A lion got the fright of its life when the tyre it was chewing on exploded.

Sean Obeirne, 13, and his family were on their way to breakfast at Tshokwane camp in the Kruger National Park when they encountered a pride of lions on the road.

"We were one of the first cars at the sighting but the road quickly filled with cars, as it tends to do in Kruger with an amazing sighting," Obeirne said.