Guide · 12 swings · 12 grounds · operators' own rules
The rope catches you from the side.
That is the whole difference from a bungy.
A canyon swing starts like a bungy jump and ends like a playground: you step off a platform, fall on a rope anchored across the gorge, and the rope turns the fall into an arc that runs out over the river. The fall is shorter than a bungy's and the rope never pulls you back up, which is why many people who would never bungy will swing. The operators are strict about something else instead: a weight window with a minimum as well as a maximum. Below: the limits of twelve swings word for word, the cheapest bookable swing on each ground, and the honest state of the safety record – no statistic exists, but the incidents do.
Operators' own limits on 12 grounds
The weight rule is a window, not a ceiling. Every rope swing here has a minimum as well as a maximum, because the rig needs enough mass to swing clean: 35 kg at the bottom almost everywhere (30 kg at Taupō, 40 kg at Victoria Falls), and a top that runs from 120 kg in Grindelwald, Killiecrankie, Golden and Madeira to 150 kg at Taupō and Alas Harum and 160 kg on the Nevis Swing. Shotover publishes only one figure, 210 kg combined, for solo and tandem alike. Tandems add a second rule: the Nevis Swing takes 220 kg together but no more than 30 kg between the two of you.
Age starts at 10 on the New Zealand swings and in Scotland, at 14 without exception in Grindelwald and at Victoria Falls, and lower where the swing is gentler or a ride: 9 at Golden, 8 at Moab, 7 at Alas Harum, 3 plus a height minimum on Glenwood's mechanical swing. Madeira sets no age at all, only the 35 kg. Everyone excludes pregnancy; most exclude heart, back, neck and blood-pressure problems, and AJ Hackett also turns away photosensitive epilepsy.
| Ground | Stop | Weight | Age | Also |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queenstown | Canyon swing · Arthur's Point, above the Shotover | max. 210 kg (463 lb) combined, solo or tandem | 10+; 10–13 with a parent present, 14–15 with a parent's signature | 109 m platform, 60 m freefall, 200 m arc; jump yourself or be released; not for expectant mothers |
| Queenstown | Bungy, swing & catapult · Nevis Valley, AJ Hackett | 35–160 kg solo (77–353 lb); tandem max. 220 kg, at most 30 kg apart | 10+; under 15 with an adult's consent | 300 m arc, forwards, backwards or upside down; no pregnancy or photosensitive epilepsy; doctor's note for osteoporosis, scoliosis or a recent concussion |
| Interlaken | Canyon swing · Gletscherschlucht, Grindelwald | max. 120 kg (265 lb) | 14+, “no exceptions” | 90 m platform, 50 m freefall, up to 120 km/h; solo only |
| Rotorua, Taupō & the North Island | Bungy & cliff swing · Waikato river, Taupō | 30–150 kg solo (66–331 lb); tandem 180 kg | 10+; under 15 with an adult's consent | up to 70 km/h on a 44 m arc; same health rules as the Nevis Swing |
| Victoria Falls | Bungee, swing & slide · Victoria Falls Bridge | min. 40 kg (88 lb); tandem max. 180 kg – the solo maximum appears as both 140 and 180 kg on the same page | 14+ | 111 m bridge, “up to 70 metres” of freefall; forwards, backwards or tandem; not with heart, back or blood-pressure problems |
| Highlands & Scotland | Bungee & bridge swing · Highland Fling, Garry Bridge | 35–120 kg (77–265 lb) | 10+; over 65 with a doctor's clearance | 40 m above the River Garry, about 15 m of freefall; no tandem; not when pregnant |
| Banff & the Rockies | Suspension bridges & canyon swing · Golden, BC | 36–120 kg solo (79–265 lb); tandem 181 kg | 9+; under 12 with an adult | body height 137–198 cm; not with pregnancy or heart, head, back or neck conditions; bought on site on top of the park admission |
| Colorado: Royal Gorge & the Front Range | Canyon swing & drop tower · Glenwood Caverns, Glenwood Springs | no single limit; 800 lb (363 kg) for the four seats together | 3+ and at least 48 in (122 cm) tall | a mechanical pendulum ride, not a rope: four riders, 50 mph; not with back, neck or heart problems, high blood pressure or pregnancy |
| Moab & Southern Utah | Rope swing · a 400-foot cliff near Moab | max. 300 lb (136 kg) | 8+ | not recommended when pregnant or with back, neck or spine conditions; ropes rated to about 4,000 lb |
| Madeira | Giant swing · Ribeira da Janela | 35–120 kg (77–265 lb) | no minimum; minors with a parent's consent | a 20 m swing on a cliff 250 m above the sea – an arc, no freefall |
| Bali | Jungle swing · Tegalalang & Ubud | 35–150 kg single (77–331 lb); 200 kg for a couple | 7+ on the extreme swings | pushed swings up to 25 m high; not when pregnant or with heart disease |
| Costa Rica | Tarzan swing | max. 90 kg (198 lb) at Selvatura; 50–100 kg at 100% Aventura | 4+ at Selvatura; 6+ at 100% Aventura, under 18 with an adult | part of the canopy tour; not with heart or back problems, pregnancy, osteoporosis or surgery in the last six months |
Cheapest bookable offer per ground, as retrieved Sept 29, 2026
The big rope swings cost about as much as a bungy: 100–190 dollars or euros for Victoria Falls, Killiecrankie, Taupō, Grindelwald, Shotover and the Nevis Swing, with a second swing the same day at a discount. Moab's rope swing is the dearest at about $300–350, because it is a half-day trip into the desert. At the other end, Bali's swings cost a few dollars on a park day pass and Madeira's cliff swing €39; Glenwood's is included in the park's day ticket and Golden's is bought on site on top of the bridge admission. The table lists the cheapest bookable swing on each ground.
| Ground | Offer | From | Reviews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bali | Alas Harum day pass: Super Extreme Swing, sky bike & flying fox | $4.09 | ★ 4.3 · 173 | Book → |
| Costa Rica | Monteverde: Selvatura Park zipline and Tarzan swing | $90.40 | ★ 4.8 · 47 | Book → |
| Highlands & Scotland | Bridge swing, Killiecrankie | €97.57 | ★ 4.7 · 16 | Book → |
| Victoria Falls | Victoria Falls: bridge swing | $100.50 | ★ 5.0 · 3 | Book → |
| Rotorua, Taupō & the North Island | Taupō: AJ Hackett cliff-face swing | $137.33 | ★ 5.0 · 10 | Book → |
| Interlaken | Interlaken: Canyon Swing in Grindelwald | €147.66 | ★ 4.8 · 455 | Book → |
| Queenstown | Queenstown: Shotover Canyon Swing | $168.60 | ★ 5.0 · 7 | Book → |
| Queenstown | Queenstown: Nevis Swing with 70-m freefall | $185.74 | ★ 4.9 · 151 | Book → |
| Moab & Southern Utah | The Moab Rope Swing | $349 | ★ 5.0 · 225 | Book → |
| Banff & the Rockies | Suspension bridges & canyon swing · Golden, BC | on site | – | Sold direct |
| Colorado: Royal Gorge & the Front Range | Canyon swing & drop tower · Glenwood Caverns, Glenwood Springs | on site | – | Sold direct |
| Madeira | Giant swing · Ribeira da Janela | on site | – | Sold direct |
There is no accident statistic for swings. No agency, association or insurer we could find counts them separately. What exists is regulation and a short list of documented incidents. In New Zealand, WorkSafe names canyon and bridge swinging among the activities covered by the Adventure Activities Regulations 2016 – registration and an external safety audit are compulsory. Switzerland's risk-activities ordinance counts “pendulum jumps” as bungee jumping in every case, so the Grindelwald swing runs under a federal licence.
On the commercial swings on this list, the incidents on record ended without injury: a tandem harness that loosened mid-swing on the Nevis Swing in 2012 (Otago Daily Times) and a release bar that opened on the platform after a swing in 2016 (NZ Herald). The deaths happened elsewhere, on unregulated swings: a rope swing a group had rigged themselves at Corona Arch near Moab in 2013, with too much slack in the rope (CBS News); a father pulled into a gorge while pushing his son on a photo swing at Tegallalang, Bali, in 2018 (Coconuts Bali); and a 16-year-old in Sichuan, China, in May 2026, released although the safety rope was not secured (VnExpress). The famous Victoria Falls accident of 2011, when a cord snapped, was a bungee jump from the same bridge, not the swing. The pattern is the same each time: the platform and the people on it, not a commercial rope giving way.
60 mfreefall before the arc · Shotover
From a platform 109 m above the Shotover River the fall lasts about four seconds, then the swing runs out over 200 m. Sixty metres of freefall ends at roughly 120 km/h (our calculation, without air resistance) – Grindelwald's operator gives 120 km/h after 50 m.
Source: Shotover Canyon Swing, FAQs
2 × 2.8 trope strength · Shotover
Every swinger hangs on two independent ropes, each with a breaking strain of 2.8 tonnes. The operator is registered with WorkSafe New Zealand as an adventure activity operator. Moab's operator rates its ropes at about 4,000 lb and runs two separate systems.
Source: Shotover Canyon Swing, Safety
2016New Zealand's adventure-activity rules
WorkSafe lists canyon swinging, bridge swinging and bungy jumping as activities “nearly certain” to fall under the Adventure Activities Regulations 2016: operators must register and pass an independent safety audit.
Source: WorkSafe New Zealand, What is an adventure activity?
A swing on a long rope anchored across a gorge. You step or are released off a platform, fall freely for a few seconds – 60 m at Shotover, 50 m in Grindelwald, about 15 m at Killiecrankie – and the rope then turns the fall into a wide arc over the river. Unlike a bungy, it never pulls you back up.
A window rather than a single number: 35–160 kg solo on the Nevis Swing, 30–150 kg at Taupō, 35–120 kg at Killiecrankie and Madeira, 36–120 kg at Golden, 120 kg in Grindelwald, and 210 kg combined at Shotover for solo and tandem alike. Victoria Falls asks at least 40 kg and allows 180 kg for a tandem.
10 on the New Zealand swings and at Killiecrankie, 14 without exception in Grindelwald and at Victoria Falls, 9 at Golden Skybridge, 8 at Moab. Parents must consent for under-15s on the AJ Hackett swings and be present for 10- to 13-year-olds at Shotover. Madeira's cliff swing has no minimum age, only a minimum weight of 35 kg.
About 100–190 dollars or euros for the big rope swings (Victoria Falls, Killiecrankie, Taupō, Grindelwald, Shotover, Nevis), around $300–350 for Moab's half-day rope swing, €39 for Madeira and a few dollars for Bali's park swings. See the price table above for the cheapest bookable swing on each ground.
Not on any of the commercial swings listed here, as far as the public record shows; the incidents there (Nevis 2012 and 2016) ended without injury. Deaths have happened on unregulated swings – a self-rigged rope at Corona Arch, Utah, in 2013, a photo swing in Bali in 2018, and a park swing in Sichuan in 2026 whose safety rope was not attached. No statistic exists.
No. Every operator on this list excludes pregnancy, and most also exclude heart, back, neck and blood-pressure problems. AJ Hackett additionally excludes photosensitive epilepsy and asks for a doctor's note after a recent concussion.
At Shotover, the Nevis Swing, Taupō, Victoria Falls, Golden and Alas Harum, yes, within a combined weight limit of 180–220 kg. Grindelwald and Killiecrankie are solo only.
Ranked by the numbers: The biggest swings in the world, ranked →