A tourist’s peaceful river crossing turned into an unforgettable wildlife encounter when a wild monkey suddenly jumped onto his kayak and stood directly on top of him as he lay back on the boat. The moment, posted on TikTok by @spikekaye, has since gone viral for its mix of surprise, calmness, and pure “only in Thailand” energy.

Spike explained that he was kayaking on a river during a holiday in Thailand when the monkey leapt aboard without warning. Instead of panicking or scrambling away, the animal appeared remarkably calm and balanced, standing on Spike as the kayak continued drifting downstream. For a few surreal seconds, the monkey treated him like a floating platform, surveying the river before eventually hopping off and moving on.

The video was recorded during a kayaking trip on a river in Koh Lanta, Thailand. The tourist films himself while lying back on the kayak and says that he finds himself in a situation where he cannot move properly.

He then turns the camera to show a wild monkey standing on top of him while he remains on the kayak. The camera briefly pans to show how far from the riverbank the kayak is, indicating that it is positioned centrally in the river and away from dry land.

The clip focuses on the tourist remaining still as the monkey stays on the kayak. The video does not show how the encounter ended. No one was injured during the incident.