This park was established in 1961 and covers an area approximately 1,800 sq. km (about 720 sq. miles). During the months of August to September each year, the greatest wildlife show on earth is enacted here when over 2 million wildebeests migrate from the south, in Tanzania, and head north-west into Kenya. Around August, they are forced to start their long, long trek north-west into Kenya after exhausting all the available food supplies in the Serengeti region. Crossing into Kenya, they find plenty of good grazing grounds in the well watered areas of the Mara.
All year round, you will find plenty of buffalo, a few rhinos, gazelles , impala, zebras, giraffes and hundreds of other plains game. Naturally, their predators are never far off and you will find the largest population of lions in Kenya within the Masai Mara game reserve. Cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas, jackals and other smaller animals are to be found. In addition, there are over 420 species of birds recorded in this reserve and include the rare Verreaux eagle owl. You will of course find the ostrich, martial eagles, the kori bustards and many other types of birds during your safari in this part of Kenya.
A unique activity that takes place in the Mara is the balloon safaris, started in 1976 by the Allan Root. Being highly maneuverable, the balloon can skim treetops for a close up view of game or rise to over 300 metres (1,000 ft) for a spectacular view of the Masai Mara plains.