Safari shenanigans: Tourists' close call as cheetah climbs onto their open-top jeep

A group of tourists on a safari has had a close call with a cheetah, when the big cat climbed onto their open-top jeep to try and spot its next meal.

Video, captured in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, shows the cheetah vaulting onto the vehicle and lounging on the roof for some time. Jonas Meyer, 25, who was in the jeep alongside another tourist and two safari guides, captured the incredible moment on camera.

"Initially, I was both amazed and somewhat alarmed by the cheetah's boldness," the university student told SWNS. "My initial fear was somewhat allayed by the presence of our guides, but seeing them also duck and exhibit signs of fear reignited my apprehension.

"As time passed, my initial fear subsided somewhat, although the adrenaline rush was evident as you might notice from the heavy breathing in the footage," he continued.

According to Mr Meyer, the cheetah had been hiding nearby, and jumped onto the jeep to use it as a vantage point to scout for prey. "Initially, the cheetah was camouflaged, lying on a small hill approximately one metre high, amidst termite mounds. It then leaped onto the back of our vehicle and after a short while jumped down again.

The big cat spent around six minutes lounging on the vehicle, he said, before gracefully dismounting and lying in the grass again. No one in the vehicle was armed, so the group were all hoping the cheetah did not become aggressive.

"It's important to note that in the Serengeti National Park, guides do not carry weapons," Mr Meyer said. "Our only potential recourse, had the cheetah become aggressive, would have been to start the vehicle to scare it away."