A dream safari in South Africa turned into a nightmare when a Canadian tourist was shot dead after a guide’s rifle accidentally went off at the end of a wildlife tour.

The 69-year-old man had been visiting Kruger National Park, South Africa’s largest and most famous game reserve, when tragedy struck during what was supposed to be a relaxing sunset barbecue in the bush.

After spending the afternoon watching wildlife, the tour group pulled over for a bush braai, a traditional South African outdoor cookout, when the horrifying accident unfolded.

According to authorities, the tourist approached a concession operator who was holding a rifle and asked whether the gun was real.

Police said the operator was allegedly demonstrating that it was a real firearm when the rifle suddenly discharged.

The bullet struck the Canadian tourist in the chest.

A member of the group desperately performed first aid while paramedics rushed to the scene, but the man could not be saved.

Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said the tourist was killed instantly.

“It is alleged that the 69-year-old male tourist approached the concession operator, who was holding a rifle and asked if it was a real firearm,” Masondo said.

“While the operator was demonstrating that it was a real rifle, that was the time when the firearm reportedly discharged, and it killed the tourist instantly,” he added.

Kruger National Park spokesman JP Louw confirmed the guide was not a park ranger employed by SANParks, but worked for a private company that brings tourists into the reserve.

“Our information so far is that a private guide attached to a concession operator allegedly accidentally discharged a firearm in the Kruger,” Louw said.

“It resulted in a fatal injury to a 69-year-old Canadian tourist in the national park.”

Louw said the tourist was part of a group that had booked the experience outside the park and entered for a permitted bush barbecue organized by a private concession.

“This tragic matter is now in the hands of the South African Police,” he said.

Police have opened cases of culpable homicide and reckless handling of a firearm as investigators try to determine exactly how the deadly shot was fired.

SANParks said it is cooperating with authorities and offered condolences to the man’s devastated family.

“SANParks extends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the deceased during this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.

The shocking shooting comes just one month after another horror unfolded near Kruger, when two tourists were brutally stabbed to death and their bodies were found in a river known to be home to crocodiles.

Ernst Marais, 71, and his wife, Dina, 73, were discovered by fellow tourists floating in shallow water near an elephant crossing with their hands tied.

Authorities believe the killers stole the couple’s Ford Ranger 4×4 before fleeing toward neighboring Mozambique.

Three suspects have since been arrested in a joint police operation. Two were captured in Mozambique and one in Zimbabwe, and all are facing extradition to South Africa for trial.

The double murder happened on May 25 near the Pafuri gate in the northern part of Kruger National Park.

The area is close to Crook’s Corner, a remote border zone that earned its notorious name more than a century ago as a hideout for poachers, gun runners and smugglers.

Kruger National Park covers roughly 7,500 square miles, about the size of Wales, and attracts more than one million visitors each year.

The world-famous safari destination is one of South Africa’s biggest tourist draws, bringing in hundreds of millions for the country’s economy.

But for one Canadian tourist, a once-in-a-lifetime trip ended in unthinkable tragedy.