A lion got too close for comfort for a safari tracker sitting in a vehicle in Kruger National Park on July 21.

“During a recent safari, we were lucky to come across eight lions lying right next to the road,” the filmer said. “To see great numbers of lions in the African wild is always a great experience. Little did we know that it would very quickly turn into an unexpected and nerve-wracking close encounter.”

“On the front of the safari vehicle is a single seat where a safari tracker sits, assisting the guide by spotting animals and scanning the terrain for any tracks and signs of animals,” the filmer explained.

“We were admiring this pride of lions when one of the female lions suddenly started walking straight towards the person sitting on the front of the vehicle,” the filmer said.

“The lioness stood right in front of the safari tracker,” the filmer said “The lioness was staring with intent, ears cocked and her tail flicking and twitching up in the air.”

“This suddenly became a dangerous situation for the person sitting in that seat,” the film said. “This was a heart-stopping moment for everyone on the vehicle.”

“These safari guides and trackers are amazingly well-trained and very experienced,” the filmer said. “The tracker did not make a move while sitting dead still, which is the right thing to do."

“The lion was way too close for everyone’s comfort,” the filmer said. "The guide then made the decision to start the vehicle and slowly reversed back to a safer distance.”

“This was probably one of the most nerve-wracking encounters we have experienced in a long time and thanks to the experience of the guides we managed to avoid a potential nasty situation,” the filmer said.