30 jeeps, one sleepy tiger and a traffic jam nobody saw coming in Ranthambore. Viral

A tiger had no plans of letting safari traffic ruin its afternoon nap. In Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park, the big cat stretched out right in the middle of a forest track, leaving around 30 safari jeeps waiting for their rather unexpected roadblock to move.

The amusing moment was captured by a tourist named Elena, who shared the video on Instagram. The clip shows several safari vehicles lined up behind the sleeping tiger as tourists quietly watch and film the rare sighting.

According to Elena’s caption, this was the third tiger she had spotted during her Ranthambore trip. But this particular encounter was unlike the others. The tiger had apparently decided that the safari track was the perfect place for a nap, lying comfortably on the dirt road while the vehicles waited around it.

“CLASSIC INDIA. TRAFFIC JAM. But make it tiger,” Elena wrote, describing the scene.

She said around 30 jeeps were caught in the unusual traffic jam, with tourists trying to get a closer look while keeping their cameras trained on the 200-kg animal.

The tiger eventually woke up, stood up and gave itself a long stretch before casually walking towards the forest. Elena compared the behaviour to that of a house cat, writing that it “stretched like my house cat” before disappearing into the trees.

She also described the encounter as a “once in a lifetime moment”, noting that there is no guarantee of seeing a tiger during the roughly $50 (approx Rs 4779) safari. She said she had spotted three tigers across four safaris, but this particular sighting was easily the most memorable.

Watch the video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elena I Travel addict (@elen_d.ream)

The video has since racked up more than 625,000 views, with viewers amused by the bizarre safari traffic jam.

Several users focused on just how relaxed the tiger appeared despite having dozens of vehicles and curious tourists around it.

Others found its sleepy behaviour remarkably similar to that of a domestic cat that decides the middle of the road is the perfect place to lie down.

The scene also gave viewers a glimpse of the unpredictability that makes wildlife safaris so fascinating.- EndsPublished By: Srimoyee ChowdhuryPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 08:08 IST