Do you love adventure? Would you instead go on a safari tour rather than stay at home and watch Netflix?

A college student went on a safari tour of the Serengeti to experience wildlife.

He hoped for an unforgettable experience, and he got just that.

The group of tourists hoped to see the wildlife from a safe distance, but they got more than what they bargained for.

One cheetah decided it would be fun to see people up close too, so the wild animal gave them a terrifying surprise.

Of course, in these types of situations, you want to be ready for the unexpected, just like what happened to this group and to this Seattle student who got up close and personal with a cheetah.

Britton Hayes, a college student, was among the tourists that went to the Grand Ruaha Safari.

They were having so much fun when they met three stunning cheetahs that were hunting in the Gol Kopjes of the Serengeti.

As the tourists got a little closer, they caught the attention of the cheetahs and they, too, became curious about the humans lurking in their territory.

“We started to notice the cheetahs became curious of the vehicle,” Hayes told KOMO News. “But it was too late to drive quickly away or anything like that because you don’t want to startle the animals, because that’s when things usually go wrong.”

Hayes was correct.

Panicking, shouting, or even attempting to run away from the cheetahs will end up in disaster.

Even with a vehicle, they were no match with the world’s fastest land animal.

While all the tourists, including Hayes, were so distracted by one cheetah, they failed to notice another one who jumped inside their vehicle.

Then another one hopped inside the window and went inside the backseat.

By this time, Hayes knew that one cheetah was just a few inches away from him.

“This is not at all a common occurrence,” he recalled, but of course, no one really expected it to actually happen.

“One of the cheetahs hopped onto the hood and was sniffing around, so we were all focused on the cheetah on the hood that was looking around,” said Hayes to Komo News.

Can you imagine how terrifying this was for everyone?

If only one person panics, everyone’s lives will be put in danger.

These are wild animals and very agile ones. In an instant, they could attack.

The cheetahs started sniffing at the tourists.

Their guide reminded them to stay calm and not panic, which was really hard to do.

Hayes tried his best to remain calm because even the slightest change in breathing could signal a threat to these cheetahs.

Peter Heistein was holding his phone at the right time and could capture everything on his camera.

The safari guide calmly told Hayes to slowly control his breathing and to never try to make eye contact with the cheetah.

It was a very hard thing to do especially when the wild animal was so near.

Hayes looked down and slowly regulated his breathing.

“Honestly, it was probably one of the scariest moments of my life while it was happening. I felt like I had to clear my mind of any thoughts because from everything you’re told about predators like that, they can sense fear and any sort of discomfort you’re feeling and they’ll react accordingly,” Hayes recalled the terrifying experience. “I wanted to be as calm and as still as possible to avoid a bad outcome.”

After the cheetahs left, Hayes felt relieved and proud of himself, though he didn’t call his mother. He waited to tell her about the experience once he was home.

He didn’t want his mother to panic and ask him to go home as soon as possible.

His mom even posted the clip after she found out.

As for Hayes, well, he’s more alive than ever. It was one of the scariest experiences for him, but it made him feel exhilarated.

Watch the breathtaking clip below.

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Source: ZSL, Komo News, Elisa Jaffe Studio