The protected area features eight life zones: suptropical humid forest, tropical humid forest, suptropical high-humidity forest, suptropical high-humidity foothills cloud forest, subtropical rainforest, tropical cloud forest foothills, subtropical lower foothills cloud forest and semi-flooded subtropical premontane cloud forest (1).

The main rivers that flow through the area are the Tambopata, Malinowski, la Torre, Tavara, Candamo and Guacamayo. The main rivers flowing around the area are the Heath, Inambari and Madre de Dios. A series of smaller rivers and gullies make up the rest of the area's watershed.

There are several ways to access these protected areas. One can fly to the southeastern jungle town of Puerto Maldonado, the capital of the department of Madre de Dios. By road, one can drive from the Andean city of Cuzco to the northern edge of the protected areas or from Puno to the southern border. River access is down the Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers in shallow-bottomed boats. From Bolivia, one can reach the area via the Madre de Dios and Heath Rivers.

Average annual temperature is 26° C, ranging from 10-38° C; with average annual rainfall of 1600-2400 mm (2). Rainfall in the protected area is typical of most areas in the Peruvian Amazon. The climate ranges from humid and warm (3000 mm and 25° C on average), sub-level humidity and semi-warm (1700 mm and 26° C on average), high-level humidity and semi-warm (4000 mm and 23° C) (3).

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1 The National Office of Studies in Natural Resources ONREN. Environmental Profile of Peru. 1986.
2 Rassanen, M. "Geohistory and geology in the Peruvian Amazon". In: Kalliola, R. Puhakka, M. and Danjoy, W. (Eds.). The Peruvian Amazon - tropical humid plantlife on the subAndean plain. Gummerus printing, Finland. 1993.
3 Conservación Internacional - Perú.  Zona Reservada de Tambopata Candamo (Madre de Dios - Puno) Perú. Noviembre 1999.  P. 20.