy to connect to the ground. This means that you won't swing very far without setting up the vines. Cut the vine from the ground or free the vines entirely so you can make a reliable rope by twining a number of different vine strands together.
3. Test the vines' strength. Use the vines or the vine-made rope to suspend yourself just a few inches or feet above the ground. This way you can test the vine's strength without putting yourself in any real danger. If the vines hold securely without fraying or unraveling then you can try to use them to swing through the jungle like Tarzan himself.
4. Secure the vine to a massive rock or tree. No matter how strong your vine is, everything will depend on the stability of the anchor you use to secure yourself. Use a large boulder or tree and tie a secure knot or, if the vine is too stiff for knot tying, thread the vine around the anchor and hold on to both ends to swing across a ravine or lower yourself down a waterfall face.