Big male lions were the only animals Simone van Schalkwyk wanted to see on a safari drive near Lower Sabie in Kruger National Park, and when he did, he didn’t expect to come eye to eye with one, but he did.

The 24-year-old told Latest Sightings that he and a companion stopped when they spotted three male lions alongside the road and he declared, “Finally, we had found them!”

What happened next was totally unexpected, as you will see in his video.

Two of the lions took a keen interest in their car, which was both exhilarating and frightening.

Van Schalkwyk explained to Latest Sightings:

“The lions were lying in the grass right next to the road and slowly got up. Showing a lot of interest in our car, they came right up to my window looking right at me and even rubbed themselves against the bonnet. The emotions were unreal and slightly mixed. I was filled with excitement as well as a bit of fear seeing these male lions up close.

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“I love the bush and visit quite often, but I have never experienced anything like this before. I am so lucky and blessed to have witnessed a lion look me straight in the eyes!

“We spent quite some time with the lions and after a while, the lions lost interest and we carried on.”

Photo courtesy of Latest Sightings.