Talek River
Talek River
Talek River in Maasai Mara is one of the seasonal rivers that drain the Great Maasai Mara National Reserve. The Talek River in Maasai Mara is one of the 5 tributaries of the Mara River that drain the grassland and shrubland of Maasai Mara. Other tributaries are River Sand, Tabora River, Tigite River, and Somonche River.
The five tributaries form the two perennial tributaries of Amala River and Nyangores River. These two main tributaries form the main Mara River, which drains the largest part of the reserve, both on the swampy land and the forested areas.
The Talek River in Maasai Mara is the longest tributary and joins the Mara River at over 16 kilometres north of the national reserve of Maasai Mara, on the border between Kenya and Tanzania. They join to form the Great Mara basin that covers over 13,500 square kilometres. Covered by montane forests mixed with open grassland and shrubs. The river is the backbone of wildlife in Maasai Mara National Reserve, especially in the central and southern sections of the reserve.
The Talek River in Maasai Mara is seasonal, hence affecting the discharge, making it bimodal, meaning two different discharges following the climatic or rainy seasons. During the short rains, the discharge flow is low compared to the long heavy rainy season.
The long rainy season starts from late March to May, while the short season starts from late October to November. With no clear source of water that drains the river, Talek River depends purely on rainy waters, most that make the river seasonal.
The river is a source of water to different private ranches around the park. It’s also the catchment area for more aquatic animals, with large schools of hippos, large Nile crocodiles, and many more waterbird species. The wildebeest migration happens at the river, which attracts more tourists in the area. Due to several attractions around the river, more luxury accommodations have been constructed around the area.
Another important river in the Masai Mara National Reserve is the famous Mara River that runs across the reserve. The river lies across the great and largest wildlife migration (wildebeest Migration) corridor where ungulates migrate annually from the Tanzania Serengeti National Park to the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The river is part of the Mara River basin that covers around 13,504 square kilometres. 65% of the River basin is found in Kenya, while 35% is in Tanzania, originating from the Kenyan highlands. The Mara River flows over 390 kilometres and drains to the African largest freshwater body that is Lake Victoria.
The two tributaries of the Mara river those are Amala River and the Nyangores River, drain the Western Mau Escarpment. This is the most famous part of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, where most of the wildlife, especially the big cats like leopards and lions. The Mara River continues up to the endless plains of Serengeti National Park, where it has another tributary, of Longaianiet river.
The river meanders around the reserve through the open savannah grassland where small-scale agriculture is conducted. The river is famous for the annual wildebeest migration where millions of wildebeest and thousands of zebras cross from Serengeti to Maasai Mara and back to Serengeti.
In a nutshell, Talek River in Maasai Mara and Mara River form the complete ecosystem of Maasai Mara National Reserve. The two rivers are the backbone of the wildlife of the reserve, which makes the reserve to be visited throughout the year due to permanent residents at the reserve.
