--- title: Cheetahs Board Jeep for Wild Safari Ride description: A pack of cheetahs decided to join the safari experience of a group in the Serengeti, hopping in the backseat of the car. canonical: https://time.com/5220468/cheetah-safari/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-29T18:21:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:51:42.969Z og:title: These Cheetahs Just Wanted to Join in on the Safari Ride og:description: It's not every day that cheetahs hop into the safari truck og:url: https://time.com/5220468/cheetah-safari/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14d5ed4e4c74032a/6988e69bfb4eaca402894a50/safari-10-trips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6000 og:image:height: 3375 og:image:alt: Safari jeep leaving cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on game drive, Inverdoorn Game Reserve, Karoo desert, Ceres, South Africa, Africa og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Cheetahs Just Wanted to Join in on the Safari Ride twitter:description: It's not every day that cheetahs hop into the safari truck twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14d5ed4e4c74032a/6988e69bfb4eaca402894a50/safari-10-trips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Cheetahs Board Jeep to Get In On the Full Safari Experience > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=bb16f505-6cb2-4e0d-8604-bde8562e4448&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Mar 29, 2018 6:21 PM UTC  Safari jeep leaving cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on game drive, Inverdoorn Game Reserve, Karoo desert, Ceres, South Africa, Africa Safari jeep leaving cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on game drive, Inverdoorn Game Reserve, Karoo desert, Ceres, South Africa, Africa Kim Walker / robertharding—Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Mar 29, 2018 6:21 PM UTC Safaris are unpredictable. After all, visitors [are out there](http://time.com/3984181/cecil-lion-abercrombie-kent/) on the hunt for nature’s wildest creatures. But one recent safari group in the Gol Kopjes in the [Serengeti](http://time.com/4057136/africa-great-migration-wildebbest-serengeti-maasai-mara/) had an even more heart-stopping experience than most: a pack of [cheetahs](http://time.com/4623131/uae-outlaw-wild-animals-cheetahs/) appeared to board their vehicle while they were observing them. Britton Hayes was spending the day game-watching as usual when his jeep came upon a family of cheetahs on the hunt. As is protocol on safaris, the vehicle came to a stop to silently observe the creatures in their natural habitat. But apparently the cheetahs were just as interested in observing the humans — because, while one of them jumped atop the car, another hopped into the backseat. “Honestly, it was probably one of the scariest moments of my life while it was happening,” [Hayes told KOMO News](http://wlos.com/news/offbeat/watch-seattle-man-survives-close-encounter-with-cheetah-during-african-safari). “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.” Luckily, Hayes said their guide helped the group stay calm throughout the close encounter, and they eventually carried on with their trip unscathed. The Gol Kopjes [are known for](https://www.africadreamsafaris.com/gol-kopjes) the high population of cheetahs, but this tour group got more than they bargained for. 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