It covers an area of 27.27 square kilometres (10.53 sq mi) at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula at the mouth of the Bako and Kuching Rivers.

Wave erosion at the base of the cliffs has carved many of the rocky headlands into fantastically shaped sea arches and seastacks with colored patterns formed by iron deposition.

In addition, various beaches are accessible by boat from Kampung Bako or Teluk Assam, as well as a geologically interesting sea stack rock formation.

[7] Other animals include the long-tailed macaque, silvered langur, plantain squirrel, Bornean bearded pig, monitor lizards, and otters.

Bako's nocturnal creatures include the colugo, pangolin, mousedeer, various species of fruit-eating and insect-eating bats, tarsier, slow loris and palm civet.