A safari trip has taken a terrifying turn after a hippopotamus charged towards a boat carrying tourists in Botswana, with dramatic footage capturing the animal racing though the water in pursuit of the vessel.

The group had been watching a male hippo from a distance when the boat’s captain warned passengers that the animal could become aggressive and began moving away.

But the decision to pick up speed did little to ease the tension.

As the boat accelerated through the African waterway, the hippo followed, powering through the water as it bopped above and below the surface at speed as it closed in on the vessel.

Wild video footage of the frightening encounter, captured by passenger Oznur Bell, shows the enormous hippo charging in the direction of the tourists as the boat attempts to evade the animal.

The tourists appeared visibly shaken as the African predator continued its pursuit, while the captain remained focused on steering the boat away from the hippo.

“After watching his behaviour for a moment, he (the captain) calmly said, ‘Hold on—we need to speed up now before he decides to come after us,’” Ms Bell told to NBC News.

“The moment we accelerated, we looked back and realised the hippo was chasing us.”

Ms Bell, who was travelling on the boat with her three children and a close friend, said the encounter is one she won’t forget.

“It was one of the most terrifying moments I’ve ever experienced,” she said.

Despite the panic that ensued among the passengers, Ms Bell said the captains managed to crack a smile when they knew the hippo was no longer a threat.

“You can actually see the smiles on the guides’ faces, not because it was funny, but because it was a smile of pure relief,” Ms Bell said.

“For a few moments, every single person in the boat was genuinely worried.”

She said she was glad she happened to have her phone out at the right time to capture the moment on camera.

“I happened to have my phone in my hand because I was filming it,” she added.

“By pure luck, I never put my phone away, which is the only reason I was able to capture what happened next on camera.”

The chase eventually came to an end, with no injuries reported among those onboard.

It was a lucky escape, as hippos can be highly territorial animals when boats get too close while travelling through waterways used by the animals.

The number of fatal encounters between hippos and humans are not known, but are estimated at a minimum of 500 deaths each year.